Florida Scrub Millipedes, Floridabolus orini

Florida Scrub Millipede, Floridabolus orini

FAT and Pudgy, a blimp with legs!

Floridabolus orini is a species of millipede belonging to the family Spirobolidae. It's a particularly interesting and rare species that is endemic to Florida, meaning it is found nowhere else in the world. The genus Floridabolus itself is monotypic, containing only this one species.

Here are a few key details about Floridabolus orini.

• Common Name: Florida Black Scrub Millipede
   
• Range: Restricted to the Lake Wales Ridge in central Florida, a biologically unique and ancient sand ridge.
   
• Habitat: Prefers scrub and sandhill habitats with deep, dry sandy soils.  Floridobolus orini was only described in 2014 and is only known from a extremely small area of North Central Florida.
   
• Conservation Status: It's considered vulnerable or possibly imperiled due to its limited distribution and ongoing habitat loss in Florida.
   
• Physical Characteristics: Like other spirobolid millipedes, it has a cylindrical body with numerous segments and legs, and a tough exoskeleton. Coloration is typically dark, but precise details are limited due to its rarity.

• Prefers xeric (dry) habitats like scrub and sandhill ecosystems.
   
• The Lake Wales Ridge is known for its high biodiversity and endemism, with species like F. floydii, and F. orini  adapted to its specific, sandy soil and semi dry climate.
   

• Floridabolus orini is a relict species, meaning it has survived from a formerly widespread group that is now limited to a small area.
   
• It’s considered rare and poorly known, with very specific habitat needs.