Nyssodesmus python
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Myriapoda
Class:
Diplopoda
Order:
Polydesmida
Family:
Platyrhacidae
Genus:
Nyssodesmus
Binomial name
Nyssodesmus python
(Peters, 1864)
Synonyms

Polydesmus python Peters, 1864
Platyrrhacus bivirgatus Carl, 1902
Nyssodesmus nigricaudus Chamberlin, 1922

Nyssodesmus python also known as the python millipede or large forest-floor millipede is a species of flat-backed millipede of the family Platyrhacidae commonly found in Costa Rica, where it occurs widely and is locally abundant in the Caribbean slopes from sea level to around 365 meters (1,200 feet) in elevation.[1][2] Individuals reach lengths of up to 10 cm (4 in), and are conspicuously colored in yellowish tan with brown or black stripes. Their appearance is sometimes likened to a human spine. These millipedes are often encountered in pairs, with the male straddling the back of the female long after mating, to prevent other males from fertilizing the female's eggs before she lays them.[3]

Pair (male on top)

References

  1. ↑ Hoffman, R. L. (1999). "Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America". Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publications. 8: 1–553. p. 379
  2. ↑ Henderson, Carrol L. (2010). Butterflies, Moths, and Other Invertebrates of Costa Rica: A Field Guide. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292779433.
  3. ↑ Adolph, S. C.; Geber, M. A. (1995). "Mate-guarding, mating success and body size in the tropical millipede Nyssodesmus python (Peters)(Polydesmida: Platyrhacidae)". The Southwestern Naturalist. 40: 56–61. JSTOR 30054394.


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