Tiny tree bark millipedes

[CosbyArt]

After a recent storm I was left cleaning up some old fallen limbs and chunks of tree bark, as the top of the tree is rotted. Anyway I collected many isopods for my colony, and I also found seven millipedes as well. Six have the typical millipede look, but one is a flat backed millipede - all of them are about 1" (2.5cm) long.

As they are wild millipedes the species will likely never be known, but I was curious if anyone could tell if they are young juveniles or are fully grown adults? Sorry to say that is the closest photos I can get, I do have a USB microscope but they won't hold still for that (although I could back it out enough for a good shot if they would).

I added them to my millipede tank and they have been busy exploring. I'm hoping they will grow into something more than a 1" millipede, but if not a swarm of them may be neat as well. I also found a couple centipedes, but after my last try with them and they seem to just kill each other off, I left them alone; however, I did find one centipede that was one of the largest I've ever seen around here - it was about 3" (7.6cm) long and 1/2" (1.2cm) wide foot-tip to foot-tip across.

 

[Brunneria]

It looks like Brachyiulus sp., which stays small. Yours are probably adults. 

 

[CosbyArt]

It looks like Brachyiulus sp., which stays small. Yours are probably adults. 

Thanks for the response! I looked it up, and indeed the photos match the ones I got (the two strips on the back and all). Well that means I just need to keep looking then, to find larger species or find enough of the small ones to fill my millipede tank with.

 

[Hisserdude]

Yep, and the flat millipede in the first photo next to the curled up one is a Polydesmus species, a common invasive species from Europe. It would appear that lots of common backyard bugs originate from Europe. See here: http://bugguide.net/node/view/97396

 

[CosbyArt]

Yep, and the flat millipede in the first photo next to the curled up one is a Polydesmus species, a common invasive species from Europe. It would appear that lots of common backyard bugs originate from Europe. See here: http://bugguide.net/node/view/97396

Thanks that is the other one. It's amazing to see you guys can pull up the species name from such a crude photo.

I just checked on them and give them a good misting, and only found two. They really are good at hiding, of course being tiny helps. I hope to add more millipedes as I find them, I find them a rather interesting creature.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Milipedes are such soothing creatures to watch walk about. I've been finding a steady influx of Anadenobolus monilicornis lately and I can't help but want to hold them for a few minutes with their tickly legs whenever I spot one.

 

[Hisserdude]

Thanks that is the other one. It's amazing to see you guys can pull up the species name from such a crude photo.

I just checked on them and give them a good misting, and only found two. They really are good at hiding, of course being tiny helps. I hope to add more millipedes as I find them, I find them a rather interesting creature.

Hah thanks, I was researching this species a few weeks ago, found some in my backyard, and have seen them around for years. Finally decided to identify them a few weeks ago.

 

[CosbyArt]

Hah thanks, I was researching this species a few weeks ago, found some in my backyard, and have seen them around for years. Finally decided to identify them a few weeks ago.

Worked out for me as well, so thanks for sharing