Parafontaria is a genus of "flat-backed" millipedes (order Polydesmida) consisting of 14 species native to Japan and Korea. Parafontaria laminata armigera, formerly called train millipedes, has been synonymized with P. laminata. This is because some populations exhibit periodical swarming behavior during which large numbers congregate and can impact train passage when this congregation occurs on tracks. Documentation of this event goes back to 1920. Individuals vary from around as adults, and feed on leaf litter as well as soil, making them comparable to earthworms in facilitating decomposition and soil nutrient cycling.
Species
- Parafontaria crenata <small> Shinohara, 1986</small>
- Parafontaria doenitzi <small> (Karsch, 1880)</small>
- Parafontaria erythrosoma <small> (Takakuwa, 1942)</small>
- Parafontaria falcifera <small> (Verhoeff, 1936)</small>
- Parafontaria ishiii <small> Shinohara, 1986</small>
- Parafontaria koreana <small> (Paik, 1963)</small>
- Parafontaria laminata <small> (Attems, 1909)</small> This species is poisonous.
- Parafontaria longa <small> Shinohara, 1986</small>
- Parafontaria shiraiwaensis <small> Shinohara, 1986</small>
- Parafontaria spathulata <small> (Miyosi, 1951)</small>
- Parafontaria takakuwai <small> (Shinohara in Takashima & Shinohara, 1957)</small>
- Parafontaria terminalis <small> (Takakuwa, 1942)</small>
- Parafontaria tokaiensis <small> Tanabe, 2002</small>
- Parafontaria tonominea <small> (Attems, 1899)</small>
References