Dr. William Shear of the Hampden-Sydney College Biology department has published a paper in the international megajournal Zootaxa naming and describing 17 new species of millipedes from Virginia.  The millipedes all belong to the genus Pseudotremia, which becomes the second-largest genus of millipedes in North America with the addition of these new species.

Species of Pseudotremia are often found in caves, and relatively more rarely on the surface.  Animals that have adapted to the cave environment are called troglobionts, and often have characteristic adaptations to the limited environment in caves.  They tend to lose eyes and pigment, and become smaller than their above-ground relatives.  Their legs and antennae evolve to become longer because they rely more on touch or subtle vibrations to find food.

While some Pseudotremia species are fairly widespread and occur in several Virginia counties, some of those described in the new paper are known only from single caves.  These species are highly vulnerable to extinction unless action is taken to preserve their cave habitat.