Sphaerotheriida

Sphaerotheriida
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Myriapoda
Class: Diplopoda
Subclass: Chilognatha
Infraclass: Pentazonia
Superorder: Oniscomorpha
Order: Sphaerotheriida
Brandt, 1833
Families
Map showing distribution of Sphaerotheriida in southern Africa, Madagascar, India, southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand
Synonyms

Sphaerotheriida is an order of millipedes[1] in the infraclass Pentazonia,[2] sometimes known as giant pill millipedes.[3] They inhabit Southern Africa, Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.[4] Like the Northern Hemisphere pill millipedes of the order Glomerida, these millipedes can roll into a ball when disturbed. When they are rolled-up, most sphaerotheriidans reach a maximum size of a cherry [5] or golf ball,[6] but some species from Madagascar can even reach the size of an orange[7] (an example of island gigantism; illustration - [1]). When rolled-up, predators are unable to unravel giant pill millipedes since the margins of their second and last dorsal plates fit perfectly into one another, creating a sealed ball. A few giant pill millipede species are able to produce sound, the only millipedes known to do this.[8] This order of millipedes is also unique in that some African species are used for medicinal purposes.[9]

  1. ^ R. L. Hoffman (1980). "Contributions à l'étude de la faune terrestre des îles granitiques de l'archipel des Séchelles". Revue Zoologique Africaine. 94 (1): 138–168.
  2. ^ William A. Shear & Gregory D. Edgecombe (2010). "The geological record and phylogeny of the Myriapoda". Arthropod Structure & Development. 39 (2–3): 174–190. Bibcode:2010ArtSD..39..174S. doi:10.1016/j.asd.2009.11.002. PMID 19944188.
  3. ^ "Giant Pill Millipedes (Order Sphaerotheriida)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  4. ^ Thomas Wesener & Didier van den Spiegel (2009). "A first phylogenetic analysis of giant pill millipedes (Diplopoda: Sphaerotheriida), a new model Gondwanan taxon, with special emphasis on island gigantism". Cladistics. 25 (6): 545–573. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2009.00267.x. PMID 34879594. S2CID 86041765.
  5. ^ Beverley A. Holloway (1956). "Revision of the New Zealand pill millipedes (Oniscomorpha, Sphaerotheridae)" (PDF). Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 84 (2): 431–446.
  6. ^ D. van den Spiegel, S. I. Golovatch & M. Hamer (2003). "Revision of some of the oldest species in the millipede genus Sphaerotherium, Brandt, 1833 (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Sphaerotheriidae), with new synonymies". African Invertebrates. 43: 143–181. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04.
  7. ^ Thomas Wesener & Johann-Wolfgang Wägele (2008). "The giant pill millipedes of Madagascar: revision of the genus Zoosphaerium (Myriapoda, Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida)" (PDF). Zoosystema. 30 (1): 5–85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-12.
  8. ^ U. Haacker (1968). "Das Sexualverhalten von Sphaerotherium dorsale (Myriapoda, Diplopoda)". Verhandlungen der Deutschen Zoologischen Gesellschaft. 3: 454–463.
  9. ^ D. G. Herbert, M. L. Hamer, M. Mander, N. Mkhize & F. Prins (2003). "Invertebrate animals as a component of the traditional medicine trade in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa". African Invertebrates. 44 (2): 327–344. Archived from the original on 2011-09-03.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)