''Xenobolus carnifex'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of spirobolidan

millipede Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a resu ...

found in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

and Sri Lanka. It is a common species and can become a household pest, infesting and damaging

thatched roofs Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge ('' Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk o ...

, creating a "continual shower of faecal pellets", and invading food and water supplies. ''X. carnifex'' ranges from in length, with 48 to 50 body segments. The body color is dark or black, with a band of red or pink running down the dorsal midline. Xenobolus carnifex

References

Spirobolida Millipedes of Asia Arthropods of India Arthropods of Sri Lanka Pest arthropods Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius Animals described in 1775 {{myriapoda-stub