Its bright aposematic colouration is a clear warning to potential predators that these millipedes are seriously poisonous: they have glands that produce hydrogen cyanide for protection.
And because they produce cyanide, it has been said that they give off an almond-like smell.
The new species, D. rhinoceros, is clearly aposematic, whereas the authors of the latest study noted D. rhinoparva as "quite remarkable" in its colouration, having contrasting pale brownish segments in the middle of the body in both sexes.
The holotypes – a single type specimen upon which the description and naming of a new species is based – of Laos' first dragon millipedes are currently housed in the Museum of Zoology, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.
Pink Cyanide Millipede (Dragon Millipede)
![Pink Cyanide Millipede (Dragon Millipede)]()
Reviewed by parcelhubkajang
on
October 23, 2017
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