#brachycybe lecontii

[cuttledreams-bugs]

October Theme: Eyes

Lensless: Fuzzy Nautilus (Allonautilus scrobiculatus)

Lens eyes: Ogre-faced Spider (Deinopis spinosa)

Compound eyes: Drake Mackerel (Ephemera vulgata)

Eyeless: Feather Millipede (Brachycybe lecontii)

[snototter]

A millipede (Brachycybe lecontii) in Dawson Forest, Georgia, USA

by Alan Cressler

[imagecurator]

[drdandy]

Hey so stepping in to make one correction! Members of the brachycybe genus of millipedes absolutely appear to be social! They raise young communally and during the warmer months live communally in aggregations near tasty mold. These aggregations are sometimes called pinwheels even if not all aggregations are pinwheel shaped.

Additionally, while not maternal, they are very paternal. Males will wrap their bodies around the eggs and hold them carefully to try and ensure that they hatch!! After the eggs hatch, they join the aggregation and are raised by all in the community. Here’s some pictures of my favorite: brachycybe lecontii! All pictures taken by me in and around Nashville, 2020-2023.

Are any millipedes or centipedes particularly maternal or social? I have an idea for an oc if so!

No millipedes that I know if, but there are a whole bunch of centipedes that care for their eggs before they hatch, and then for the young for a short time after they hatch.

In addition and while this behavior isn't specific to only centipedes because it's seen in a few bugs, I read some time ago that there is a species (or several?) of centipede where the mother allows herself to be eaten by the babies after they hatch. Probably not the vibe you're going for with your OC though...

[synchlora]

would u guys still love me if I became a millipede blog? :pleading:

[drafthearse]

Brachycybe lecontii (Platydesmida) millipede

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

The feather millipedes pictured are of the species Brachycybe lecontii.

[thetinybutimportantthings]

A Walk in the Woods

Podophyllum peltatum. Mayapple, a colonial spring ephemeral with a (semi) edible fruit.

Trillium spp. (Im bad at trillium id sue me) These are abundant in the woods this time of year.

A lovely female Ctenus hibernalis, a wandering spider. One of a few that range into temperate North America. While it can easily be mistaken for a wolf spider at a glance, this species does have medically significant venom.

Brachycybe lecontii, a small fungus feeding feather millipede. My first time seeing this species in this area.

A slimy salamander. This species complex is common and widespread, but are always lovely to see.

I have many more pictures from today, but these were a few I felt were worth posting. The diversity in even small patches of woodland is astounding, and worth protection.

[crevicedwelling]

the hydrogen cyanide production (that smells like yummy artificial almond scent)?

the paternal care?

the weaponized hair?

the glowing under UV light?

the most legs, ever?

the stunning array of biodiversity and beautiful forms? with 12,000 known species and 80,000 estimated to exist? (seriously look at this one)

giant pill millipedes? just these guys alone deserve all the love in the world and more

have I redeemed millipedes for you?

reminder that spirobolid millipedes have adorable faces

[neonbugsadopts]

Looook I got tiny pink millipedes 🥺 they're brachycybe lecontii, pink feather millipedes. My collection of pink insects grows!!

[est-nord]

brachycybe lecontii

http://www.discoverlife.org/IM/I_AMC/0063/mx/brachycybe_lecontii,_panther_creek_marble_ravines,_chattahoochee_national_forest,_stephens_county,_georgia_3,I_AMC6313.jpg

[drdandy]

I want to hop in an add my second favorite millipede, brachycybe lecontii, to the batch of great arthropod parents!

These millipedes (local to the American South) appear in aggregations each spring to feed on fungal blooms and mate. After mating, females lay clutches of about 50-70 eggs. The males will then wrap around the eggs and brood them until they hatch (about 24-26 days.)

After hatching, it appears the young are raised communally by the entire aggregation (we don’t know this for sure but have observed juvenile millipedes joining females and non-brooding males after hatching to eat fungus and possibly go through group rearing or group defense. Hard to say!)

Some photos I took in the field in Middle Tennessee in 2021 and 2022. You can clearly see the male holding the eggs in the last photo!

One thing I can tell you as someone so zoology obsessed is that books, articles, blog posts, any literature at all is highly likely to let you know if an invertebrate or reptile has ever been known to eat its own young but not nearly as likely to admit how many widely beloved mammals will do the same (most of them) or how often (way way more often than the scorpions or snakes)

[imagecurator]

Brachycybe Lecontii

[onenicebugperday]

Feather millipedes in the order Platydesmida

1-2. Brachycybe producta by damarisb and kueda

3-4. Brachycybe lecontii by mhedin and sheriff_woody_pct

5-6. Gosodesmus claremontus by mhedin

7-8. Brachycybe rosea by sheriff_woody_pct and alan_rockefeller

9. Ischnocybe plicata by mhedin

10. Brachycybe picta by isaac_krone

Size reference:

Brachycybe picta by easmeds

[lilbugget]

Feather millipede, Brachycybe lecontii

[animalclasslists]

Millipede Classes

Fighter: Giant African Millipede

Barbarian: Giant Fire Millipede

Paladin: Pill Millipede (Glomeris marginata)

Rogue: Cyanide Millipede

Ranger: Californulus chamberlini

Bard: Chirping Giant Pill Millipede (Sphaeromimus musicus)

Wizard: Bristly Millipede

Sorcerer: Apheloria virginiensis

Warlock: Brachycybe lecontii

Cleric: Eutrichodesmus aster

Monk: Illacme plenipes

Druid: Moss Millipede