Nannarrup hoffmani (lat.) - a species of millipedes , discovered in 2002 in the Central Park of New York [1] . They are 10 mm long and have 82 legs [2] . Scientists believe that the species comes from East Asia and was brought to the United States by ship [3] . This species is the first animal species in more than a century, discovered in Central Park and, possibly, it is also the smallest of the millipede species [2] . It got its name in honor of Dr. Richard Hoffman ( en: Richard L. Hoffman ), a former curator of invertebrates at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, for his role in identifying these centipedes [2] . They were discovered by collecting samples of deciduous litter, which has been conducted since 1998, after which museum staff tried to classify living creatures found in the samples, and sent unidentified persons to Hoffman, who additionally consulted with Italian scientists (who, in turn, issued a final verdict on the discovery a new type of millipede and named it in honor of its American counterpart).
| Nannarrup hoffmani |
| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Subtype : | Tracheo-breathing |
| Gender: | Nannarrup Foddai, Bonato, Pereira & Minelli, 2003 |
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| International scientific name |
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Nannarrup hoffmani Foddai, Bonato, Pereira & Minelli, 2003 |
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These millipedes live in a litter of dead and rotting leaves. They are predators , eating any animals that they can handle. The body length of Nannarrup hoffmani is 10.3 mm, millipedes have not only 41 pairs of legs, but also poisonous glands that open at the ends of the first pair of legs (transformed into the maxilla ) used for hunting.