The millipede Chordeuma proximum in Yorkshire: a new county record

摘要

On 16 May 2013 I visited the Cliff Rigg area near Great Ayton, Northeast Yorkshire (VC62) where the ground layer was searched for invertebrates. The site is a former quarry on the Cleveland Dyke. Tholeiite (a type of basalt) was extracted from here upto about 1970, mainly for use as road stone. The Dyke is a 58-million-year-old volcanic intrusion into Jurassic strata, chiefly sandstone, and is flanked by acidic oak woodland to the northeast and southwest. These woodlands are considered to be ancientsemi-natural. During the visit a leaf litter sample of about two litres in volume was collected from amid boulders at the southwest margin of the quarry site (NZ5685611827) and hand-searched for invertebrates. The litter was made up very largely of Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus with some oak Quercus x rosacea together with a little moss and was moderately moist. Along with a number of other invertebrates four millipede species were found in the sample, these being Eyed Flat-backed Millipede Nanogona polydesmoides, Blunt-tailed Millipede Cylindroiulus punctatus, White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger and, surprisingly, Chordeuma proximum (one moribund male and five fairly small juveniles).