Abacion cf. tesselatum

Fun little millipedes with an almost waxy looking armored appearance. Adults get to around 2–2.5 inches long. They are fast moving by millipede standards making them a unique addition to any collection. Be warned: they do put out a strong defense odor when handled that permeates the skin and is not easily washed away with soap and water. I keep them on moderately moist substrate which consists of approximately 40% sphagnum peat moss, 40% white rot wood mulch, and 20% crushed up brown leaf litter. Bark slabs, rot wood chunks, and dried fall leaves provide a top dressing for additional food and shelter. Kept at around 75°F and occasionally fed fish flakes. Although I am fairly confident of the species ID, it has not been confirmed by an entomological taxonomist, so out of an abundance of caution I am including “cf.” in the binomial name to indicate as much.