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Narceus americanus
Grows up to 4 inches, brown/bluish body with red rings at each segment.
Forest
Strangely enough, this individual was curled up on a small branch. Usually, I find this millipede on the ground or in decaying logs, but perhaps they have a penchant to climb from time to time. This is the largest millipede you're likely to find in the eastern United States, it can grow to 4 inches long. This particular individual is still young--it's much narrower than the mature millipede. If disturbed, N. americanus can release chemical defenses to protect itself from predators. It will only cause a brown discoloration on human skin though, so you're safe to pick it up. As a side note, I'm hesitant to even link the Wikipedia page to this spotting, as its current accuracy is questionable. Found at Barbara A. Beiser Field Station.
Spotted on May 25, 2011
Submitted on Dec 26, 2011
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