Arthrosphaeridae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of giant pill millipedes that are found in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, the Western Ghats of India, and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The largest pill-millipede in the world, ''

Zoosphaerium neptunus ''Zoosphaerium neptunus'', also known as the giant emerald pill millipede, is a species of millipede within the family Arthrosphaeridae. It is the largest known pill-millipede in the world, with some individuals reaching lengths of 90 mm (3.5 in ...

'' (Butler 1872) belongs to this family and is known to swarm at certain times of the year.

Description

The first segment of the anterior telopods have a stridulatory organ known as a "harp" and this has one to ten ribs. The anal plate on the female is enlarged and has 1-12 ribs while the male anal shield has no special sclerotized notch as seen in other families. The segments of the antenna are oval or cylindrical.

Taxonomy

Within the family ''Arthrosphaeridae'' there are four genus formally described: * '' Arthrosphaera'' Pocock, 1895 – India, Sri Lanka * ''

Zoosphaerium ''Zoosphaerium'' is a genus of giant pill millipedes endemic to Madagascar. Some species within this genus express island gigantism. The largest of the known species of giant pill millipede known is '' Zoosphaerium neptunus'', which is capable o ...

'' Pocock, 1895 – Madagascar * ''

Sphaeromimus ''Sphaeromimus'' (Latin: sphere mimic), or the chirping giant pill millipedes, is a genus of giant pill millipedes (order Sphaerotheriida) endemic to southeastern Madagascar. Though described in 1902, the genus was up to 2005 known from a single ...

'' de Saussure & Zehntner, 1902 – Southeast Madagascar * '' Microsphaerotherium'' Wesener & van den Spiegel, 2007 – Madagascar

References

External links

Sphaerotheriida Millipedes of Asia Millipedes of Africa Millipede families {{myriapoda-stub