''Apheloria tigana'', known as the yellow-and-black flat millipede, is a large North American

flat-backed millipede Polydesmida (from the Greek language, Greek ''poly'' "many" and ''desmos'' "bond") is the largest order (biology), order of millipedes, with more than 5,000 species, including all the millipedes reported to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN). This or ...

in the family Xystodesmidae. It is reported to secrete

cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...

compounds as a defense. It is recommended that one wash hands after handling this organism as the toxic compounds it secretes are poisonous and can cause extreme irritation if rubbed in the eyes. Characteristics include yellow paranota (lateral segmental expansions on the dorsa), a yellow mid-dorsal spot on the anterior margin of the collum or 1st segment, and yellow mid-dorsal spots on the caudal-most 3-5 segments. South of the Cape Fear River basin there is an undescribed ''Apheloria'' species with yellow middorsal marks on most segments. ''Apheloria tigana'' occurs in the Eastern United States, from southeastern North Carolina northward throughout the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

.Hoffman, Richard L. 1999. Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publications 8, p. 294

References

External links

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''Apheloria tigana''
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BugGuide BugGuide (or BugGuide.net) is a website and online community of naturalists, both amateur and professional, who share observations of arthropods such as insects, spiders, and other related creatures. The website consists of informational guide p ...

Millipedes (Diplopoda)
Polydesmida Millipedes of North America Animals described in 1939 {{Millipede-stub