Two fragments of millipedes, referred to the genus Archispirostreptus,
are reported from an archaeological site in the Tadrart Acacus region
of southwestern Libya. Radiocarbon dating of the specimens shows
that one of them dates to between ca. 9100 and 8800 years ago, and
the other one between 6400 and 6300 years ago (calibrated dates).
The site lies far from known present-day occurrences of spirostreptid
millipedes, and the Libyan subfossils probably, like other isolated
occurrences of Archispirostreptus species in the Sahara and the
Middle East, represent geographical relicts of a former, continuous
distribution. The millipedes were probably able to survive at the
Libyan site during the early and middle Holocene periods thanks to
the more humid conditions, and may descend from animals that
initially colonised the area during the even more humid, and longer,
last interglacial period.