The Dragon Millipede: Tough Enough To Wear Pink
November 3rd, 2009 Posted in Centipedes & Millipedes 
Ever heard of the Mekong Delta? Often associated with the Vietnam War, it’s the river valley that passes through parts of China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and of course Vietnam.
Known as a vital means of transporting troops and supplies during the war, the valley holds other important properties other than being a transportation hub.
Discovered to be one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world, scientists have been racing to examine one of the most unexplored regions of the world.
Such little is known about the valley, that 1,068 new species have been discovered since 1997. One of the most recent discoveries has been the dragon millipede.
This article will discuss:
Discovery
The dragon millipede was first discovered by a zoological team in Thailand’s section of the Mekong Delta. It was found inside the Hup Pa Tard cavern.
Exploring the river, jungles, caves, and surrounding areas of the Mekong Delta, the Thai research team was led by Dr. Somsak. This new millipede was found crawling on palm tree leaves, as well as around limestone formations. The millipede is partial to dark humid conditions, much like the conditions of the cave in which it was discovered.
Identification
Officially known as Desmoxytes Purpurosea, the dragon millipede is bright pink throughout its body. The vibrant color is meant to warn predators to back off, or face the toxic consequences.
It measures about 3cm in length, which is long as far as millipedes go. It has a long segmented body, with spiky legs coming out of each section. It has two pairs of legs per segment.
This fact determines whether the bug is a millipede or a centipede, because centipedes have only one pair of legs per section. Centipedes also tend to have flatter bodies with legs pointing upwards, while regular millipedes tend to have rounder bodies with legs underneath.
Toxicity
The bright pink pigment on the dragon millipede’s body is a false indication of its innocence. The millipede literally has glands that produce cyanide. It’s common amongst most millipedes to protect themselves from predators with toxins, but not normally with a toxin as deadly as cyanide.
Because of the production of this poison in its body, the millipede gives off an almond like smell. In high enough doses cyanide can be lethal to humans. It won’t kill you to touch a millipede, but eating one may not go so well. However, if you do touch a millipede it’s likely to cause minor skin irritation, discoloration, itching, eczema, blisters, and of course pain.
If you touch a millipede and then rub your eye, it will cause irritation, keratitis and conjunctivitis. So basically, don’t touch or go anywhere near a dragon millipede if you happen to stumble upon one. It’s unlikely that you’ll encounter a dragon millipede crawling around your basement floor, but it’s not that uncommon for you to see a regular millipede or centipede walking around your home.
The best way to handle these pests is by using EcoSMART’s organic insecticides, the safe way to effectively deal with insects invading your home or property.
