Flat-Backed Millipede (Apheloria montana)

Crawling through moist leaf litter in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest/Keown Fall Trail in Walker County, Georgia, US.

Apheloria montana is a millipede belonging to the Xystodesmidae family. It also belongs to the Polydesmida order, one which has the capability of producing cyanide as a defense mechanism. A. montana has a limited range and is only found in isolated parts of Eastern Tennessee, SE Kentucky, SW Virginia, NC, and the Northern parts of Alabama and Georgia. It is ranked as Vulnerable (S3) in both Tennessee and Virginia.

comments (4)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

What a beauty, and much respect for having it identified. Most millipedes we have on the platform are not identified, usually due to a lack of source material.

PS: I did remove "Flat-backed millipede" as the common name for this species, because this term is often used to refer to an entire family or even more species. Posted 6 years ago
1. Flown Kimmerling
  
  Lion
  
  Sorry I didn't see this reply before!
  
  Fortunately, a millipede expert (working on his PhD) clued me in on this beauty's identity! It is rare to find it this far south! Posted 5 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Nice, that makes it even more special :) Posted 5 years ago

t7iguy

Lion

It sure looks very similar to the Cherokia georgiana..
Are you on iNat? .......if so I could put you in touch with a PhD in millipede systematics. His research focused on the flat-backed millipedes in the order Polydesmida, particularly the Appalachian Xystodesmidae. Posted 3 years ago