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Area C Antichiropus Millipede (Antichiropus pendiculus)

The Area C Antichiropus millipede, Antichiropus pendiculus, is a Pilbara millipede. Its habitat and ecology are poorly documented, and it is listed as Priority 1 on the Western Australian DBCA priority fauna list. Site checks and cautious work practices are warranted where it may occur.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 1.

Seasonal planning

Activity and breeding periods for A. pendiculus are not known. The planning row below is a general reminder, not a species-specific seasonal window.

Seasonal evidence: Species-specific activity or breeding months have not been reported.

Planning approach: Arrange checks before disturbance whenever works are planned, rather than relying on an assumed season.

Do not interpret this planning reminder as evidence that the species is more or less active in any month.

  • Pre-work checks and precautions: General planning reminder only. No species-specific seasonal calendar is available; check and apply precautions before works in any season.

Identification: Appearance and size

Field identification information is limited. Uncertain millipede records require specialist examination.

This is a millipede in the genus Antichiropus. Its colour, body form, length and other external field marks have not been described.

Antichiropus pendiculus was described as a new species in 2019. It lacks the solenomere process described as a diagnostic feature of Antichiropus, but was included in the genus because it conforms to the genus definition in other characters.

Identification: Similar species

No field key or reliable visual distinctions from other species are available.

Do not identify the species from general resemblance to another Antichiropus. Refer specimens or images to a suitably qualified taxonomist.

Identification: Field signs

Species-specific tracks, burrows, feeding signs and other field signs have not been recorded.

A millipede found during works is a reason to pause nearby ground disturbance and arrange identification; it does not, by itself, confirm this species.

Distribution: Known range

Records place the species in the Pilbara, but its full range is not established.

The DBCA list assigns the species to the Pilbara region. Atlas of Living Australia records show 20 Western Australian records in five distinct 0.1-degree locations, with latitude about -22.9 and longitude from 118.8 to 119.2.

These record counts and grid summaries indicate known records, not continuous occupancy or the full distribution.

Distribution: Recorded places

Records labelled A. pendiculus include collections described as approximately 76 km south-west of Nullagine and approximately 73 km south-east of Mulga Downs. Coordinates for these collection localities are not available.

Distribution: Regional context

Pilbara is the only DBCA region flagged for this species. A clearing decision report notes that the species was not recorded in its application area or broader survey area, and that samples collected there did not match known priority Antichiropus species.

Absence from that survey is not evidence that the species is absent from other Pilbara sites.

Habitat: Known habitat

Species-specific habitat requirements have not been described. Broad regional habitat descriptions are not confirmed habitat for this millipede.

The vegetation, soils, landforms and moisture conditions occupied by A. pendiculus are not known.

Habitat: Habitat evidence limits

A clearing report discusses rocky slopes, breakaways, gorges, gullies and minor drainage habitats in relation to SRE fauna and survey areas generally. It does not identify these as habitat used by A. pendiculus.

Do not use those broad descriptions alone to declare a site suitable or unsuitable for this species.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The species’ diet and feeding habitat are not known.

What A. pendiculus eats has not been documented.

Foraging habitat: Foraging locations

Feeding observations and foraging locations have not been reported. If a millipede is found, record its precise position and immediate ground conditions without assuming these indicate its usual feeding habitat.

Breeding habitat: Breeding information

Breeding behaviour, timing and habitat are poorly known.

Mating, egg-laying sites, clutch size, development and breeding season have not been reported for A. pendiculus.

Breeding habitat: Age and sex records

Records identified as a female and as juveniles have not been linked to a breeding period or breeding habitat.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter information

Sheltering sites are unknown. Use precautionary, low-impact checks rather than assuming a particular refuge type.

Species-specific information about refuges, burrows, soil depth, litter, rocks, logs or other shelter is not available.

Sheltering habitat: Precaution at ground level

As general millipede survey practice, inspect accessible ground features carefully and minimise disturbance when checking beneath loose surface material. Replace any moved material as found, unless an authorised specialist directs otherwise.

Threats: Conservation status

The species has a DBCA Priority 1 listing, but specific threats have not been identified.

The DBCA Threatened and Priority Fauna List dated 1 July 2025 lists A. pendiculus as Priority 1: poorly known, known from few locations, with none on conservation lands. This is a DBCA priority category, not a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

No national listing is recorded.

Threats: Threat information

Species-specific threats and the effects of clearing, fragmentation, fire, grazing or other pressures have not been established.

As a precaution, avoid unnecessary disturbance where the species is recorded or considered possible, and document any observations for the project ecologist.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Detectability has not been reported. Records include day hand collections, but do not establish a reliable survey method or effort.

Check current DBCA records, project survey reports and available occurrence datasets before works. Records include locations near Nullagine and Mulga Downs, but coordinates for those collection points are not available.

Do not treat a lack of mapped records at a site as proof of absence.

Survey methodology: 2. Field inspection

Day hand collections have been used to collect specimens identified as A. pendiculus. This confirms that specimens were collected by that method on those occasions, but not that daytime searching is consistently effective.

As general millipede practice, search carefully through accessible ground-level refuges and surface material where permitted, minimising disturbance and recording the precise search location and conditions.

Survey methodology: 3. Identification and records

Photograph or retain specimens only where authorised and safe to do so. Seek expert identification because no field identification key is available.

Record date, coordinates, search method, effort, ground conditions and whether the observation was a live animal or other evidence. Report confirmed records through the project’s agreed fauna and DBCA processes.

Vegetation associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific vegetation association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Ecosystem associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific ecosystem association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Soil and substrate associations: Rocky, stony or shallow ground

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

A clearing report discusses rocky slopes, breakaways, gorges, gullies and minor drainage habitats in relation to SRE fauna and survey areas generally.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Water and wetland associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific water association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Fauna records and mapped habitat: Not yet analysed

Record locations can be overlaid with mapping, but record frequency alone does not measure habitat preference. No species is excluded from desktop assessments by this analysis.

No quality-controlled record-to-map analysis has been completed for this species. The existing generalised distribution dots and indicative range polygons have not been treated as precise occurrence coordinates.

A defensible run needs dated, independently attributable records, coordinate uncertainty, duplicate and captive-record checks, layer versions and regional scope. Preference and absence require additional survey-effort and detection evidence.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: No supported exclusion recorded

Not recorded is not the same as cannot occur. Low suitability, resident habitat, breeding habitat and occasional movement are different conclusions.

This library has not established a vegetation, ecosystem or soil-type exclusion for this species. This does not mean all habitat is suitable; the evidence needed to justify an exclusion has not been assembled.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: Before using a negative association

  • Confirm the taxon, geographic region, life stage and habitat function covered by the evidence.
  • Check survey methods, season, repeated effort and detectability before interpreting non-detection.
  • Investigate credible contradictory records and microhabitats absent from broad mapping.
  • Do not convert a missing map class, low record count or failed data request into species absence.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Review constraints

Habitat requirements and detectability are poorly documented, so a negative check should not be treated as definitive.

Review the DBCA Priority 1 status, existing records, previous fauna surveys and any site-specific ecological advice. Confirm required approvals and project procedures before searching or handling fauna.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Brief the work team

Brief clearing crews and spotter catchers on the millipede’s name, the limits of field identification and the stop-work process. Make clear that not finding an animal during a brief check does not establish absence.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Check the work footprint

Arrange a suitably timed pre-clearance inspection by an ecologist or fauna spotter catcher, using a low-impact ground-level search suited to millipedes. Define a response and escalation pathway for any potential record before clearing begins.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Maintain observation

Use staged, attentive work practices and respond cautiously to any millipede found in the disturbance footprint.

Have the nominated spotter catcher observe ground disturbance where required by the project plan. Work at a pace that allows fauna to be seen, and avoid unnecessary crushing or movement of ground material.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Pause and assess

If a millipede is found, pause work in the immediate area, protect the animal from machinery and avoid handling it until its identification and the response are assessed by an authorised person.

Do not assume an unconfirmed millipede is A. pendiculus, or dismiss it because it cannot be identified in the field.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Record and escalate

Photograph the animal and its position where this can be done without disturbance. Record coordinates and site conditions, notify the project ecologist and follow the approved fauna management and reporting procedures.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Verify the record

After a potential encounter, maintain the work hold until the responsible ecologist has assessed the record and advised on next steps.

Arrange expert identification for potential A. pendiculus records. Keep observation details and any specimen handling information with the project fauna records.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Resume only as agreed

Resume work in the affected area only when authorised under the project’s approvals and fauna procedures. Apply any revised exclusion, inspection or work controls advised by the ecologist.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Update project records

Document survey effort, detections, identification outcomes, work pauses and actions taken. Share confirmed records through the relevant project and regulatory pathways.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore disturbed ground

Species-specific rehabilitation requirements are not known. Rehabilitation should avoid unsupported assumptions about the millipede’s habitat needs.

Reinstate disturbed ground in accordance with the approved rehabilitation plan, using locally appropriate materials and vegetation where specified. Avoid leaving unnecessary compacted or bare areas.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Retain site information

Keep records of any confirmed occurrence, disturbance and rehabilitation actions so they can inform future site management. Claim that rehabilitation recreates suitable habitat for A. pendiculus only where supported by project-specific ecological advice.

Sources