Changes in the millipede fauna of the British Isles between 1958 and 2025

Abstract

The number of millipede species found from the British Isles can be tracked through key publications in 1958, 1985, 2006 and 2025 and has increased from 43 to 84. The number of orders of millipede has also increased from five to eight, and now includes representatives from the largely tropical orders Spirobolida and Siphonophorida. There has been an increase in species found from heated glasshouses, some of which are now breeding successfully outside. The British fauna includes a large proportion of species from the Iberian Peninsula and Italy, especially in the orders Chordeumatida and Julida. This may be due to historical links between these areas, including the transportation of goods for industrial processes.