The moss millipede (''Psammodesmus bryophorus'') is a keeled millipede of the family Platyrhacidae native to

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. It was described in 2011, and with several species of

symbiotic Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

found growing on its dorsal surface, it is the first millipede known with epizoic plants. Bryophytes on Psammodesmus bryophorus

At least 10 species of bryophytes belonging to families Pilotrichaceae,

Lejeuneaceae Lejeuneaceae is the largest family of liverworts. Most of its members are epiphytes found in the tropics, while others can be found in temperate regions. The main characteristics of the family are that: #The leaves are incubous. #Amphigastrium ...

Fissidentaceae Fissidentaceae is a family of haplolepideous mosses (Dicranidae) in the order Dicranales, with a single genus, ''Fissidens ''Fissidens'' is a genus of haplolepideous mosses (Dicranidae) in the family Fissidentaceae. Selected species: * ' ...

Metzgeriaceae Metzgeriaceae is a family of thallose liverworts in the order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization w ...

and Leucomiaceae have been found to grow on the millipede's dorsum; these plants are believed to camouflage the millipede as its cuticle provides a stable substrate.

Description

Adult moss millipedes have 19 body segments, each with a pair of wide keels; the coloration of their dorsum ranges from dark brown to black, having two light-colored stripes on the prozonites and metatergites of segments 2-19. The edges of the paranota are white and the legs, antennae and ventral surface of the trunk are reddish brown.

Habitat

''P. bryophorus'' is found in Río Ñambí Natural Reserve, a transitional Andean-Pacific forest in South West Colombia, preferring tree trunks and leaves, about 1m above the ground; however, they can also be found between the leaf litter and the soil surface.

References

Polydesmida Endemic fauna of Colombia Symbiosis Millipedes of South America {{Myriapoda-stub