ecology and morphological adaptations Cryptocorypha ornata (Attems 1938) Acknowledgements References. Only very few millipedes, representing the Polydesmidae, Pyrgodesmidae, Bla-niulidae,Julidae and Siphonotidae from temperate and/or tropical regions, have been reported or suspected to temporarily enter water bodies and feed on fine-grained organic particles in water-films or watercourses submersion tolerance of a few hours/days or the submergence resistance of weeks/months is enabled, in most cases, by plastron respiration using cuticular structures (spiracles with microtrichia) or cuticular secretions.
Only two polydesmidan species, however, are presently known to have an amphibious mode of life: (1) subadults and adults of the troglobite Serradium semiaquaticum Enghoff et al. 1997 (Polydesmidae), showing modified mouthparts (hair-shaped teeth of pectinate lamel-lae; Fig. 1) and hydrophobic microtrichia in the spiracles, can remain up to 4 weeks in subterranean water bodies of North Italian caves (Ams et al. 1997, ENGHOFF et al. 1997); (2) advanced juvenile stages and subadults of Gonographis adisiHoffman 1985 (Pyrgodesmidae) pass the annual flood period of 5-7 months duration submerged on tree trunks in blackwater inundation forests of the Negro River, Central Amazonia, grazing on algae. Due to a cerotegument (Fig. 2) which covers the spiracles, their submergence resistance reaches 11 months.
Very interesting, probably housed in the wood from before it was submersed.
