''Telodeinopus aoutii'', commonly known as the giant African olive millipede, the Ghana speckled leg millipede, and the long legged millipede, is a species of large

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 ...

inhabiting the

tropical forest Tropical forests are forested ecoregions with tropical climates – that is, land areas approximately bounded by the Tropic of Cancer, tropics of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing ...

s of west, central and east

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. ''T. aoutii'' has an oblong and cylindrical body, that is long when fully mature. Its segmental body structure consists of 68-73 individual segments separated by a ring with a clearly separated head which is rounded above and flattened below and bears a pair of large

mandibles In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

. The head contains a single pair of antennae with a group of sensory cones at the tip. The next segments (middle) are similar to each other. They consist of two connected rings, each equipped with two pairs of legs. The exception are the first three segments which have only one pair of legs each. Males in the fourth segment lack legs, which evolved into reproductive organ -

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 ...

. The last segment - the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

- also lacks legs. The coloration varies depending on the sex. The predominance of males is olive green, while females are brown. The feature common to both sexes is the rusty-brown color of the surface between the rings, with legs colored alternately white and brown.

Ecology and behavior

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 ...

s feed almost exclusively on plants or rotting organic debris. Their importance extends to

ecological processes Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of living ( biotic) and non-living ( abiotic) components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components ...

, ultimately helping to release

nutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

s into the soil. They feed mostly at night and avoid light. Although millipedes are generally considered beneficial to the

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

, they sometimes cause agricultural damage. ''Telodeinopus aoutii'' has been recognised as a pest of

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

crops in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. When threatened, they have at least two

defense mechanisms In psychoanalytic theory, defence mechanisms are unconscious psychological processes that protect the self from anxiety-producing thoughts and feelings related to internal conflicts and external stressors. According to this theory, healthy ...

. The first involves twisting the body "snail-like" and exposing the side covered with armor to the outside. The second involves the secretion of an irritating substance from

gland A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...

s located on the sides of the middle segments.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q107128181 Millipedes of Africa Insects described in 1971 Spirostreptida