Black-and-gold Flat Millipede

Apheloria virginiensis

MillipedeintermediateHarmlessCommunal OK

No venom, no sting

Millipedes don't bite or sting and have no venom. Many do secrete defensive chemicals when stressed, so wash your hands after handling and keep them away from your eyes and mouth.

Secretes hydrogen cyanide

Releases small amounts of hydrogen cyanide when stressed. Harmless in an open room and in the quantities involved, but handle in ventilated space, never in a closed container held to your face, and wash your hands afterwards.

About

A flat-backed North American millipede — glossy black edged in gold/yellow. A leaf-litter detritivore that wants cooler-than-room temperatures (60-75°F) and a substrate of moist, rotting hardwood and leaf litter. Famous for its cherry-almond scent: its defensive secretion contains hydrogen cyanide, harmless in the tiny amounts produced but wash your hands after handling. Long-lived (up to ~7 years) and fine in groups.

Taxonomy

FamilyXystodesmidae

GenusApheloria

Native regionEastern USA (Virginia, North Carolina)

TypeTerrestrial

Temperamentdocile, harmless detritivore

Size & growth

Adult size1.5-2 inches

Body length1.38–1.97 in

Growth rateslow

Life stagesNo distinct stages

DevelopmentAnamorphic — gains segments with each moult

Millipedes molt underground in a small chamber and can stay buried for weeks. If yours has disappeared into the substrate, leave it be — digging it up mid-molt can kill it.

Climate

Temperature60–75°F

Humidity70–85%

Enclosure

Adult sizeterrestrial tank with deep substrate; good ventilation

Substratemoist rotting hardwood + leaf litter; cooler than room temp; add calcium

Substrate depth2-4 inches

Water dishOptional

Moisture gradientRequired — keep one end damp, one end dry

Feeding

Feeding modeDetritivore (decaying matter)

Food & schedulecontinuous — leaf litter, decaying hardwood, veg + calcium

Supplemental calciumRequired — cuttlebone or a calcium powder

Times kept: 0