Millipedes and pearl insects are in a worrying situation in France

They measure only a few centimeters. One is equipped with venom fangs to capture its prey, while the other is distinguished by its elongated silhouette and ribbed wings. These discreet invertebrates, the centipedes—one of the two major groups of myriapod arthropods, commonly called millipedes—and the pearl millipedes, are in a worrying situation in France.

The update of the Red List of threatened species in France, published on Tuesday, May 20, by the French committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), provides for the first time an assessment of their state of health.

Of the 146 species of centipedes and 198 species of pearls recorded in the territory, 31 species of centipedes (21%) and 62 species of pearls (31%) are threatened with extinction, that is to say classified in one of the three categories ranging from "vulnerable" to "critically endangered".

"These are significant threat levels. This reflects a worrying situation regarding the state of their natural environments," emphasizes Florian Kirchner, species manager of the French committee of the IUCN. The Red List of Threatened Species in France, the most comprehensive inventory of the state of fauna and flora in France, is one of the tools for taking the pulse of biodiversity. Created in 2008, based on the same criteria as the IUCN's global Red List, it lists more than 13,842 animal and plant species, including 2,430 threatened species.

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