Eight-year periodical outbreaks of the train millipede

• Niijima, Keiko

• Nii, Momoka

• Yoshimura, Jin

Abstract

Periodical cicadas are the only confirmed periodical animals with long life cycles. In Japan, however, 8-year periodicity had been suggested in a species of train millipedes that had frequently obstructed trains in the central mountainous region of Honshu, Japan. This species was identified as Parafontaria laminata armigera Verhoeff (Diplopoda: Xystodesmidae), which is endemic to Japan. We finally confirmed the 8-year periodicity of this millipede using detailed surveys of life histories over 8 years. Seven broods were recognized, with almost no overlaps in their distributions. We also report the historical outbreaks and train obstructions of this millipede during 1920–2016. This is the first confirmed case of periodical non-insect arthropods.

Royal Society Open Science, 8(1), art.no.201399; 2021

Journal

• Royal Society Open Science

  Royal Society Open Science 8 (1), 201399-, 2021-01-13

  Royal Society

Keywords

• Multidisciplinary

Details

• CRID: 1050005667240688640
• NII Article ID: 120006956185
• ISSN: 20545703
• DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201399
• HANDLE: 10069/00040495
• Web Site: https://nagasaki-u.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/26295
• Web Site: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.201399
• Web Site: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsos.201399
• Text Lang: en
• Article Type: journal article
• Data Source:
  • IRDB
  • Crossref
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN