Brachycybe petasata
| Brachycybe petasata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Diplopoda |
| Order: | Platydesmida |
| Family: | Andrognathidae |
| Genus: | Brachycybe |
| Species: | B. petasata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Brachycybe petasata Loomis, 1936
| |
Brachycybe petasata is a species of millipede in the order Platydesmida and family Andrognathidae. It occurs in the southern Appalachian region of the southeastern United States, including the Great Smoky Mountains, and is associated with moist forest leaf litter and decaying wood.[1][2]
Distribution and habitat
Brachycybe petasata occurs in the southern Appalachian region of the southeastern United States.[2] It has been recorded from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia, including Mount LeConte along the Alum Cave Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Balsam Mountain Campground in the Great Balsam Mountains of Haywood County, North Carolina, and Cloudland Canyon State Park in Dade County, Georgia.[1][3] Reported habitats include moist forest leaf litter, rhododendron coves, and forests with beech, birch, maple, and hemlock.[1][3]
Ecology
Like other species of Brachycybe, B. petasata is presumed to be fungivorous and associated with decaying wood.[2] Richard L. Hoffman noted that members of the genus appeared to show a recurring association with beech woods and suggested that this relationship merited further ecological study.[1]
Defensive chemistry
A 2024 study of the defensive secretions of Brachycybe millipedes found that Brachycybe petasata produces four monoterpene alkaloids: gosodesmine, hydrogosodesmine, homogosodesmine, and hydrohomogosodesmine.[3] The study found that the chemical composition of defensive secretions in the genus tracks phylogenetic relationships rather than geographic proximity, with B. petasata sharing the same major alkaloids as its western sister species Brachycybe producta.[3]
Millipedes in the subterclass Colobognatha produce terpenoid alkaloids in specialized defensive glands, which are released through openings called ozopores when the animal is disturbed. [4] These compounds are believed to function primarily as chemical defenses against predators and may also play a role in communication between individuals. Colobognath millipedes are the only millipedes known to produce terpenoid alkaloids.[3][4]
References
- ^ a b c d Hoffman, Richard L. (1950). "Records and descriptions of diplopods from the southern Appalachians". Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. 66 (1): 11–33.
- ^ a b c Shelley, Rowland M.; McAllister, Chris T.; Tanabe, Tsutomu (2005). "A synopsis of the milliped genus Brachycybe Wood, 1864 (Platydesmida: Andrognathidae)". Fragmenta Faunistica. 48 (2): 137–166. doi:10.3161/00159301FF2005.48.2.137.
- ^ a b c d e Banks, Paige; Funkhouser, Emma M.; Macias, Angie M.; Lovett, Brian; Meador, Shelby; Hatch, Arden; Garraffo, H. Martin; Cartwright, Kaitie C.; Kasson, Matt T.; Marek, Paul E.; Jones, Tappey H.; Mevers, Emily (2024). "The chemistry of the defensive secretions of three species of millipedes in the genus Brachycybe". Journal of Chemical Ecology. 50 (4): 478–488. doi:10.1007/s10886-024-01518-6.
- ^ a b Hatch, Arden; Marek, Paul E.; Mevers, Emily (2026). "The terpenoid alkaloids of colobognath millipedes: insights into structural diversity and function". Journal of Natural Products. 89 (1): 29–38. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c01363.
Further reading
- Hoffman, Richard L. (1999). Checklist of the millipeds of North and Middle America. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publications. Vol. 8. ISBN 9781884549120.