Animalia > Arthropoda > Diplopoda > Spirobolida > Spirobolidae > Narceus > Narceus americanus

Narceus americanus (North american millipede)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Narceus americanus is a large millipede of eastern North America. Common names include American giant millipede, worm millipede, and iron worm. It inhabits the eastern seaboard of North America west to Georgetown, Texas, north of the Ottine swamps. It has a nearly cylindrical gray body, reaching a length of 4 inches (100 mm). When threatened, they sometimes curl up or release a noxious liquid that contains large amounts of benzoquinones which can cause dermatological burns. This fluid may irritate eyes or skin. Many other millipedes secrete hydrogen cyanide, and while there have also been claims that N. americanus releases hydrogen cyanide, this is not true. They do however, excrete a substance that causes a temporary, non-harmful discoloration of the skin.
View Wikipedia Record: Narceus americanus

Ecosystems

Prey / Diet

Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass)[1]
Symplocarpus foetidus (Skunk Cabbage)[1]

Predators

Providers

Consumers

Parasitized by 
Macracanthorhynchus ingens[2]

External References

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
1Study of Northern Virginia Ecology
2Gibson, D. I., Bray, R. A., & Harris, E. A. (Compilers) (2005). Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0