Marek discovered Apheloria polychroma, a thumb-sized millipede, in the Cumberland Mountain forests of south-west Virginia.
A new millipede discovered recently in the United States by Paul Marek excels at both qualities – it is incredibly colourful, and its body is covered in cyanide. The combination of beauty and danger is beloved in the arts because it is frequently seen in nature, in creatures such as blue-ringed octopuses (of the genus Hapalochlaena) and poison dart frogs ( Dendrobates).
