Short Communication

The first record of the tropical tramp millipede Orthomorpha coarctata (de Saussure, 1860) in Cameroon (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae)

Published in: African Zoology
Volume 61 , issue 1 , 2026 , pages: 49–54

DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2025.2593675

Author(s): Peter Decker , Germany , Armand Richard Nzoko Fiemapong Laboratoire de Zoologie, Université de Yaoundé I, Cameroon , Hans S Reip Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Germany , Samuel Didier Makon Laboratoire de Zoologie, Université de Yaoundé I, Cameroon , Paul Serge Mbenoun Massé Laboratoire de Zoologie, Université de Yaoundé I, Cameroon

Keywords: Central Africa , Formicidae , Myriapoda , Neobiota , predation

Download full text Get new issue alerts

Abstract

This study reports the first record of the flat-backed millipede Orthomorpha coarctata (de Saussure, 1860) in Cameroon, and the second for Central Africa. Specimens were collected between 2014 and 2025 at nine localities in anthropogenic habitats, such as agricultural fields and urban areas, at altitudes ranging from 10 to 1 400 m above sea level across five regions of Cameroon. Native to South-East Asia but now pantropically distributed, the species was found near human settlements but not in semi-natural habitats, suggesting a low invasive potential. Predation by ants of the genus Pheidole was observed, indicating its integration into local trophic networks.

« Using DNA barcoding to identify the early life history stages of demersal coastal fishes in shallow nearshore and estuarine benthic habitats of Algoa Bay

Editorial »