When alarmed or handled, millipedes coil up in a tight spiral shape and emit toxic chemicals, which can result in millipede burn. She finds it around fallen logs on leafy forest floors. Both like damp areas and can prove to be beneficial in the garden, as long as their numbers are controlled. But both names are misnomers because scientists have yet to find a millipede species with 1,000 legs. The cute little guy semi-coiled on the leaf is a tough one. Need help? She'll curl up tightly, preventing him from delivering any sperm. Yet, many millipede hits on-line are exterminators (you don’t need one, because your house is way too dry for millipede comfort and will kill them all by itself. Short-flange Millipede: Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America, Millipedes: Keys and notes for the identification of the species, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Wash your hands, don’t rub your eyes. Read more about Beneficial Garden Friends. Learn more about the types of cookies we use by reviewing our updated Privacy Policy. It is possible for millipedes to damage your garden area if they become too populous. As detritivores, they assist in the natural recycling process by making big pieces of organic material into smaller ones (for use by even smaller organisms). As a defensive mechanism, it can release an intense, stinky compound. Mid-body paranota are rather blunt and rounded (not extending past posterior segment margin), but increase in length and sharpness towards the tail. They’re not slimy. Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name being derived from this feature. Millipedes protect themselves by curling up into a spiral whenever they feel threatened. They don’t want to come inside for the winter. Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information. While millipedes can damage your plants, centipedes generally will not. Millipedes Have 2 Pairs of Legs Per Body Segment, Millipedes Only Have 3 Pairs of Legs When They Hatch, Millipedes Coil Their Bodies Into a Spiral When Threatened, Some Millipedes Practice "Chemical Warfare", Male Millipedes Court Females With Songs and Back Rubs, Male Millipedes Have Special "Sex" Legs Called Gonopods, Millipedes Were the First Animals to Live on Land, Habits and Traits of Centipedes, Class Chilopoda, Differences and Similarities Between a Centipede and a Millipede, How to Distinguish Male Lobsters From Females, Tarantulas Rarely Bite (And Other Facts About the Friendly Spiders), B.A., Political Science, Rutgers University. The greenhouse millipede (Oxidus gracilis), also known as the hothouse millipede, short-flange millipede, or garden millipede, is a species of millipede in the family Paradoxosomatidae that has been widely introduced around the world, and is sometimes a pest in greenhouses. But in fact, the two groups of bees are very different. They won't bite you, but they can emit a smelly fluid that might irritate your eyes or skin. It’s in reproductive mode all year. Class Diplopoda. So, what are the real differences between sowbugs and pillbugs—and what should you do if you have an infestation? As we head into fall, you might find yourself with more active stink bugs than usual, so it’s important to know the basics about these smelly insects.