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Tag Archives: millipede

Log diving

13 Wednesday Jan 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

anthropods, Common shiny woodlouse, Common striped woodlouse, crustaceans, life under logs, millipede, Oniscus asellus, Philoscia muscorum, woodlice

It was grey and gloomy, the frost had knocked over the wildflowers I was hoping to find, and the birds were quiet in the trees, so where should I turn for wildlife? A spot of log diving was called for and, sure enough, the under-log dwellers didn’t disappoint. I found millipedes, which are probably one of the Polydesmus species but I can’t be sure …

210113 millipede polydesmus sp

And several Common shiny woodlice (Oniscus asellus) …

210113 Common shiny woodlouse

And also a Common striped woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum), not a species I’d noticed before, and this one was a bit shy about being photographed … but it had a very impressive rear end!

210113 Common striped woodlouse (1)
210113 Common striped woodlouse (2)

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He of the many many legs

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, nature photography

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Tags

flat-backed millipede, millipede, minibeasts

Though the word millipede comes from the Latin for ‘thousand feet’, the Common flat-backed millipede (Polydesmus angustus) only usually has between 40 and 70 feet, and no species of millipede has more than 750. I guess whoever originally named them got tired of counting!

160201 Millipede (Polydesmus complanatus) (3)

Growing up to 25mm long, this little creature is actually the largest and most common millipede in Britain, though it’s seen more frequently in England and Wales. Just like the woodlice it’s with here, it prefers damp shaded places, perhaps under logs, stones or bark, or amongst leaf litter, in woods and on farm lands but also in the home garden. Although it has many many legs, it actually moves quite slowly so, rather than running away from perceived danger, it secretes an unpleasant chemical from pores along its body to deter predators.

160201 Millipede (Polydesmus complanatus) (2)

The millipede’s favourite foods include fungi and dead vegetation, and it is a useful recycler of nutrients back into the soil. This little millipede gets its name from its broad body armour which makes its body look rather flat and helps it push its way into narrow crevices under bark or beneath stones.

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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