Zoosphaerium

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Zoosphaerium
Giant Pill Millipede (Zoosphaerium sp.) (Arthrosphaeridae) (7630981684).jpg
A giant pill millipede in the genus Zoosphaerium
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Diplopoda
Order: Sphaerotheriida
Family: Arthrosphaeridae
Genus: Zoosphaerium

Zoosphaerium is a genus of giant pill millipedes endemic to Madagascar. Some species within this genus express island gigantism. [1] The largest of the known species of giant pill millipede known is Zoosphaerium neptunus , [2] which is capable of growing to lengths of 90 mm (3.5 in).

Contents

Distribution and habitat

Zoosphaerium is restricted to the island of Madagascar. [3] Madagascar is a hotspot for biodiversity and localized endemism, as a result some species occur sympatrically as microendemics. [4] Species within the genus Zoosphaerium can be found living amongst damp leaf litter in forest and jungle habitats. [4]

Species List

Below is a list of all 74 known species: [5]

Zoosphaerium actaeon (White, 1859)

Zoosphaerium album Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium alluaudi (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1902)

Zoosphaerium amabile Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium ambatovaky Wesener & Sagorny, 2021

Zoosphaerium ambrense Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium analavelona Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium anale (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1897)

Zoosphaerium anomalum (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1902)

Zoosphaerium arborealis Wesener & Sierwald, 2005

Zoosphaerium aureum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium bambusoides Wesener & Bespalova, 2010

Zoosphaerium bemanevika Sagorny & Wesener, 2017

Zoosphaerium bilobum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium blandum (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1902)

Zoosphaerium broelemanni Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium campanulatum (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1902)

Zoosphaerium coquerelianum (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1902)

Zoosphaerium corystoides Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium crassum (Butler, 1878)

Zoosphaerium darthvaderi Wesener & Bespalova, 2010

Zoosphaerium denticulatum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium discolor Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium elegans (Lenz, 1881)

Zoosphaerium endemicum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium fisheri Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium fraternarium Jeekel, 1999

Zoosphaerium glabrum (Butler, 1873)

Zoosphaerium haackeri Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium heleios Wesener & Bespalova, 2010

Zoosphaerium hippocastanum (Gervais, 1847)

Zoosphaerium ignotum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium immane (Karsch, 1881)

Zoosphaerium isalo Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium lambertoni (Brolemann, 1922)

Zoosphaerium lamprinum (Butler, 1878)

Zoosphaerium latum (Butler, 1872)

Zoosphaerium libidinosum (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1897)

Zoosphaerium masoala Wesener & Sagorny, 2021

Zoosphaerium micropilligerum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium minutus Sagorny & Wesener, 2017

Zoosphaerium mitoho Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium muscorum Wesener & Bespalova, 2010

Zoosphaerium neptunus (Butler, 1872)

Zoosphaerium nigrum Wesener & Sagorny, 2021

Zoosphaerium piligerum (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1897)

Zoosphaerium platylabum (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1897)

Zoosphaerium priapus (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1897)

Zoosphaerium pseudoblandum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium pseudopiligerum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium pseudoplatylabum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium pseudopriapus Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium pulchellum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium pygidiale (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1902)

Zoosphaerium reflexum (Brolemann, 1922)

Zoosphaerium reticulatum (Butler, 1878)

Zoosphaerium sakanum (Attems, 1910)

Zoosphaerium silens Wesener & Sagorny, 2021

Zoosphaerium smaragdinum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium solitarium Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium spinopiligerum Wesener & Sagorny, 2021

Zoosphaerium stigmaticum (Butler, 1873)

Zoosphaerium subreflexum Jeekel, 1999

Zoosphaerium tainkintana Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium tampolo Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium testaceum (Olivier, 1792)

Zoosphaerium tigrioculatum Wesener & Bespalova, 2010

Zoosphaerium trichordum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium tsingy Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium villosum Wesener & Sierwald, 2005

Zoosphaerium viridissimum Wesener, 2009

Zoosphaerium voahangy Wesener & Sagorny, 2021

Zoosphaerium voeltzkowianum (De Saussure & Zehntner, 1901)

Zoosphaerium xerophilum Wesener, 2009

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pill millipede</span> Order of millipedes

Pill millipedes are any members of two living orders of millipedes, often grouped together into a single superorder, Oniscomorpha. The name Oniscomorpha refers to the millipedes' resemblance to certain woodlice (Oniscidea), also called pillbugs or "roly-polies". However, millipedes and woodlice are not closely related ; rather, this is a case of convergent evolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sphaerotheriidae</span> Family of millipedes

Sphaerotheriidae is a family of giant pill millipedes of the class Diplopoda. Millipedes of this family are distributed in southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glomerida</span> Order of millipedes

Glomerida is an order of pill-millipedes found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. They superficially resemble pill-bugs or woodlice, and can enroll into a protective ball. They have twelve body segments, 17 to 19 pairs of legs, and males have enlarged rear legs involved in mating. The order includes about 30 genera and at least 280 species, including Glomeris marginata, the common European pill-millipede. The order contains members in Europe, South-east Asia and the Americas from California to Guatemala. Although historically considered closely related with the similar sphaerotheriidans that also enroll, some DNA evidence suggest they may be more closely related to glomeridesmidans, a poorly known order that does not enroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sphaerotheriida</span> Order of millipedes

Sphaerotheriida is an order of millipedes in the infraclass Pentazonia, sometimes known as giant pill millipedes. They inhabit Southern Africa, Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Like the Northern Hemisphere pill millipedes of the order Glomerida, these millipedes can roll into a ball when disturbed. When they are rolled-up, most sphaerotheriidans reach a maximum size of a cherry or golf ball, but some species from Madagascar can even reach the size of an orange. When rolled-up, predators are unable to unravel giant pill millipedes since the margins of their second and last dorsal plates fit perfectly into one another, creating a sealed ball. A few giant pill millipede species are able to produce sound, the only millipedes known to do this. This order of millipedes is also unique in that some African species are used for medicinal purposes.

<i>Sphaeromimus</i> Genus of millipedes

Sphaeromimus, or the chirping giant pill millipedes, is a genus of giant pill millipedes endemic to southeastern Madagascar. Though described in 1902, the genus was up to 2005 known from a single male specimen, whose appearance was so unusual that the authors suspected a mislabeled giant pill-millipede from India. Their unusual and distinct morphology includes well-developed stridulation organs, probably as devices for courtship. These are the male ‘harp’ and the female ‘washboard’, which contain more stridulation ribs than in other members of the order Sphaerotheriida. They have a closer affinity with the Indian genus Arthrosphaera than to other Malagasy genera, though all belong to the Arthrosphaeridae.

<i>Spirostreptus</i> Genus of millipedes

Spirostreptus is a genus of giant millipedes of the family Spirostreptidae. It contains the following species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zephroniidae</span> Family of millipedes

Zephroniidae is a family of giant pill millipedes in the taxonomic order Sphaerotheriida. They occur in southeast Asia from the Himalayas and China south and east to Sulawesi and to Australia, and also inhabit some Philippine islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhinocricidae</span> Family of millipedes

Rhinocricidae is a family of millipedes, that occurs disjunctly in Malesia and neighbouring parts of Australasia and in the Neotropics. The family contains the following genera:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. A. W. Jeekel</span> Dutch myriapodologist and entomologist

Casimir Albrecht Willem Jeekel (1922–2010) was a Dutch myriapodologist and entomologist known for his major contributions to the taxonomy of millipedes. His 1971 monograph Nomenclator Generum et Familiarum Diplopodorum is credited as launching the "modern era" of millipede taxonomy, and has been considered the "most important single work ever published on the Diplopoda". He served as director of the Zoological Museum Amsterdam, and authored over 150 works on the taxonomy of millipedes and other myriapods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthrosphaeridae</span> Family of millipedes

Arthrosphaeridae is a family of giant pill millipedes that are found in Madagascar, the Western Ghats of India, and Sri Lanka. The largest pill-millipede in the world, Zoosphaerium neptunus belongs to this family and is known to swarm at certain times of the year.

<i>Sphaeropoeus hercules</i> Species of millipede

Sphaeropoeus hercules is a species of giant pill millipede belonging to the family Zephroniidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zephronia</span> Genus of millipedes

Zephronia is a genus of giant pill millipedes in the family Zephroniidae. This genus includes 47 species distributed throughout N. India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malayan Peninsula, Java, Sumatra and Borneo.

Leo Zehntner was a Swiss naturalist.

<i>Zoosphaerium neptunus</i> Species of millipede

Zoosphaerium neptunus, also known as the Giant Emerald Pill Millipede, is the largest pill-millipede in the world, reaching lengths of 90 mm (3.5 in). Endemic to Madagascar, it is known to swarm at certain times of the year. Sexual dimorphism is present within the species, with females reaching larger sizes than males.

The Tanzanian Pill Bug Millipede,, is a species of pill millipede in the family Arthrosphaeridae. It is found in many African and Asian countries including India and Sri Lanka. Mature individuals of the species reach 3–4 cm in length. Adults are pale brown in colour with black lines in between the segments, whereas juveniles are dark brown. The species is one of the most commonly kept giant pill millipede species within the exotic pet keeping hobby. An introduced population of Arthrosphaera brandtii exists on the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lophoproctidae</span> Family of millipedes

Lophoproctidae is a family of millipedes in the order Polyxenida containing approximately 65 species in 6 genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirobolellidae</span> Family of millipedes

Spirobolellidae is a family of millipedes in the order Spirobolida. There are about 11 genera and more than 100 described species in Spirobolellidae.

Glomeridellidae is a family of millipedes belonging to the order Glomerida. The adult males in this family have two pairs of telopods rather than the single pair found in other families in this order.

<i>Zoosphaerium darthvaderi</i> Species of millipede

Zoosphaerium darthvaderi, also known as the Darth Vader giant pill millipede, is a species of giant pill millipede endemic to the island state of Madagascar. It is named after the Star Wars character Darth Vader. The millipede is restricted to the Ambohitantely Reserve and is considered an extremely endangered species.

<i>Heterocladosoma bifalcatum</i> Species of millipede

Heterocladosoma bifalcatum is a common species of millipede found in eastern Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Acton, Q. Ashton (2012). Issues in Life Sciences: Molecular Biology: (2011 ed.). ScholarlyEditions. p. 2906. ISBN   9781464963483.
  2. ↑ Wesener, Thomas; Bespalova, Loulia; Sierwald, Petra (2010-05-01). "Madagascar's Living Giants: Discovery of Five New Species of Endemic Giant Pill-Millipedes from Madagascar (Diplopoda: Sphaerotheriida: Arthrosphaeridae: Zoosphaerium)". BioOne . Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  3. ↑ Bhat, Tariq Ahmad (2021). Mutagenesis, Cytotoxicity and Crop Improvement - Revolutionizing Food Science. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 482. ISBN   9781527564381.
  4. 1 2 Sagorny, Christina; Wesener, Thomas (2017-05-09). "Two new giant pill-millipede species of the genus Zoosphaerium endemic to the Bemanevika area in northern Madagascar (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Arthrosphaeridae)". Europe PubMed Central . doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4263.2.4 . Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  5. ↑ "Zoosphaerium Pocock, 1895". millibase.org. 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-08-31.

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