Defensive-bristles
Guides
Polyxenus lagurus
Bristly Millipede
Polyxenus lagurus, commonly known as the bristly millipede, is a small millipede species distinguished by its detachable defensive bristles that entangle attacking ants and spiders. It exhibits a unique reproductive polymorphism, with some populations reproducing sexually and others parthenogenetically. This species undergoes hemianamorphosis, adding segments and legs through juvenile molts until reaching a fixed adult complement of 13 leg pairs and 10 tergites, after which molting continues without further segment addition. It is the most common polyxenid in Europe and the only representative of order Polyxenida in the British Isles.