The Udzungwa Mountains of south-central Tanzania are a good place to find species of animals that have never been described by science before. Since 2014, an impressive 81 new species have been discovered in these biodiverse mountains.
These discoveries include six new species of millipedes. One of the newly-described millipedes, Udzungwastreptus marianae, grows to around 3 centimeters in length, and lives in forests above 1,000 meters.
The millipedes move through the forest floor like miniature locomotives. They feed on dead plant matter and organic debris.
“Some of the millipedes had unique features, such as colorful legs or shiny exoskeletons,” says Alain Ngute, a tropical forest ecologist who was part of the team that collected the millipedes.
Alain explains that millipedes help to recycle nutrients and maintain soil fertility. The millipedes help plant growth and forest regeneration.
Some areas of the forests were logged and have been taken over by thick layers of woody vines known as lianas. The presence of millipedes may show that the logged forest ecosystem is actually recovering from being logged.
“Millipedes can help restore these areas by breaking down the detritus and facilitating the growth of [tree] seedlings and saplings,” says Alain.
David Brown adapted this story for Mongabay Kids. It is based on an article by Ryan Truscott, published on Mongabay News:
