Sphaerotheriida
Description | Sphaerotheriida is an order of millipedes in the infraclass Pentazonia, sometimes known as giant pill millipedes. They inhabit Southern Africa, Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. 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 or golf ball, but some species from Madagascar can even reach the size of an orange (an example of island gigantism). 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. This order of millipedes is also unique in that some African species are used for medicinal purposes. From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaerotheriida, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source Data |
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Rank | order | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taxonomy (GBIF) | Life : Animalia : Arthropoda : Diplopoda : Sphaerotheriida | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taxonomy (PBDB) | Life : Animalia : Arthropoda : Myriapoda : Sphaerotheriida | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taxonomic Status (GBIF) | accepted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classification (PBDB,GBIF) |
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Scientific Name | Sphaerotheriida | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opinions (PBDB) |
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Status (PBDB) | extant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taxon Size (PBDB) | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Extant Size (PBDB) | 1 (100%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
First Recorded Appearance | 311 - 307 Ma Carboniferous | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Motility | actively mobile (based on Arthropoda) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Primary Reference (PBDB) | W. A. Shear and G. D. Edgecombe. 2010. The geological record and phylogeny of the Myriapoda. Arthropod Structure & Development 39:174-190 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common Name(s) | ネッタイタマヤスデ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaerotheriida |
External Images
Fossil Distribution
Subtaxa
Name | Status | Common Name(s) | Fossil Occurrences | Oldest | Youngest |
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Arthrosphaeridae family | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
Cyliosomatidae family | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
Procyliosomatidae family | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
Sphaerotheriidae family | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
Zephronidae family | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
Zephroniidae family | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
Paracyliosoma genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
Rhopalopaeus genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB |
Synonymy List
Year | Name and Author |
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1833 | Sphaerotheriida Brandt |
2010 | Sphaerotheriida Shear and Edgecombe p. 181 |