Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 9, 2026

Nearctodesmidae

Nearctodesmidae is a family of flat-backed millipedes in the order Polydesmida. These millipedes are found in northwestern North America. This family includes the species Nearctodesmus salix. The defensive secretion of this millipede consist of hydrogen cyanide, benzaldehyde, 3-methylbutanoic acid, and 2-methylbutanoic. This evidence confirms that cyanogenesis extends to the family Nearctodesmidae.

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Jul 9, 2026
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Nearctodesmidae
Nearctodesmus salix
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Diplopoda
Order: Polydesmida
Suborder: Polydesmidea
Family: Nearctodesmidae
Chamberlin & Hoffman, 1950

Nearctodesmidae is a family of flat-backed millipedes in the order Polydesmida.12345 These millipedes are found in northwestern North America.4 This family includes the species Nearctodesmus salix. The defensive secretion of this millipede consist of hydrogen cyanide, benzaldehyde, 3-methylbutanoic acid, and 2-methylbutanoic. This evidence confirms that cyanogenesis extends to the family Nearctodesmidae.6

Taxonomy

Authorities often consider Nearctodesmidae to be a junior synonym of Macrosternodesmidae.789 Many of these authorities demote Nearctodesmidae and place the genera previously assigned to that family in a subfamily (Nearctodesminae) in the family Macrosternodesmidae.71011 Other authorities consider both Nearctodesmidae and Macrosternodesmidae to be junior synonyms of Trichopolydesmidae.912

Genera

Authorities include at least the following genera in this family:134

  • Bistolodesmus Shelley, 1994
  • Ergodesmus Chamberlin, 1949
  • Kepolydesmus Chamberlin, 1910
  • Nearctodesmus Silvestri, 1910
References

References

  1. "ITIS - Report: Nearctodesmidae". itis.gov. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  2. "Nearctodesmidae Family Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  3. "Nearctodesmidae - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  4. Shelley, Rowland M. (2002). "A revised, annotated, family-level classification of the Diplopoda" (PDF). Arthropoda Selecta. 11 (3): 187–207 [193, 200].
  5. Shelley, R.M. "The myriapods, the world's leggiest animals". Archived from the original on 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  6. Wood, William F.; Sorensen, Patrick W. (2005). "The defensive secretion of the millipede, Nearctodesmus salix (Polydesmida: Nearctodesmidae)". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 33: 1077–1079. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2005.02.007.
  7. Shear, William A.; Reddell, James M. (2017-01-01). "Cave millipedes of the United States. XIV. Revalidation of the genus Speorthus Chamberlin, 1952 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Macrosternodesmidae), with a description of a new species from Texas and remarks on the families Polydesmidae and Macrosternodesmidae in North America". Insecta Mundi. 0529: 1–13 [5].
  8. Shear, W. (2011). "Class Diplopoda de Blainville in Gervais, 1844". In Zhang, Z.-Q. (ed.). Animal biodiversity : an outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness (PDF). Zootaxa. pp. 159–164 [164]. ISBN 978-1-86977-850-7.
  9. Golovatch, Sergei (2013-10-04). "A reclassification of the millipede superfamily Trichopolydesmoidea, with descriptions of two new species from the Aegean region (Diplopoda, Polydesmida)". ZooKeys (340): 63–78 [75]. Bibcode:2013ZooK..340...63G. doi:10.3897/zookeys.340.6295. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 3800799. PMID 24146592.
  10. "MilliBase - Nearctodesminae Chamberlin & Hoffman, 1950". www.millibase.org. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  11. "Nearctodesminae Chamberlin & Hoffman, 1950 | COL". www.catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  12. Enghoff, Henrik; Golovatch, Sergei; Short, Megan; Stoev, Pavel; Wesener, Thomas (2015-01-01), "Diplopoda — taxonomic overview", Treatise on Zoology - Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology. The Myriapoda, Volume 2, Brill, pp. 363–453, doi:10.1163/9789004188273_017, ISBN 978-90-04-18827-3, retrieved 2025-03-17
Further reading

Further reading

  • Lee, Paul; Harding, P. (2006). Atlas of the millipedes (Diplopoda) of Britain and Ireland. Vol. 59. Pensoft.
  • Hoffman, Richard L. (1999). Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America. Virginia Museum of Natural History.
  • Foddai, Donatella; Dallai, Romano (1995). Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Pauropoda, Symphyla. Calderini.
  • Capinera, John L., ed. (2008). Encyclopedia of Entomology. Springer. ISBN 978-1402062421.