Sphaerotherium punctatum Brandt, 1833

Spiegel, Didier Van den, Golovatch, Sergei I. & Hamer, and Michelle L., 2002, Revision of some of the oldest species in the millipede genus Sphaerotherium Brandt, 1833 (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Sphaerotheriidae), with new synonymies, African Invertebrates 43, pp. 143-181 : 166

Sphaerotherium punctatum Brandt, 1833

( Figs 32a–e , 41 )

Material studied:

Type material: ^ lectotype (designated herewith), ^ paralectotype (badly preserved), South Africa, Caput Bonae Spei , ZMB 56 & ZMB 497 , respectively .

Description:

Total length 30, width 22.

Colour: Head, antennae, collum, thoracic shield, tergites and pygidium light olive green, bordered with brown along posterior margin. Underside and legs light brown to olive green.

Head with a few piliferous punctures; gnathochilarium densely pilose. Both sides of labrum broadly rounded laterad, middle scarcely emarginate, with a single median tooth. Ocelli obvious, almost black.Antennae short, last segment with 4 apical sensory cones. Collum with piliferous punctures and one row of longer hairs along anterior margin.

Thoracic shield with brim relatively narrow, accompanied by row of long setae along its margin. Surface covered with piliferous punctures.

Tergites 2–12 with a median keel, surface densely pilose-punctate. Endotergum with one row of marginal bristles not reaching margin; marginal ridge with a row of callosities, intersegmental membrane with a few setae and small to large cones ( Figs 32e , 41 ).

Legs without lateral coxal lobe ( Fig. 32d ).

Male:

Unknown.

Female sexual characters:

Second pair of legs without coxal lobe. Cyphopod large, operculum almost rounded ( Fig. 32c ).

Comments: Prior to this study the type material seems never to have been revised. The species is only known from the above two female types housed in ZMB, with the male still unknown. Although the species was listed as incertae sedis by Attems (1928), Schubart (1958) and Hamer (1998), it must be considered as valid, while a complete revision of the genus is likely to reveal some junior synonym(s) among South African congeners.

Figures

Figs 32a–e. Lectotype of Sphaerotherium punctatum. a: apical part of antenna; b: lateral aspect of ^; c: cyphopod; d: leg 9; e: endotergum.

Figs 34–42. Endotergum (SEM) in Sphaerotherium species. 34. S. compressum (^paralectotype). 35. S. dorsale (^ holotype). 36. S. elongatum (^ paralectotype). 37. S. giganteum (^ lectotype). 38. S. intermedium (^ holotype). 39. S. lichtensteinii (^ paralectotype). 40. S. obtusum (^ holotype). 41. S. punctatum (^ lectotype). 42. S. punctulatum (Ò lectotype).