FOUR NEW SPECIES OF MILLIPEDE DISCOVERED IN GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Researchers have discovered four new species of millipedes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, significantly enhancing the park’s documented biodiversity with an abundance of additional legs. Two of these newly identified species are known from only a single location each, while the other two are more widely distributed throughout the park, bringing the total number of documented millipede species in the area to 80.
Contrary to popular belief and the literal translation of “millipede” as “thousand feet,” most millipedes have fewer than 100 legs; they are not insects but are more closely related to crustaceans such as lobsters, shrimp, and crayfish. Millipedes feature bodies divided into segments, each bearing two pairs of legs attached to the underside, distinguishing them from centipedes, which have one pair per segment extending sideways. Worldwide, there are approximately 7,000 millipede species, with about 1,400 found in the United States and Canada.
These latest findings were facilitated by the park’s ongoing All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in partnership with Discover Life in America, with credit given to scientists from Georgia College & State University and Hampden-Sydney College for uncovering these remarkable creatures.
