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Shedding light on millipede evolution

animation showing Motyxia bistipita emitting a blue green light.

M. bistipita emits a blue-green light. Millipedes help maintain soil health by digesting decomposing leaves and depositing a rich manure that renders soil high in nitrogen. It is estimated that they annually contribute more than 2 tons of compost, about two small automobiles worth, to an acre of the forest. They can be thought of as little garbage men of the forest floor.

Credit: Paul Marek, Entomology Department, Virginia Tech

 

Animation showing a railroad worm lighting up.

A railroad worm from Madera Canyon, Ariz., exhibits eight pairs of bioluminescent lamps on its abdomen and a lamp behind its brain. The role of bioluminescence in this animal is uncertain, but it may be a warning to deter nocturnal predators or a social signal to notify cannibalistic siblings to avoid eating their kin.

Credit: Paul Marek, Entomology Department, Virginia Tech


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