[4] Glomeris marginata grows up to 20 millimetres (0.8 in) long and 8 mm (0.3 in) wide, and is covered by twelve black dorsal plates with white rims.

[2] In domestic gardens, they are most frequent along hedgerows and at the bases of old walls, where the mortar has started to crumble, leaching lime into the soil.

[5][8] It is less prone to desiccation than other millipedes and can be found in the open, even in sunny weather,[6] although they are more active at night and prefer more humid areas.

One to eight drops of a viscid fluid are secreted, containing the quinazolinone alkaloids glomerin and homoglomerin, dissolved in a watery protein matrix.

[10] These chemicals act as antifeedants and toxins to spiders, insects and vertebrates, and the fluid is sticky enough to entrap the legs of ants.