Diplopoda.de Forum - Alles über Tausendfüßer

Hi,
That are not the eggs of mites, that are the mites themselves. It's not the usual type of mites crawling on the millipede. This type stick to the millipede. I don't know what they eat and if they harm the millipede but I would try to get rid of them. I thing washing away or remove them with a brush will not work. You have to rub them carefully away with a hard object like the point of a knife or something like that.

Are the mites mostly in the posterior part of the millipede? If yes it can be a mite species waiting for egg laying to feed on the eggs!

I had mites with a similiar behaviour and similiar number on my Spirostreptus gregorius. But I think the mites where smaller than yours. I removed the majority of them but never get them complete rid of them cause of lack of time. The millipedes behaves normal and I got (too) much offspring of them. In my case it was a positive end.

Maybe Klaus could help you whether these mites (could) harm your AGB.

@casper and millipeter:
Please have a look on the new photos from "Casper's" mites. Eight suction cups, four great ones caudal and four smaller ones more central, adhere them on the Gigas. Mouth details aren't much informative, but I'll make a further preparation for the SEM. Then we will know more details........
K.

I have these mites too on a new millipede that I got. It is alone and away from the other ones. I thought they were eggs too and was going to wait until they hatched to remove them. It took me 2 hours to remove most of the mobile mites since there were so many. I guess I will try to scrape them off.