Seven new giant pill-millipede species and numerous new records of the genus Zoosphaerium from Madagascar (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Arthrosphaeridae)

Thomas Wesener,Christina Sagorny

doi:10.5852/ejt.2021.758.1423

Thomas Wesener, Christina Sagorny

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.758.1423

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Abstract

Seven new species of the giant pill-millipede genus Zoosphaerium Pocock, 1895 are described from Madagascar: Z. nigrum sp. nov., Z. silens sp. nov., Z. ambatovaky sp. nov., Z. beanka sp. nov., Z. voahangy sp. nov., Z. masoala sp. nov. and Z. spinopiligerum sp. nov. All species are described based on drawings and scanning electron microscopy, while genetic barcoding of the COI gene was successful for six of the seven new species. Additional COI barcode information is provided for the first time for Z. album Wesener, 2009 and Z. libidinosum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1897). Zoosphaerium nigrum sp. nov. and Z. silens sp. nov. belong to the Z. libidinosum species-group, Z. ambatovaky sp. nov. to the Z. coquerelianum species-group, Z. beanka sp. nov., Z. voahangy sp. nov. and Z. masoala sp. nov. to the Z. platylabum species-group and Z. spinopiligerum sp. nov. to the Z. piligerum species-group. Updated identification keys are provided for each species-group. Two western dry forest species, Z. silens sp. nov. and Z. voahangy sp. nov. are recorded from two localities, while the other five species are currently only known from their type localities. Of special conservation concern might be Z. ambatovaky sp. nov. from the lowland rainforest fragment of Ambatovaky, a nowadays isolated lowland rainforest, rapidly shrinking due to slash and burn agriculture. In addition to the new species, new locality data is provided for 11 species and numerous unidentifiable species of Zoosphaerium: Z. neptunus (Butler, 1872), Z. platylabum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1902) and Z. piligerum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1897) from the central eastern montane forests, as well as Z. ambrense Wesener, 2009, Z. aureum Wesener, 2009, Z. libidinosum, Z. corystoides Wesener, 2009, Z. discolor Wesener, 2009, Z. smaragdinum Wesener, 2009, Z. villosum Wesener & Sierwald, 2005 and Microsphaerotherium anjozorobe Wesener, 2009.

Highlights

Madagascar, located off the eastern coast of Africa, has been isolated from other continents for more than 120 my
Remarks Species can be identified as members of the Zoosphaerium platylabum species-group based on the number of locking carinae of the anal shield that are located close to the last pleurite, as well as on morphological characters of the female vulva, whose apical processes are usually sharpedged
The lowest interspecific distances of the COI barcoding gene in the genus Zoosphaerium were observed between Z. beanka sp. nov. and an unidentified female from Anjiamangirina with 8.6% (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Madagascar, located off the eastern coast of Africa, has been isolated from other continents for more than 120 my. Three genera are strictly endemic to Madagascar, while a fourth genus is found in southern India and Sri Lanka (Wesener & VandenSpiegel 2009; Wesener et al 2010a). In an effort to understand Madagascars role as a major biodiversity hotspot, two general inventory programs have recently been undertaken: one organized by the Field Museum, Chicago and headed by Steve Goodman and his team, and a second organized by the California Academy of Sciences, headed by Brian Fisher and his team. Both programs yielded numerous samples of Malagasy giant pill-millipedes. These samples contained specimens of 11 already described species as well as seven new species which are described here

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