''Orthomorpha coarctata'', the long-flange millipede, is a widely introduced species of

Polydesmida Polydesmida (from the Greek ''poly'' "many" and ''desmos'' "bond") is the largest order of millipedes, with more than 5,000 species, including all the millipedes reported to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN). This order is also the most diverse of ...

millipede Millipedes (originating from the Latin , "thousand", and , "foot") are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derive ...

of the family

Paradoxosomatidae Paradoxosomatidae, the only family in the suborder Paradoxosomatidea (also known as Strongylosomatidea), is a family (biology), family of flat-backed millipedes in the order Polydesmida. Containing nearly 200 genera and 975 species , it is one o ...

. It is presumed native to Southeast Asia but due to transport by humans occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas throughout the world, including the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

, the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...

of North America, and the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...

Description

Males range from 14.5–20.5 mm in length and 1.5 to 2.7 mm wide while females are somewhat larger ranging from 16.5–27.5 mm long, and 1.6–3.2 mm wide. ''O. coarctata'' can be distinguished from ''

Oxidus gracilis ''Oxidus'' is a genus of flat-backed millipedes in the family Paradoxosomatidae Paradoxosomatidae, the only family in the suborder Paradoxosomatidea (also known as Strongylosomatidea), is a family (biology), family of flat-backed millipedes in ...

'', another widely introduced Asian millipede, by having proportionally longer and pointier paranota (lateral keels) on mid-body segments and longer

gonopod Gonopods are specialized appendages of various arthropods used in reproduction or egg-laying. In males, they facilitate the transfer of sperm from male to female during mating, and thus are a type of intromittent organ. In crustaceans and millipe ...

s (male reproductive appendages). ''O. coarctata'' is unique within the genus ''

Orthomorpha ''Orthomorpha'' is a genus of millipedes in the family Paradoxosomatidae containing approximately 50 species distributed in Southeast Asia. Description Species of ''Orthomorpha'' possess 20 body segments and range from 15–50 mm long as ad ...

'' in that the gonopods have a single, simple tip, while other species have two or three lobes. This distinction has led some authors to place ''O. coarctata'' in a separate,

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

, ''Asiomorpha''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q59979772, from2=Q6441770 Paradoxosomatidae Arthropods described in 1860 Millipedes of North America Millipedes of Asia