#polyxenus

[cnestus]

polyxenid millipede

[cnestus]

some handsome beasts i saw at work: an ornately sculptured rove beetle, probably Micropeplus sp; a polyxenid millipede, probably Polyxenus sp; and a bat bug, Cimex pilosellus

[northerlyy]

Bristle Millipede (Genus Polyxenus), taken March 21, 2025, in Georgia, US

A tiny, spiky millipede! Despite this guy's small size, this is actually the largest bristle millipede I've seen. Usually I find juveniles, which just look like fluffy balls due to them having less segments. On this guy, however, you can see the individual rows of bristles lining each segment!

[humanbyweight]

I FOUND BRISTLEPEDES IN THE WILD FOR THE FIRST TIME AAAHHHH

[bowelfly]

Observe the good animal spinning

Polyxenus millipedes. New Mexico, 2013.

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Genus Polyxenus 

...a group of polyxenid millipedes found worldwide. These millipedes are noted for the unique way that they deal with predators (mostly ants). To deal with these pesky ants Polyxenus millipedes are covered with detachable bristles, which have hooks at their tips. These hooks are designed to attach to the setae of ants and disorient/trap them allowing the millipede time to escape. Polyxenus millipedes are usually active during the day and are often seen grazing on algae and lichens.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Arthropoda-Myriapoda-Diplopoda-Polyxenida-Polyxenidae-Polyxenus

Image Source(s)

[visuzoologia]

Polyxenus lagurus millipede by Jason P-B on Flickr.

Polyxenus lagurus