Allopauropus (Decapauropus) gracilis (Hansen, 1902)

Allopauropus (Decapauropus) gracilis is the most widespread species in the UK (Scheller 1990) and believed to be subcosmopolitan, found in most of Europe and beyond such as Sri Lanka, USA, Chile, and Northern Africa.

This species can be found in a wide range of habitats, from mixed woodland to agricultural land in damp soil and deciduous rotting wood, but also under rotting bark and logs (Scheller 1990), especially those slightly sunken into the soil. Similarly to other Pauropods, Allopauropus gracilis is dependent on moisture, so may be less common on the surface in dry conditions, and instead found underground e.g. at 20-30cm depth in agricultural soil (Hüther 1974). In humid habitats or after rain, they may move closer to the surface where they are more common under wet bark and within the outer layers of rotting wood. There is currently no recording scheme for Pauropods in the UK, but this is likely to change in the future.

Published records (not included on the NBN) are given for Dorset, Somerset (Remy 1961), Hampshire (Scheller 1990), Surrey (Bagnall 1935), Berkshire (Scheller 1974), London (Bagnall 1935), Gloucestershire (Scheller 1974), Essex (Bagnall 1935), Leicestershire (Scheller 1990), Lincolnshire (Scheller 1974), Lancashire (Bagnall 1916), North Yorkshire (Bagnall 1935), Durham (Bagnall 1909), Northumberland (Bagnall 1909), South Glamorgan (Scheller 1990), Lothian (Bagnall 1935) and Strathclyde (Remy 1961).