This is a new species of flat millipede available within the pet trade. They can be found living within the forest floor of Nigeria.
This is a small flat millipede that we believe reaches an adult size of 4-5cm (2 inch). They have a black body with large flat plates, bright red spots are present on most of these segments. Each segment has two pairs of legs, these are a dark. Males can be distinguished by missing a pair of legs on the seventh segment.
They can be found in Western Africa, these have been collected from Nigeria. We believe these will be active along the forest floor and possibly climb if given the chance.
To house a group of five Red Spotted Flat Millipedes, use a glass or plastic tank (latter being cheaper) of at least 30x20x20cm (12x8x8 inch) LxWxH. Provide a peat substrate with a minimum depth of 5cm (2 inch) to allow them to burrow. Place rotting wood and leaf litter to resemble a forest floor. Provide a temperature of 24C (75F) and a humidity level ranging between 70-80%.
Due to this species being new to the pet trade, we are currently trailing which foods they prefer. We will be trying them on a range of fruit and vegetables. We would recommend lightly misting them every few days.
Although we have not seen this species excrete any chemicals, caution should be taken and hand washed after handling until more is known about this species.
