Many-Legged Friends
These creatures cluster on the sides or ends of rotting logs. There may be some reproduction going on. Platydesmida is an order of millipedes.
I found this one on the wall of my garage. There are about 8,000 species of centipede around the world, with more to be discovered. The main difference between millipedes and centipedes is that centipedes have fangs (visible in this image) that they use to dispatch small prey. With the exception of some tropical species, centipedes are harmless to humans -- in fact, they make good house guests since they will get rid of other small insects. On the other hand, millipedes do not have fangs and are scavengers.
Another local millie.
Like most millipedes I'm familiar with, these are nocturnal.
Often, you will see a male of this species riding on the back of a female. Apparently, after they mate, the male will stay put and prevent other males from mating with the female.
Hard to find one of these that is sitting still!
This millie reminds me of those wonderful art deco steam trains you see on posters.
Not my preferred angle, but this is what he gave me. I have better shots coming soon.
I took this photo of the first velvet worm I'd ever seen a few years ago. Since then, I've found them in Costa Rica and have been able to get some better photos. Their proper name is Onychophora, and they are worth Googling. These are (mostly) nocturnal predators and move slowly about looking for crickets and similar small arthropods. Directly under their antennae on each side of their bodies are two organs (papillae) that can eject a jet of sticky goop. The velvet work aims these at prey and entangles its victim. At some point, I'll post some photos of this process.
This is a large species -- 9"+ or 200mm+ plus. They are completely harmless and bumble about on trees at night. Some of them are toxic so best not to eat them. They are strikingly similar to millipedes I find in the Appalachian mountains -- but about four times the size.
I'm fascinated by the mechanics of these guys. The way their segments fit together varies greatly by species.
One of my favorite Millies and a common one in forests here. Under UV light some millipedes fluoresce slightly. IIRC, this is one of them.
Platydesmida suspected, Sarawak
I don' know what this is. It could be Pseudodesmus, could be Platydesmida. It could be something else. But I like the softness of the textures. One day, when I'm too creaky to crawl about in the rainforest photographing these critters, I'll try and ID him.
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I see these pale-colored Millies and wonder if they have molted and are in the process of darkening up. I probably scared this one, and, like many creatures, including reptiles, some mammals, and many insects, he curled up as a defensive maneuver. My apologies!
Yet another local...This species is common in the mountains of Virginia and is mostly nocturnal. They spend a lot of time patrolling.
Large house centipede,Malaysia
I'm not sure how I managed to get this shot since these guys are extremely fast and avoid light. Typically, I see one, and by the time I've moved close enough to start thinking about a photograph it has fled. But they do seem to rest on leaves sometimes so perhaps this one was napping.
The fangs are plainly visible and are adapted forelegs. Harmless to humans. Remember, millipedes have four legs per segment. Centipedes have two.
