The Glomeris marginata is an arthropod in the class Diplopoda. It’s small with a brown or black shell. They have twelve body segments and they are dome-shaped. The adults have sixteen to nineteen legs. They are usually .8 inches in length and .3 inches wide. They live in the British Isles, in the Western and Northwestern Europe. Pill millipedes are found in forests, fields, and gardens, usually in leaf litter. It is usually active on warm sunny days. It is equipped with drier conditions to live in. They usually eat decaying leaves. One fact is they eat 1 of every 10 leaves that fall in autumn. When they feel like they're threatened they roll up in a ball. And when they roll up they let out a chemical that makes them smell unpleasant to predators. When its time to mate they let out pheromones that attract females, then they make a squeaking noise that helps attract them. The female lays 6 to 7 dozen eggs in spring and Summer. They also can live up to 11 years before dying. These species are guaranteed to not go extinct for hundreds of years.

Author: Robert P

Published: 02/2008

Sources: http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/invertebrates_terrestrial_and_freshwater/Glomeris_marginata/ http://www.earthlife.net/insects/diplopoda.html

Photo Credit: User: Stemonitis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Glomeris_marginata_1.jpg