One of the most abundant West European species and one of the most studied diplopods. Colour
variations and races have been described. On reddish soils in southern France the tergite margins are orange in colour. There are some records o f G. marginata which are from botanical gardens and other urban or synanthropic sites in the Czech Republic, Romania and elsewhere in the Balkans; these have been omitted from the maps for the time being as they are likely to have been chance
introductions not forming permanent populations, or even melanic specimens of other species. In Spain, in the Provinces of Burgos and Rioja, specimens which appear to be Glomeris margjnata have been found in which the tergites behind the shield vary in appearance from the typical wide
“Hurypleuromerii' form to the narrower “ Stenopleuromeris" shape, following the classification of Verhoeff (1909). J. P. Mauries (pers. comm.) considers this to be worth investigating to see if there is either a geographical or environmental relationship or a taxonomic difference
relating to the shape of the tergites. These specimens are regarded as G. marginata in this atlas; they are at the SW limit of its presently known range.