| Tachypodoiulus niger | |
|---|---|
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| T. niger walking over moss | |
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| T. niger in defensive posture | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Diplopoda |
| Order: | Julida |
| Family: | Julidae |
| Genus: | Tachypodoiulus |
| Species: | T. niger |
| Binomial name | |
| Tachypodoiulus niger | |
Tachypodoiulus niger, known variously as the white-legged snake millipede or the black millipede, is a European species of millipede. It is very similar to other species such as Cylindroiulus londinensis , from which it can be reliably distinguished only by studying the shape of the telson. [2] It occurs in Ireland, Britain, Spain, France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic, [1] and is especially common on chalky and limestone soils. [2]
T. niger has a roughly cylindrical shiny black body, with around 100 pairs of contrasting white legs [3] on its 41–56 body segments. [2] It lives in leaf litter, under bark or in moss, and feeds on encrusting algae, detritus [3] and sometimes fruit such as raspberries. [2] Predators of T. niger include the centipedes Lithobius variegatus and Lithobius forficatus [3] and hedgehogs. [4]
T. niger is most active from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise, although in summer it also becomes active in the afternoon. [5] Like many millipedes, T. niger coils itself into a spiral, with its legs on the inside and its head in the centre, when it is threatened, [2] but it can also flee with sidewinding movements. [6]