Zoosphaerium
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5391729 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AA451447-2B45-FFA4-FF58-FD7AFCE399E1 |
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Marcus |
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scientific name |
Zoosphaerium |
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Zoosphaerium View in CoL ? reticulatum ( Butler, 1878) View in CoL ( Fig. 47 View FIG )
Sphaerotherium reticulatum Butler, 1878: 301 . — de Saussure & Zehntner 1902: 8 (lists species name).
Zoosphaerium reticulatum View in CoL – Jeekel 1999: 14 (lists species name). — Enghoff 2003: 20 (lists species name).
TYPE MATERIAL. — Two syntypes of unknown sex (second pair of legs and underside of anal shield missing) ( BMNH).
TYPE LOCALITY. — Madagascar.
DIAGNOSIS. — Small individuals, with traces of green. Antenna with 20 sensory cones. Surface of tergites leather-like ( Fig. 47A View FIG ). Legs with weakly developed coxal lobe, furthermore inner margin of femur toothed ( Fig. 47B View FIG ). Anal shield well-rounded, with 2 locking carinae ( Fig. 47D View FIG ).
SIMILAR SPECIES
The toothed femur and the presence of a small coxal lobe separates Z. reticulatum from all other Malagasy Sphaerotheriida .
DESCRIPTION
Body length: small.
Coloration: faded, greenish-brown. Head, antennae and tips of legs brown.
Head: posterior margin of head towards collum without hair.
Antennae: sixth joint of cylindrical shape with 20 sensory cones.
Mouthparts not dissected.
Collum: unknown.
Thoracic shield: Concave lateral extensions broad and deep, with some isolated hairs. Marginal brim anteriorly thicker.
Tergites: anterior paratergite depressions of tergites 3-12 with isolated hairs. Paratergite tips projecting slightly posteriorly.
Endotergum: internal section with short spines and isolated bristles ( Fig. 4 F View FIG ). One row of elliptical, deep grooves between marginal ridge and internal area. These grooves standing isolated in a regular distance from one another ( Fig. 4 F View FIG ). External 2 rows of marginal bristles, placed close to, but not touching one another. Bristles short, reaching between marginal ridge and posterior tergite margin ( Fig. 4 F View FIG ).
Anal shield: well-rounded, glabrous. Underside carrying two well-developed black locking carinae on both sides. Anterior carina small, but well-developed, posterior carina twice as long as first. Locking carinae separated from each other by a distance equal to half of shorter carina length ( Fig. 47D View FIG ).
Legs: tarsi 3-21 with small curved claws, 8 or 9 ventral spines and one apical spine. Ninth leg with small coxal lobe, femur 1.9 times longer than wide, tarsi 4. times longer than wide ( Fig. 47B View FIG ). Femora with crenulated ridge of medium length ( Fig. 47B View FIG ), furthermore inner margin of femur toothed ( Fig. 47B View FIG ).
Stigma-carrying plate: first stigma-carrying plate lobe surmounting coxa. Lobe weakly curved towards coxa, with well-rounded tip ( Fig. 47C View FIG ).
Female sexual characters: unknown.
Male sexual characters: unknown.
REMARKS
It is unclear whether the type specimens are adults. All characters which would allow a placement of this species in Zoosphaerium are absent. It remains unclear if this species represents a member of Zoosphaerium , furthermore, it remains possible, that Z. reticulatum is no Malagasy giant pill-millipede species. Nevertheless, the endotergum, femur pattern and other characters make an identification of this species possible, so that it is not listed under nomina dubia.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Zoosphaerium
| Wesener, Thomas & Wägele, Johann-Wolfgang 2008 |
Zoosphaerium reticulatum
| ENGHOFF H. 2003: 20 |
| JEEKEL C. A. W. 1999: 14 |
Sphaerotherium reticulatum
| SAUSSURE H. & DE & ZEHNTNER L. 1902: 8 |
| BUTLER A. G. 1878: 301 |