Zoosphaerium stigmaticum ( Butler, 1873 )

Wesener, Thomas & Wägele, Johann-Wolfgang, 2008, The giant pill-millipedes of Madagascar: revision of the genus Zoosphaerium (Myriapoda, Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida), Zoosystema 30 (1), pp. 5-85 : 81-82

Zoosphaerium stigmaticum ( Butler, 1873)

Sphaerotherium stigmaticum Butler, 1873: 178 , pl. 19, fig. 3. — de Saussure & Zehntner 1897:pl., fig. 18 (reprint of Butler’s figure); 1902: 7 (lists species name).

Zoosphaerium stigmaticum – Jeekel 1999: 14 (lists species name). — Enghoff 2003: 20 (lists species name).

REMARKS

According to the drawing by Butler (1873), the male of Zoosphaerium stigmaticum has a sclerotized knob on the hind face of the anal shield. Such a feature is not present in any single Malagasy giant pill-millipede species recorded so far. Although Butler states in the first description the type locality as Madagascar, it is possible that Zoosphaerium stigmaticum may represent an Australian Sphaerotheriida , the only group of giant pill-millipedes in which such a sclerotized knob is common. The only known type specimen seems no longer to exist.