Desmoxytes purpurosea
| Desmoxytes purpurosea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Diplopoda |
| Order: | Polydesmida |
| Family: | Paradoxosomatidae |
| Genus: | Desmoxytes |
| Species: | D. purpurosea |
| Binomial name | |
| Desmoxytes purpurosea Enghoff, Sutcharit, & Panha, 2007 | |
The shocking pink dragon millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea) is a spiny and toxic millipede named for its vivid pink color. It was formally described in 2007 from a specimen collected at the Hup Pa Tard limestone cavern in the Uthai Thani Province of Thailand, within the Greater Mekong.[1] Among the largest species of its genus, the adult millipede is approximately 3 cm (1.2 in) long. It lives in the open on leaf litter. It becomes gregarious after rain showers.[1] The millipede has glands that produce hydrogen cyanide to protect it from predators,[2] a fact advertised by its aposematic color. Because it produces cyanide, it smells like almonds.[1]
The shocking pink dragon millipede was named third in the top ten new species list of 2008 by the International Institute for Species Exploration.[3]
Other species of genus Desmoxytes can be brightly colored, sometimes in shades of red, as in Desmoxytes rubra.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Enghoff, Henrik; Sutcharit, Chirasak; Panha, Somsak (2007). "The shocking pink dragon millipede, Desmoxytes purpurosea, a colourful new species from Thailand" (PDF). Zootaxa 1563: 31–36. ISSN 1175-5326.
- ↑ "Cyanide Millipede, Huge Spider Among New Species". National Geographic Society.
- ↑ "Top 10 New Species - 2008". International Institute for Species Exploration.