May, 1904.] The Breeding Habits of the MyrioTgod. 
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 Sandusky, Ohio, and mainly on Cedar Point, during 
the summers of 1900, iQor, 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, they 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, by 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 by 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. 
