Zoosphaerium

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Zoosphaerium
Giant Pill Millipede (Zoosphaerium sp.) (Arthrosphaeridae) (7630981684).jpg
A giant pill millipede in the genus Zoosphaerium
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Diplopoda
Order: Sphaerotheriida
Family: Arthrosphaeridae
Genus: Zoosphaerium
Pocock, 1895

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]

References

  1. ↑ Acton, Q. Ashton (2012). Issues in Life Sciences: Molecular Biology: (2011 ed.). ScholarlyEditions. p. 2906. ISBN   9781464963483.
  2. ↑ Wesener, Thomas; Bespalova, Ioulia; 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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