Brachydesmus superus Latzel, 1884

(Order Polydesmida, family Polydesmidae)

This introduced H+19 polydesmidan is 8-10 mm long and either white or pale brown in colour.

B. superus is widely distributed in Europe (Blower 1985) and has been introduced into a number of other temperate areas. It has apparently been in Tasmania for many years: 'The Flat Brown Millipede, which ... frequently occurs in company with the White Millipede [Blaniulus guttulatus], is found all over the State' (Evans 1943: 83). Overseas, B. superus has been reported to attack some crops.

Local populations of this species can be very large. It is the probably the third most abundant millipede in my backyard in Penguin (after Cylindroiulus brittanicus and Ommatoiulus moreleti) and I have seen dense B. superus populations in garden mulch in parks around Tasmania.

(Some) localities for B. superus. Scale bar = 100 km.
For an interactive map with more up-to-date localities, go to the mapper page.

More information:
 
Taxonomy - Blower (1985)
Biology - Blower (1985), Hopkin & Read (1992)