[cacoseraph]

A year or two ago i had some millipedes (flats, er Polydesmida?) that fluoresced as brightly as scorpions. In fact, when i collected them i initially thought i had a scorpion on the ground till i got close enough to see the shape and not just the light. It was pretty spectacular when there was a couple hundred green glowing millis in my immediate area



I also know there are bioluminescent species.


The interesting thing is that both the mills i found and the ones i read about can be found in California, USA.


So my question to all yous is this.... Does YOUR millipede fluoresce (or bioluminate)?

Post species (with pics, if possible) that do seem to have some luminary talent, please

[Telisis]

cacoseraph, on May 8 2009, 05:59 PM, said:

A year or two ago i had some millipedes (flats, er Polydesmida?) that fluoresced as brightly as scorpions. In fact, when i collected them i initially thought i had a scorpion on the ground till i got close enough to see the shape and not just the light. It was pretty spectacular when there was a couple hundred green glowing millis in my immediate area



I also know there are bioluminescent species.


The interesting thing is that both the mills i found and the ones i read about can be found in California, USA.


So my question to all yous is this.... Does YOUR millipede fluoresce (or bioluminate)?

Post species (with pics, if possible) that do seem to have some luminary talent, please

I haven't tried that! But here in Northern Cali (bay area rather..) I found some huge millis with black and red stripes.. they are gone now but i will look for those again and see if they glow!, these were huge millis.. like one was nearly 5 inches long..

[BeeMan3]

when i lived on the coast of California i found some large millipede's i kept on that was 7" as a pet for a while. that would be cool it they fluoresce as well.

[cacoseraph]

Telisis, on May 9 2009, 06:52 PM, said:

cacoseraph, on May 8 2009, 05:59 PM, said:

A year or two ago i had some millipedes (flats, er Polydesmida?) that fluoresced as brightly as scorpions. In fact, when i collected them i initially thought i had a scorpion on the ground till i got close enough to see the shape and not just the light. It was pretty spectacular when there was a couple hundred green glowing millis in my immediate area



I also know there are bioluminescent species.


The interesting thing is that both the mills i found and the ones i read about can be found in California, USA.


So my question to all yous is this.... Does YOUR millipede fluoresce (or bioluminate)?

Post species (with pics, if possible) that do seem to have some luminary talent, please

I haven't tried that! But here in Northern Cali (bay area rather..) I found some huge millis with black and red stripes.. they are gone now but i will look for those again and see if they glow!, these were huge millis.. like one was nearly 5 inches long..

BeeMan3, on May 10 2009, 01:17 PM, said:

when i lived on the coast of California i found some large millipede's i kept on that was 7" as a pet for a while. that would be cool it they fluoresce as well.

both of those sound like stuff i have caught before. check Hiltonius or Tylobolus genus. so far, all the species like that, that i have caught were not fluorescent in the specturm i tried (the same spectrum that causes scorps and the original post millipedes to light up like Las Vegas).

[h20]

Just saying, bioluminescence is when they produce light on their own, fluoresce is the term coined to shining under black light.

[nileppezdel]

h20, on Jun 7 2009, 11:18 PM, said:

Just saying, bioluminescence is when they produce light on their own, fluoresce is the term coined to shining under black light.

Technically fluoresce means "to produce, undergo, or exhibit fluorescence" and bioluminescence means "the emission of light from living organisms" This is quoting the Mirriam Webster dictionary.

I think you have it backwards friend.

[cacoseraph]

h20, on Jun 7 2009, 09:18 PM, said:

Just saying, bioluminescence is when they produce light on their own, fluoresce is the term coined to shining under black light.

nileppezdel, on Jun 8 2009, 07:09 AM, said:

h20, on Jun 7 2009, 11:18 PM, said:

Just saying, bioluminescence is when they produce light on their own, fluoresce is the term coined to shining under black light.

Technically fluoresce means "to produce, undergo, or exhibit fluorescence" and bioluminescence means "the emission of light from living organisms" This is quoting the Mirriam Webster dictionary.

I think you have it backwards friend.

fluorescing is re-emitting light at a different wavelength (like scorpions under a ultraviolet light)

bioluminating is being the only source of light (like fireflies)

there are millipedes that can do either :)

[h20]

Exhibiting fluorescence - not producing it. Lol, Bioluminescence is the actual production/creation of the light.

[cacoseraph]

what exactly is your point?

you keep repeating yourself, like you are correcting something... but you aren't

[h20]

Are you speaking to me? If you are, I was responding to nileppezdel. To my knowledge forums are used to share thoughts back and forth yes?

[cacoseraph]

h20, on Jun 8 2009, 10:13 AM, said:

Are you speaking to me? If you are, I was responding to nileppezdel. To my knowledge forums are used to share thoughts back and forth yes?

yes... except the first reply in this thread was from you and says:

h20, on Jun 7 2009, 09:18 PM, said:

Just saying, bioluminescence is when they produce light on their own, fluoresce is the term coined to shining under black light.

so i am confused as to what that means. were you just echoing what i said?

[h20]

As I am the one that brought up the incorrect definition, I was responding to him, I disregarded your post. After review of your post it seems as though I stated a variation of what you stated, yes.

[tabor]

i would literally give my left... leg... to find a scorpion that bioluminesce. Can you imagine a scorp the size of an emperor lighting up like a squid or cuttle fish? that would be a site to be hold.

I wonder if somewhere, in some obscure cave, there is a scorpion that has evolved this... probably not since they would probably loose their eye sight first.

anyways, what are some of the scientific names of millipedes that bioluminesce?

[Michiel]

I think there was some confusion, semantics, you meant the same, but you guys all said it in different ways. Bioluminescens means that some organisms are able to produce light by contracting certain muscles. It is very much the same mechanism that squids use to change pattern and coloration (through chromatophores, stretching pigment cells etc etc).
Fluorescense means that organisms (or certain minerals) re-emit or reflect certain light (not producing) when shined upon with UV light.

Bioluminescens in scorpions is plausible in troglobitic species (well, I think of the comparison with deep sea fish), so they can atract prey, outside of the cave they would probably become prey. Interesting stuff and maybe a species will be discovered in the future.

[cacoseraph]

fluorescent: Harpaphe intaminata, Xystocheir dissecta


i think those species are right