''Glomeris hexasticha'', also known as the eastern six-striped pill millipede or the diagonal-striped pill millipede, is a species of
pill millipede within the family ''
Glomeridae
Glomeridae is a family of pill millipedes in the order Glomerida. It includes dozens of genera, including many which are yet to be described the family includes at least the following genera:
*'' Apheromeris''
*'' Apiomeris''
*''Armadill ...
'' and order
Glomerida
Glomerida is an order of pill-millipedes found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. They superficially resemble pill-bugs or woodlice, and can enroll into a protective ball. They have twelve body segments, 17 to 19 pairs of legs, and males hav ...
.
The pill millipede is widely distributed within many European countries,
with the species consisting of over twenty different subspecies.
Description
The body length of ''Glomeris hexasticha'' ranges from 6 to 17 mm long. Its exoskeleton displays a base colour ranging from brown to black, adorned with 7 rows (typically 6 in the eastern populations) of yellow-brown to red-brown spots. These lateral spots on the thoracic plate are large and always well-defined. The 2nd tergite of the species usually possesses a main furrow, accompanied by 0-1 pre-furrow and 2-4 subsidiary furrows. In males, the pre-anal tergite exhibits a prominent bulging of the rear margin, while in females, this bulge is less pronounced. Additionally, the male individuals exhibit a cross bulge above the rear margin.
Distribution
''Glomeris hexasticha'' possess a widespread
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
distribution where it can be found in the countries of:
Albania,
Austria,
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria,
Croatia,
Czech Republic,
Germany,
Hungary,
Italy,
North Macedonia,
Poland,
Romania,
Serbia,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Ukraine.
The species is also
native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
to Central
European Russia
European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...
, European
Turkey and the transcontinental region of the
Near East
The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...
.
Habitat
''Glomeris hexasticha'' mainly inhabitants forests located within montane and subalpine altitudes.
Forests can be both deciduous or coniferous, exhibiting tree species such as the common hornbeam (''
C. betulus'') and black pine (''
Pinus nigra
''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica and Cyprus, as wel ...
'').
[Bachvarova D. (2019) New record of Glomeris hexasticha Brandt, 1833 (Diplopoda: Glomerida: Glomeridae) from the Lilyaksko Plateau, North-Eastern Bulgaria. Acta Scientifica Naturalis, Vol.6 (Issue 2), pp. 55-61. ] ''G. hexasticha'' has also been discovered to live on forest edges and within meadow habitat, where it is found living alongside wild wheat grasses (''
Agropyron sp.'') and common rosehip (
''R. canina'').
''G. hexasticha'' is a
detritivore
Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders, or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...
feeding on decaying plant matter such as dead wood and leaves.
Subspecies
''Glomeris hexasticha'' contains 27 distinct subspecies:
* ''Glomeris hexasticha bavarica''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha boleti''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha bosniensis''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha calcivaga''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha chiemensis''
Verhoeff, 1941
* ''Glomeris hexasticha eimeri''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha hexasticha''
Verhoeff
* ''Glomeris hexasticha intermedia''
Latzel, 1884
* ''Glomeris hexasticha marcomannia''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha quercivora''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha rabensteinensis''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha ruscorum''
Verhoeff, 1929
* ''Glomeris hexasticha suevica''
Verhoeff, 1911
* ''Glomeris hexasticha szeklerana''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha theresiae''
Verhoeff, 1906
* ''Glomeris hexasticha trisulcata''
Rothenbühler, 1899
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4302249
Glomerida
Animals described in 1833
Millipedes of Europe