Millipedes, of the class Diplopoda in the order Myriapoda, are a diverse group of creatures found on six of the seven continents. Their history stretches back to the Silurian Period, and they have been decomposing organic matter the world over ever since.
For many, millipedes are semi-interesting oddities in the world of "bugs", but for a select few they are fascinating creatures to observe and study, whether in the wild, in a jar of ethanol, or in captivity. When properly cared for many species will breed in captivity and exhibit behaviors that might otherwise be difficult to study in the wild. The removal of natural pressures on populations has also allowed interesting color variations of several species to develop, most notably the development of a pure-breeding albino strain of Narceus americanus.
Note that these care instructions are by no means a definitive guide, and remain but basic notes on husbandry. See specific species reports in the families pages for more information on a given species.
A note on terminology: juliform millipedes refers to the "round" orders, the Spirostreptida, the Spirobolida, and the Julida. Flat millipedes generally refers to Polydesmida, but can also include the Platydesmida. Pill millipedes usually refers to the ball millipedes of the orders Glomerida and Sphaerotheriida.
Page image (Spiropoeus fischeri) courtesy of SDCPs.