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Audubon Beidler Forest
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A smooth Flat-backed Millipede hides in the leaves. If you pick it up it will make your hands smell like raspberries, which is actually the cyanide it uses as a chemical defense, but its not enough to harm you.
A smooth Flat-backed Millipede hides in the leaves. If you pick it up it will make your hands smell like raspberries, which is actually the cyanide it uses as a chemical defense, but its not enough to harm you.
Wildlife

Other Invertebrates

This Flat-backed Millipede is using aposematism (warning coloration), and rightly so. If harassed, it will secrete cyanide to deter predators. Photo: Richard Covey
This Flat-backed Millipede is using aposematism (warning coloration), and rightly so. If harassed, it will secrete cyanide to deter predators. Photo: Richard Covey
Wildlife

Other Invertebrates

Beidler Forest supports a variety of invertebrates beyond arachnids and insects, both terrestrial and aquatic. This is just a list of the more commonly seen species. Due to limited information, some of our local species (looking at you, shellfish), are especially nebulous to identify. Perhaps in time we'll have a more nuanced list.

Myriapods

  • American Giant Millipede (Narceus americanus)
  • Flat-backed Millipede (Sigmoria latior)
  • Eastern Bark Centipede (Hemiscolopendra marginata)

Crustaceans

  • Crayfish (Procambarus spp., which has 37 species in South Carolina, Procambarus clarkii is one likely candidate)
  • Freshwater Scud (Probably Hyalella azteca)
  • Freshwater Shrimp (Probably Palaemonetes paludosus)
  • Waterlouse (Asellus aquaticus)

Mollusks

  • White-lip Globe Snail (Mesodon thyroidus)
  • Rosy Wolf Snail (Euglandina rosea)
  • Carolina Mantleslug (Philomycus carolinianus)
  • Freshwater Snails (There are 37 freshwater snail species in South Carolina, based on shapes alone Beidler Forest has at least 3, one of those being a Freshwater Limpet possibly of the tribe Ancylidae)
  • Freshwater Mussel (Eastern Pondhorn (Uniomerus carolinianus), potentially Family Unionidae, which has 29 species in South Carolina, based on species found in the Edisto we may have these: Carolina Slabshell (Elliptio congaraea), and the Southern Rainbow (Villosa modioliformis))

Annelids

  • Earthworm (Aporrectodea spp)
  • Freshwater Leech (There are 20 freshwater leeches in South Carolina, fortunately the ones in Four Holes Swamp seem to prefer turtles over people, well, not so fortunate for the turtles at any rate. Glossiphonia swampina is a likely candidate)

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