COROMUS VITTATUS VITTATUS
Coromus vittatus vittatus (Cook, 1886): Notes, Observations and Captive Husbandry
Coromus vitattus vittatus (C.vv from here on) is one of the more impressive milliped species and is becoming readily available on importers lists. This piece aims to bring together our captive husbandry observations in the hopes that it will benefit the would-be or current keeper of these impressive Polydesmids, to help ensure they live a long and healthy life.
The final aim of course, as with any regularly imported invertebrate, is to establish the requirements, triggers and essential environmental conditions to facilitate captive breeding. This piece will reference as many sources as possible, but due to the limited information currently available regarding captive husbandry of myriapods, two main works will be referenced often here. The first, Orin McMonigle’s “Millipeds in Captivity: Diplopodan Husbandry And Reproductive Biology” and the second S. Sigling’s “Professional Breeders Series: Millipedes”
Both of these works have proved to be a brilliant reference material when dealing with a new species and both have been invaluable. As such, they are highly recommended to the potential keeper to help ensure their ward lives a full life.
For the sake of ease, from here we will break the idea of captive husbandry down in to distinct sections: Enclosure Design and Housing, Environment (Including temperature), Feeding, and Breeding.
Enclosure Design
Millipeds are simple animals, originating long before even the Dinosaurs and not changing all that much since. They can easily be housed in many kinds of container from the commercially available vivarium to the cheaper plastic storage boxes known as RUBs. The choice of enclosure is mainly down to the keeper's preferences; however, some guidelines should be considered.
The enclosure should be deeper than the longest milliped to be housed and should allow substrate deep enough to burrow the length of the milliped. So, for example, a 12-inch milliped should have around 12 inches of depth to burrow in to. It should also take in to account length of the adult milliped, ideally giving them space at least twice that of the overall maximum size by once the overall maximum size. For some species, height can also be considered important. Some species are often found in trees within their native habitat, so consideration should be made for this too.
C.vv are a terrestrial species however, so this discussion is outside the scope of this work. Reaching an adult size of around 15cm, C.vv needs ample space to thrive. Our chosen housing is a plastic storage box, measuring around 20 Litres for up to 5 individuals. This then has ample holes cut throughout the lid, to ensure good air exchange. With Polydesmids this is highly important as many naturally create toxic gasses in very low quantities, but when confined to low air flow containers, this can build up. These holes are then covered with fine mesh to prevent escape and to restrict access by unwanted pests.
Any enclosure must be secure. Many species are adept climbers and can exert a surprising force against a surface. As such the enclosure should have a securely fitting and ideally locking lid to prevent escapes. There are many options that fit this criteria but the preferred one used with animals here are the Really Useful Boxes brand containers, for they have good transparency, are sturdy, and can be cut easily with low risk of cracking.
This seems obvious, but air is important. Many species will not thrive in stagnant air, so providing cross ventilation in whatever chosen enclosure is used is important. Many of our enclosures are made from plastic crates, from which a large section of the lid is cut and a piece of mesh is secured over it. This allows ample gas exchange but limits escapees and pests gaining access to prime substrate.
Temperature
All invertebrates need heat, without it, they cannot function. Cvv are a Nigerian species, and as such come from a country significantly warmer than ours here in the UK. However, the “average temperature” is not the temperature in the kinds of microclimates you would be likely to discover a wild Cvv. As with many tropical species from Africa, a warm-but-not-hot stable temperature of 23-26c seems to suit them. This is how our group is kept and to date, we have had very few issues with them. Over summer this temperature rises, and follows the summer heat spikes we get. During this time, they are active and mating behaviour has been seen. Over winter the temperature is kept constant using a heat cable and racking system for their welfare. Using a accurate thermostat, we calibrate the sensor to maintain a constant temperature of 25c over winter. These cooler months, followed by the heat of summer even here, help to replicate seasonal change which likely is very important to reproduction. Key with temperature management is not to heat the enclosure from below however. Millipeds will instinctively burrow to avoid heat, so by placing the heat source below them you run the risk of the milliped trying to avoid the heat but only getting hotter.
Substrate
The substrate is the final part of the housing section and the one which can make or break your milliped keeping. In our experience, Cvv, when kept at the temperatures discussed above, are surface dwellers. This means that while a deep substrate is important, feeding will, for the most part, be done on the surface. Unlike our previous piece on Tonkibolus dolfusi, in this case, the surface should be where the focus is placed on ensuring adequate food is available at all times.
Like all millipeds, Cvv eat decaying wood, leaves and other organic matter. This means that an essential part of the substrate is this decaying organic matter. To prepare a substrate mixture, we use a mix of well-rotted beech, oak, magnolia, gingko, avocado, bay, and other deciduous tree leaves, fallen and rotted white wood, and soil.
White rot wood is key to good health: rotten, flaking wood which is white or pale in colour, and is different from the darker (or brown rot) wood you also find. The difference comes from the fungus which has broken down the wood as part of the decay process. brown rot wood is useless to milliped keepers as the cellulose has been broken down by the fungus and cellulose is the substance the millipeds eat. White rot, by contrast, has been broken down by different fungi which leave the cellulose untouched and instead feed off the lignin in the wood, leaving the pale, lighter coloured cellulose behind for your new ward to feast on.
Food
Coromus vittatus vittatus eat decaying matter, as we discussed above. Often, however, they will readily take supplementary food items too. These should never become a stable of the diet but can be used to add extra variation to their diet and as an easy way to supplement multivitamin powders to help ensure good health. A small list of foods we have found Cvv happily accept are Cucumber, courgette, bell pepper, banana, strawberry, grape, grapefruit, mushrooms, and even fish flakes. This is by no means a complete list, and the key is simply trial and error in finding new options. All potential foods do however need to be free from pesticides, and that does apply to organic produce too.
It has also been suggested that a key part of the milliped diet is the roots of live moss. This is understandably hard to substantiate, but there is no reason not to err on the side of caution and ensure that a live moss source is available. Store bought moss, however, will not suffice for this, as no matter how green it looks it is in fact dead. The moss must be grown and added complete with its roots. We find that the best way to source this is from wild collection alongside the leaves and wood, however, due to the nature of this item – being a living, growing part of your local ecosystem, please do this responsibly and consider the quantity and further availability of this to ensure you are not over collecting.
Breeding
Breeding is the end goal, and most certainly our aim. Cvv mate face to face, as all polydesmids and most millipeds do, so is very noticeable when happening. From our observations, what looks to be the male will mount the back of the female, and begin stimulating her flanks by slowly moving his legs against her in a wave like pattern. If she is receptive, she will turn the upper segments of her body to one side and he will turn to face her upturned underside. Once they are in this position the spermatophore can be transferred, but they may stay in this coupling for many hours. They will lay eggs in the substrate, so it is important this is not disturbed to protect any young. The young will be very fragile, small, white copies of the adults which will be looking for a nutritious food store to feed, grow and moult in. You will likely not even know there are young until they have begun to mature and move to the surface more regularly to source other foods.