Sphaerobelum Verhoeff, 1924

Wongthamwanich, Nattarin, Panha, Somsak, Sierwald, Petra, Wesener, Thomas & Thirakhupt, Kumthorn, 2012, A new species of the giant pill-millipede genus Sphaerobelum Verhoeff, 1924 from northern Thailand, with an extensive description and molecular characters (Diplopoda: Sphaerotheriida: Zephroniidae), Zootaxa 3220, pp. 29-43 : 34

Genus Sphaerobelum Verhoeff, 1924

A complete synonymy is provided by Jeekel (2001: 17)

Type species. Sphaerobelum clavigerum Verhoeff, 1924

Other species included. S. hirsutum Verhoeff, 1924 ; S. bicorne Attems, 1938 ; S. separatum Attems, 1953 , S. truncatum n. sp.

Diagnosis. Males of Sphaerobelum species can be distinguished from all other giant pill-millipede genera in the world by the distally swollen process of the second joint of the posterior telopod.

Comments. A comprehensive description of the genus Sphaerobelum cannot be given at the moment. However, all species currently assigned to the genus display the following unique combination of characters: posterior telopods consisting of four podomeres and with a large process on the 2nd podomere which features a greatly enlarged, swollen-looking tip (Fig. 11D). The latter feature has been described for all four species included in the genus and figured for three of them ( Verhoeff, 1924, fig. 36 for S. clavigerum ; Attems, 1938, figs. 18, 19 for S. bicorne ; Attems, 1953, fig. 27 for S. separatum ). Special attention should be given to the minute Tömösváry organ, which is separated by a sclerotized crest from the eye field at least in some Zephronia species, a structure not present in Sphaerobelum .