Matte Black and Orange-Spot Flatback Millipede

Millipedes

MOQ 100 head

Partners Only

2.1 – 3.3 cm body length

Non-venomous. A flat-backed (polydesmid) millipede that secretes hydrogen cyanide and benzaldehyde (almond-scented) from ozopores in defence — can stain and irritate skin/eyes. Wash hands after handling.

Native to southern India and Sri Lanka (widely introduced elsewhere via plants/soil). Lives in humid leaf litter, compost and decaying wood in forest and cultivated ground, often in dense aggregations.

Detritivore — decaying leaf litter, rotting wood, compost and fungi. Gregarious forest- and garden-floor recycler.

23 – 28 °C ambient — 22 °C cool end

75 – 85 %. Keep substrate evenly moist with good ventilation.

None required (nocturnal).

Decaying hardwood leaf litter and rotten wood as staple; supplement with cuttlebone calcium, vegetables and a little fish-flake protein.

Terrestrial; 8 – 10 cm of moist leaf-and-wood substrate with bark. Highly gregarious and prolific — keep communally. Min 25 × 25 cm.

Docile, slow and aggregating; coils and secretes when alarmed. Handle minimally.