Western Millipede

Posted on May 19, 2023 by tspuckler

This is a species of millipede found in California with no common name. Scientifically its kmown as Paeromopus angusticeps. It occupies the largest geographic range of all four species of Paeromopus, covering much of Northern California in a large arc extending from Monterey County on the central coast, north along the Coast Ranges to Humboldt County, and descending along the Cascades and Sierra Nevada range of eastern California.

Adults possess up to 80 body segments and range from 4 to 6 inches long, and are about a quarter on an inch wide. Their color consists of alternating bands of brown on a black or blue-black base color, although in some individuals the banding is largely indistinct from the base color.

Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterized by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda. The name derived from this feature is “Di” meaning “two” and “poda” meaning “feet.”

Most millipedes feed on decomposing vegetation or organic matter mixed with soil. They often play an important role in the breakdown and decomposition of plant litter.

These creatures are among the first animals to have colonized land, dating the species back 400 million years. Early forms probably ate mosses and primitive vascular plants.

Due to their lack of speed and their inability to bite or sting, their primary defense is to curl into a tight coil to protect their delicate legs inside their armored exoskeleton. Many species also emit foul-smelling liquid secretions through microscopic holes called ozopores.

Millipedes have inspired and played roles in scientific research. In 1963, a walking vehicle with 36 legs was designed, said to have been inspired by a study of millipede locomotion. For me they are always a fun find while out in the field.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Striped Bark Scorpion

Posted on December 30, 2022 by tspuckler

I found many examples of this cool creature while exploring glades in Missouri. The Striped Bark Scorpion is an extremely common scorpion found throughout the midsection of the United States and northern Mexico. It is perhaps the most frequently encountered scorpion in the United States. It is the only species of scorpion in Missouri.

At less than three inches in total length, the Striped Bark Scorpion is easily identified by being a uniform pale-yellow in color with two dark, longitudinal stripes on its back. Their color and pattern suits their environment well, providing them with a natural camouflage protecting them from predators and hiding them from prey. Another key characteristic to distinguish this species is a dark triangle on top of its head.

Its wide geographic distribution allows it to occupy desert, deciduous and coniferous forest, temperate grassland and glades. During the daytime, Striped Bark Scorpions spend a substantial amount of their time under rock and surface debris, within vegetation, and in weathered rural structures such as old sheds and barns.

Active at night, they hunt and eat arthropods, preferring soft-bodied prey such as spiders, cockroaches, ants, crickets, beetles and moths. Small prey is eaten immediately. Large prey is stung with venom and eaten after it stops moving. This animal’s defense mechanism is to sting while running away. While a sting from this species is very rarely deadly, it is painful and causes localized swelling.

Unlike most species of scorpion, the Striped Bark Scorpion is social, presenting it with more opportunities to mate and compete for mates. Females produce 50 or more young per brood. Born live, the young are carried on her back for five to 15 days. After that time they are on their own. They have a lifespan of two to five years. Although common, this was a neat find!

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

California Common Scorpion

Posted on June 3, 2022 by tspuckler

This was a fun find on my recent trip to the Golden State, as I had never come across one previously. This species is adapted to a variety of habitats – existing comfortably in the desert scrub as well as in the sandy coastline.

California Common Scorpions are nocturnal predators that forage at night. They feed upon a variety of insects, centipedes and spiders. Scorpions use their pinchers to grab their prey as the stinger on their long tail punctures it. After their paralyzing venom is injected, the prey is eaten.

In human encounters, the venom is known to cause pain, but it is not dangerous. This creature has a total length of about three inches as an adult and typically hides under objects during the daytime. I have mainly found them under logs.

Scorpions mature slowly, molting their exoskeleton as they outgrow it. They can have a lifespan upwards of 10 years. It was a great experience to come across a few examples of this neat arachnid in the wild.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Stone Centipede

Posted on January 22, 2021 by tspuckler

January isn’t the most ideal time to look for most types of invertebrates in northeast Ohio, but on above-freezing days some cool things can turn up. This month I found a few of these distinctive looking creatures by lifting rocks in my backyard.

Centipedes (which in Latin means “hundred foot”) are exclusively predatory creatures. Because their exoskeletons lack a waxy coating that helps to retain water inside their bodies, centipedes require moist environments to survive.

This particular type is known as a Stone Centipede; it was a species that I often encountered as a child growing up in Cleveland when looking for bugs. Though we used to call them “Hundred Leggers,” they only have 15 pairs of legs. They thrive in soil, leaf litter, under rocks and inside dead wood or logs.

Centipedes are some of the oldest terrestrial animals and were some of the very first creatures to crawl from the sea onto the land. The first centipedes were probably very similar in appearance to modern centipedes. All are nocturnal and actively hunt down insects and other small animals.

To subdue prey, this creature uses “poison claws” which are located on each side of its head. At less than two inches in total length, the Stone Centipede is harmless to humans, but deadly to spiders, sowbugs and any other smaller creature it may encounter.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Ornate Harvestmen

Posted on December 14, 2019 by tspuckler

Harvestmen, commonly known as “Daddy Longlegs,” superficially resemble, and are often misidentified for spiders, though they are not closely related. Spiders can be identified by their two body segments, while harvestmen have just one.

While harvestmen are common around my house, especially in late Summer and early Autumn, this particular type I’ve only seen while out-of-state, at Carter Caves, Kentucky and while visiting Snake Road in southern Illinois.

Ornate Harvestmen are omnivorous, mostly eating small insects and a wide variety of plant material and fungi; they also are scavengers and feed on dead organisms.

As their name implies, these are more “fancy” than the species of harvestman that I typically find. The Ornate Harvestmen’s intricate details and pattern make it an intriguing find while out and about looking for reptiles.

Harvestmen are among the most ancient of arachnids, fossils indicate they were living on land over 400 million years ago.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Devil Stripe-tailed Scorpion

Posted on April 14, 2018 by tspuckler

While exploring the desert, I often come across this creature, which lives primarly in Arizona and occupies a wide variety of habitats, from sandy deserts to grasslands to mountains.

Like other scorpions, it has a long tail equipped with a venomous stinger used for defense and to subdue struggling prey (usually insects). It also is equipped with pincers to catch prey and tear it to pieces.

Although the sting of this very common scorpion is reportedly quite painful, it is not dangerous to people with normal reactions and the pain soon vanishes.

Scorpions have been found in fossil records, including coal deposits from the Carboniferous Period. They are thought to have existed in 425-450 million years ago. These arachnids have changed little in the hundreds of millions of years since they first climbed from the primal seas and took their place among earth’s first terrestrial arthropods.

Devil Stripe-tailed Scorpions are sturdy and medium-sized. They usually are under rocks during the day. Like all scorpions, they are nocturnal and venture from their shelters at night to forage for prey.

A stout tail with darkly-marked ridges running lengthwise and a total body length of about two inches are identifying characteristics of this desert ground dweller.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Black and Yellow Flat Millipede

Posted on February 20, 2016 by tspuckler

It’s still cold and snowy, but turning over a few logs on the woods can reveal hidden life. This 2-3 inch black millipede has yellow bands separating each segment along its back. It also has very bright yellow legs.

Millipedes are long, multi-segmented creatures that resemble centipedes, but centipedes have only one pair of legs on each segment, while millipedes have two legs on most segments.

Generally found in leaf litter, millipedes tend to avoid light. They do not bite humans. Centipedes and millipedes belong to subphylum Myriapoda, meaning “many footed.”

Millipedes commonly consume rotting vegetation rather than of living plant tissue. Their feeding activities speed up the decomposition of plant materials, playing an important part in Nature’s “recycling” process.

Despite their many legs, millipedes cannot run very fast. They have two main defenses. One is curling up in a ball. The other is emitting a smell. If you pick up a flat millipede, it will often release a scent resembling almonds or cherrys. While this might be pleasant for humans to smell, it apparently is distasteful to some predators.

Fossil evidence suggests that millipedes were the earliest animals to breathe air and make the move from water to land.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

House Centipede

Posted on October 1, 2014 by tspuckler

Although sometimes known as a “hundred-legger,” up to 15 pairs of long legs are attached to this speedy creature’s body. Its delicate legs enable it to travel surprisingly fast, as it runs across floors, up walls and along ceilings.

Unlike most other centipedes, House Centipedes have well-developed eyes. Their hind legs are extra long, to mimic the appearance of antennae. When it is at rest, it is not easy to tell its front from its back.

They prefer cool, damp places. Most live outdoors under rocks, piles of wood and compost piles. Within the home, they are often found in basements. The House Centipede is an insectivore; it kills and eats other arthropods, such as insects and arachnids.

Though to many they are unappealing, they are actually quite beneficial, consuming Bad Bugs as well as a variety of other household pests.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion

Posted on May 23, 2014 by tspuckler

The Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion is the largest scorpion in North America, reaching lengths of 6 inches.

They have sensory hairs can detect air movement up to a foot away. They also have a long tail that is tipped with a bulb-like poison gland and stinger as well as large pinchers and four pairs of legs.

This creature burrows deep in the desert soil and often follows the moisture line, creating burrows as deep as 8 feet below the surface. It emerges from its burrow at night to hunt. Its nocturnal habits allow it to withstand the extreme heat of its desert habitat.

The scorpion’s large size allows it to feed on other scorpions as well as a variety of other prey, including desert insects, spiders, centipedes and small vertebrates, such as lizards.

As with all scorpions, the Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion bears live offspring. As the babies are born, they quickly crawl up their mother’s pincers and legs and onto her back where they will safely ride for about one week. After that they leave their mother and are independent.

Scorpions are the oldest known terrestrial arthropods, having been on earth for 430 million years. Finding this ancient creature that still makes a living in modern times and in a harsh environment was one of the highlights of visiting the Mojave Desert.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

American Giant Millipede

Posted on October 13, 2013 by tspuckler

Although the name millipede means “thousand legs,” most millipedes have more like 300; a California species, Illacme plenipes, holds the record at 666 legs.

It’s hard enough for us to just count these legs, so it’s a real wonderment that a millipede is able to coordinate them all and move about so effortlessly by night on the forest floor.

To prevent dehydration, they are confined to moist habitats in soils, leaf litter, or beneath stones and wood. If disturbed some millipedes protect their heads by curling into a tight spiral.

Most millipedes feed on decomposing vegetation or organic matter mixed with soil. Millipedes are very important, because they help put nutrients back in the soil for plants and other organisms to use.

This particular type of millipede can get to 4 inches long, making it twice as big as any other millipede native to the United States.

In the Fall these can be seen migrating across roads, seeking places of shelter to wait out the Winter. They are not particularly common in northern Ohio, but become easier to find as you head south.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Category Archives: Other Arachnids

Western Millipede

Striped Bark Scorpion

California Common Scorpion

Stone Centipede

Ornate Harvestmen

Devil Stripe-tailed Scorpion

Black and Yellow Flat Millipede

House Centipede

Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion

American Giant Millipede