Giant black millipede
Archispirostreptus gigas (Peters, 1855)
LCLeast Concernother invertebrates
Its scientific name carries the authority (Peters, 1855), and it belongs to the genus Archispirostreptus. On the IUCN Red List it is assessed globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
Quick facts about the giant black millipede
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- up to 33.5 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coastal, forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the giant black millipede
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the giant black millipede live?
Not recorded
What is the giant black millipede?
Archispirostreptus gigas, known as the giant African millipede, shongololo or Bongololo, is the largest extant species of millipede, growing up to 33.5 centimetres (13.2 in) in length, 67 millimetres (2.6 in) in circumference. It has approximately 256 legs, although the number of legs changes with each molting so it can vary according to each individual.
It is a widespread species in lowland parts of East Africa, from Mozambique to Kenya, but rarely reaches altitudes above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). It lives mostly in forests, but can also be found in areas of coastal habitat that contain at least a few trees. It is native to Southern Arabia, especially Dhofar.
In general, giant millipedes have a life expectancy of about 7–10 years.
From the Wikipedia article “Archispirostreptus gigas” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Archispirostreptus_gigas&oldid=1366328291), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the giant black millipede endangered?
The giant black millipede is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the giant black millipede classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classDiplopoda
- familySpirostreptidae
- genusArchispirostreptus
- SpeciesArchispirostreptus gigas (Peters, 1855)
Synonyms Aethiopistreptus attemsi, Aethiopistreptus attemsii, Graphidostreptus gigas, Graphidostreptus gigas, Graphidostreptus msalaensis, Spirostreptus gigas, Spirostreptus msalaensis, Spirostreptus opistheurys, Spirostreptus plumaceus, Spirostreptus procerus, Spirostreptus semicylindricus
Other names and names in other languages (10)
- Giant African millipedeEnglish
- Afrikanischer RiesentausendfüßerGerman
- Afrikanischer Riesen-TausendfüßlerGerman
- Iule géant d'AfriqueFrench
- Millepiedi gigante africanoItalian
- Afrikaanse reuzenmiljoenpootDutch
- Гигантский кивсякRussian
- motlhakoTswana
- seBokolodiTswana
- amaShongololoZulu
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the giant black millipede
Other species in the same genus Archispirostreptus.
CompareGiant black millipede vs Archispirostreptus beccariiGiant black millipede vs Archispirostreptus bottegiGiant black millipede vs Archispirostreptus divergensGiant black millipede vs Archispirostreptus dodsoni
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What is the scientific name of the giant black millipede?
Its scientific name is Archispirostreptus gigas, in the genus Archispirostreptus.
Who named Archispirostreptus gigas and when?
The scientific name authority is (Peters, 1855).
Is the giant black millipede endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
What other names does the giant black millipede have?
It is also called the Giant African millipede.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Giant black millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-black-millipede
“Giant black millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-black-millipede.
@misc{giant_black_millipede_2026,
title = {Giant black millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-black-millipede},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}