Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Myriapods (Myriapoda) » Millipedes (Diplopoda) » Flat-backed Millipedes (Polydesmida) » Xystodesmidae » Xystocheirini » Motyxia

Genus Motyxia

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Myriapoda (Myriapods)

Class Diplopoda (Millipedes)

Order Polydesmida (Flat-backed Millipedes)

Family Xystodesmidae

Tribe Xystocheirini

Genus Motyxia

Pronunciation

"mow-TIX-ee-uh"

Explanation of Names

Motyxia Chamberlin 1941(1)

Numbers

11 spp. total, all in our area(2)

Range

Southern CA

Remarks

Unique in being the only known bioluminescent millipedes. While all Xystodesmids can fluoresce under ultraviolet light, Motyxia creates its own glow, visible to the naked eye, in what is thought to be a warning signal to nocturnal predators indicating its noxious chemical defenses (Marek et al., 2011).

Internet References

Finding glow-in-the-dark millipedes video (Lichtman 2012)

Works Cited

1.	Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America Richard L. Hoffman. 1999. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publications.

2.	Sierwald P., Spelda J. (2023) MilliBase

Contributed by tom murray on 3 September, 2008 - 9:35pm
Additional contributions by v belov, biosam
Last updated 31 October, 2023 - 5:48pm

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