Paeromopus paniculus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paeromopus paniculus |
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Julida
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P. paniculus
Shelley & Bauer, 1997
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| Paeromopus paniculus Shelley & Bauer, 1997
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Paeromopus paniculus is a type of millipede that lives only in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, United States. It can grow up to 16.5 centimeters (about 6.5 inches) long. This makes it the longest known millipede in all of North America!
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What Does P. paniculus Look Like?
P. paniculus has a bluish-gray body with very light bands. When it is fully grown, its body has about 75 segments, which look like rings.
These millipedes are about 6.5 millimeters (0.25 inches) wide. They usually measure between 8 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) long. The longest one ever found was 16.5 centimeters (6.5 inches) long.
Like other millipedes in its family, called Paeromopodidae, each body ring has small grooves running along it. Adult males have two pairs of special legs called gonopods. These are on their seventh body segment and are used for mating.
Where Does P. paniculus Live?
P. paniculus lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Most of them have been found inside Yosemite National Park. They also live in other parts of Mariposa County.
This millipede is the southernmost species of its kind, Paeromopus, in the Sierra Nevada.
Its Home and Neighbors
Scientists do not know a lot about how P. paniculus lives. However, it has been found in damp places. These include under dead logs and tree bark.
Sometimes, P. paniculus lives in the same spots as another millipede. This other millipede is called Californiulus yosemitensis. You can tell them apart because Californiulus yosemitensis has a wide yellow stripe down its back with a black line in the middle.
How Was P. paniculus Discovered?
Even though P. paniculus was officially named in 1997, the first ones were collected much earlier. Some were found as far back as 1952.
The main specimen used to describe the species is called the holotype. It is a male millipede collected in 1969. This specimen is kept at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis.
The second part of its scientific name, paniculus, comes from Latin. It means "tuft." This name was chosen because P. paniculus has a small tuft of spines on its hind gonopods. This feature helps tell it apart from its northern relative, P. eldoradus.
