Xystocheir dissecta (Wood, 1867) is a animal in the Xystodesmidae family, order Polydesmida, kingdom Animalia. Not known to be toxic.
Xystocheir dissecta (Wood, 1867)
Xystocheir dissecta is a flat-backed millipede found on Northern California's coast that uses cyanide-based defense against predators.
Xystocheir dissecta (Wood, 1867) is a species of flat-backed millipede belonging to the family Xystodesmidae. This species occurs along the coast of Northern California. When threatened, X. dissecta can release hydrogen cyanide gas that produces benzaldehyde as a byproduct. This defensive mechanism is effective against most beetle predators, but it does not work against beetles of the genus Promecognathus.
Photo: (c) Valentina L., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Valentina L. · cc-by-nc
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Sources: GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, NCBI Taxonomy · Disclaimer
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