Present in dry areas where the influence of the river does not reach. VULGAR NAME Cardador, millipede.
DESCRIPTION Up to 6 cm. Brownish-gray to dark brown in color, with short antennae; cylindrical body, with more than 40 rings; with 2 pairs of legs per segment except in the first ones; male with hooked front legs; solenomerite with a seminal groove and a cavity at the base. Ommatoiulus rutilans (C.L. Koch, 1847)
When disturbed, the carder curls up forming a spiral in order to cover its soft, much more vulnerable parts, releasing a repellent wine-colored liquid. Sperm transfer can be direct or indirect, and the sperm, in most cases, is stored in the spermathecae or seminal receptacles possessed by the female, who will choose the moment of fertilization. Once fertilized, she will form eggs and bury them in galleries in the ground. After hatching, the neonates have three or six very short segments, going through numerous molts before reaching adulthood. Its detritivore and decomposer habits and its ability to create galleries and stir the soil, aerating it and promoting the oxidation of organic matter, make it appreciated by organic farmers where worms cannot live.
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