May, 1904.] The Breeding Habits of the Myrio^od. i6i 



THE BREEDING HABITS OF THE MYRIOPOD, 

 FONTARIA INDIANAE. 



Max Morse. 



There are in Ohio, three species of the genus Fontaria and 

 further work will probably discover one or two others. The spe- 

 cies under consideration is limited in its range in the State to the 

 northern third, or perhaps it descends no farther southward than 

 the latitude of Bucyrus. The species indianae Bollman, is about 

 two inches in length. The ground color is yellowish brown above 

 while the ventral parts are uniform light yellow. Dorsally, the 

 posterior edges of the .segments are bounded by lighter yellow, 

 similar to that of the ventral parts. The head is uniform brown. 

 These considerations will distinguish the genus from any other 

 in the State. The present species is distinguishable from the 

 other species by the fact that in the male the genital hooks are 

 curved inward, i. e., toward one another. The form is the nar- 

 rowest of those of the species found in the State, the pleura of 

 the segments not being bent outward as in the other species, but 

 rather bent downward to quite a degree. 



The observations on which the present paper is based were all 

 made near Sandusk}^, Ohio, and niainlj^ on Cedar Point, during 

 the summers of 1900, 1901, 1902 and 1903. The animals began 

 to leave their winter quarters about the first of May or, in some 

 years, earlier when the temperature had been higher for several 

 weeks. Often after leaving the fallen leaves, etc., under which 

 they pass the winter, thej^ were forced to again bury themselves 

 owing to cold periods. As soon as summer sets in in earnest, the 

 myriopods are quite common. They are to be seen running here 

 and there over the sand in the daylight hours, but from the tracks 

 left in the sand it is evident that the}' are active during the night. 

 This is rendered certain by finding adults running about during 

 the night when, b}- means of a lantern, the sand is illuminated, 

 and also by finding a labyrinth of tracks on the sand which, dur- 

 ing the late afternoon and evening, has been swept smooth b}' a 

 storm, thus obliterating the tracks made during the day. It 

 is very probable that their activities during the night are directed 

 towards foraging for food. 



Up until the middle of July, while the species is common every- 

 where, yet only isolated individuals are seen. After that date, 

 however, they apparently congregate and are found associated 

 together. An examination showed that these collections were not 

 of either one sex, but were made up of individuals of both sexes. 

 Soon, however, the sexes pair off and are found in the tall grass 

 that borders the south beach of Cedar Point which is washed 



Read at the November meeting of the Ohio State Academy of Science. 



