Giant Pill Millipedes

Figure 1.Photographs of living Sphaeromimus. A Sphaeromimus musicus (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1897) from Tsimelahy, upper left to lower left: red colour morph, black colour morph, normal colour morph, the similar looking sympatric Zoosphaerium blandum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1902) B Sphaeromimus lavasoa sp. n. C Sphaeromimus andrahomana sp. n. cave specimen. Not to scale.

Figure 14.Sphaeromimus andohahela sp. n., A–D male holotype E female paratype. A left leg 9 B anterior telopod, anterior view C right anterior telopod, posterior view D left posterior telopod, posterior view E coxa and prefemur 2 with vulvae. Abbreviations: Cx = coxa; Cx-pr = coxal process; EP = external, lateral plate of vulva; IP = inner, mesal plate of vulva; O = operculum; Pre = prefemur; syn = syncoxite. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 18.Sphaeromimus andrahomana sp. n.. A left leg 9, holotype B left leg 9, cave specimen C anterior telopod, anterior view D right anterior telopod, posterior view E left posterior telopod, anterior view ♀ left posterior telopod, posterior view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 15.Sphaeromimus ivohibe sp. n., holotype. A coxae and prefemora 1 with stigmatic plates B left leg 9 C coxae and prefemora 2 with gonopore and stigmatic plate D right anterior telopod, anterior view E right anterior telopod, posterior view ♀ right anterior telopod, lateral view G left posterior telopod, anterior view H left posterior telopod, posterior view. Abbreviations: Cx = coxa; Pre = prefemur; St = stigmatic plate. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 2.Sphaeromimus titanus sp. n., A, I female paratype B–H holotype A habitus B first right stigmatic plate and coxa 1 C: left leg 9 D left coxa 2 with gonopore and stigmatic plate 2 E left anterior telopod, anterior view ♀ left anterior telopod, mesal view G left anterior telopod, posterior view H left anterior telopod, lateral view I coxae and prefemora 2 with vulvae. Abbreviations: Cx = coxa; O = operculum; Pre = prefemur; St = stigmatic plate. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 9.Sphaeromimus vatovavy sp. n., A–E male holotype, ♀ female paratype, multi-layer photographs. A anterior telopods, anterior view B left anterior telopod, posterior view C left anterior telopod, lateral view D posterior telopods, anterior view E chela of right posterior telopod, posterior view ♀ coxa and prefemur 2 with vulvae. Abbreviations: Cx = coxa; Cx-P = coxal process; EP = external, lateral plate of vulva; IH = inner horns; IL = inner lobes; IP = inner, mesal plate of vulva; O = operculum; Pre = prefemur; syn = syncoxite.

Figure 17.Sphaeromimus saintelucei sp. n., holotype. A left leg 9 B right anterior telopod, anterior view C left anterior telopod, posterior view D right anterior telopod, lateral view E left posterior telopod, anterior view ♀ left posterior telopod, posterior view. Abbreviations: syn = syncoxite. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 16.SEM, Endoterga of mid-body tergite. A Sphaeromimus ivohibe sp. n., paratype B Sphaeromimus saintelucei sp. n., holotype from Isaka-Ivondro C Sphaeromimus andrahomana sp. n., holotype D Sphaeromimus andrahomana cave specimen. Abbreviations: (1) = inner area with large spines and long setae; (2) = area with cuticular patterns; (3) = outer area with row(s) of marginal bristles and tergite margin.

Figure 12.SEM, Endoterga of mid-body tergite. A Sphaeromimus lavasoa sp. n., paratype B Sphaeromimus andohahela sp. n., holotype from Isaka-Ivondro C specimen from Malio D specimen from Manantantely. Abbreviations: (1) = inner area with large spines and long setae; (2) = area with cuticular patterns; (3) = outer area with row(s) of marginal bristles and tergite margin.

Figure 3.Sphaeromimus titanus sp. n., C female paratype, A, B holotype A left posterior telopod, anterior view B left posterior telopod, posterior view C female subanal plate with washboard. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 5.SEM, Endoterga of mid-body tergite. A Sphaeromimus titanus sp. n., holotype B Sphaeromimus vatovavy sp. n., holotype. Abbreviations: (1) = inner area with large spines and long setae; (2) = area with cuticular patterns; (3) = outer area with row(s) of marginal bristles and tergite margin.

Figure 11.Sphaeromimus lavasoa sp. n., A–E male holotype ♀, G female paratype. A left leg 9 B anterior telopod, anterior view C left anterior telopod, posterior view D left posterior telopod, anterior view E chela of left posterior telopod, posterior view ♀ coxa and prefemur 2 with vulvae G female subanal plate with washboard. Abbreviations: Cx = coxa; EP = external, lateral plate of vulva; IP = inner, mesal plate of vulva; O = operculum; Pre = prefemur; St = stigmatic plate. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 16.SEM, Endoterga of mid-body tergite. A Sphaeromimus ivohibe sp. n., paratype B Sphaeromimus saintelucei sp. n., holotype from Isaka-Ivondro C Sphaeromimus andrahomana sp. n., holotype D Sphaeromimus andrahomana cave specimen. Abbreviations: (1) = inner area with large spines and long setae; (2) = area with cuticular patterns; (3) = outer area with row(s) of marginal bristles and tergite margin.

Figure 17.Sphaeromimus saintelucei sp. n., holotype. A left leg 9 B right anterior telopod, anterior view C left anterior telopod, posterior view D right anterior telopod, lateral view E left posterior telopod, anterior view ♀ left posterior telopod, posterior view. Abbreviations: syn = syncoxite. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 15.Sphaeromimus ivohibe sp. n., holotype. A coxae and prefemora 1 with stigmatic plates B left leg 9 C coxae and prefemora 2 with gonopore and stigmatic plate D right anterior telopod, anterior view E right anterior telopod, posterior view ♀ right anterior telopod, lateral view G left posterior telopod, anterior view H left posterior telopod, posterior view. Abbreviations: Cx = coxa; Pre = prefemur; St = stigmatic plate. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 1.Photographs of living Sphaeromimus. A Sphaeromimus musicus (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1897) from Tsimelahy, upper left to lower left: red colour morph, black colour morph, normal colour morph, the similar looking sympatric Zoosphaerium blandum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1902) B Sphaeromimus lavasoa sp. n. C Sphaeromimus andrahomana sp. n. cave specimen. Not to scale.

Figure 16.SEM, Endoterga of mid-body tergite. A Sphaeromimus ivohibe sp. n., paratype B Sphaeromimus saintelucei sp. n., holotype from Isaka-Ivondro C Sphaeromimus andrahomana sp. n., holotype D Sphaeromimus andrahomana cave specimen. Abbreviations: (1) = inner area with large spines and long setae; (2) = area with cuticular patterns; (3) = outer area with row(s) of marginal bristles and tergite margin.

Figure 18.Sphaeromimus andrahomana sp. n.. A left leg 9, holotype B left leg 9, cave specimen C anterior telopod, anterior view D right anterior telopod, posterior view E left posterior telopod, anterior view ♀ left posterior telopod, posterior view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 1.Photographs of living Sphaeromimus. A Sphaeromimus musicus (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1897) from Tsimelahy, upper left to lower left: red colour morph, black colour morph, normal colour morph, the similar looking sympatric Zoosphaerium blandum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1902) B Sphaeromimus lavasoa sp. n. C Sphaeromimus andrahomana sp. n. cave specimen. Not to scale.

Figure 20.Maximum likelihood tree obtained from the COI dataset after 1000 bootstrap replicates under the GTR+I+G model. Habitus photograph shows Sphaeromimus andohahela from Manantantely. Colours used to separate species. Green colours = mid-elevation rainforest; Blue & Red colours, littoral and lowland rainforests; Yellow colours = southern spiny forest. See table 1 for more details about sequenced specimens.

Figure 2.Sphaeromimus titanus sp. n., A, I female paratype B–H holotype A habitus B first right stigmatic plate and coxa 1 C: left leg 9 D left coxa 2 with gonopore and stigmatic plate 2 E left anterior telopod, anterior view ♀ left anterior telopod, mesal view G left anterior telopod, posterior view H left anterior telopod, lateral view I coxae and prefemora 2 with vulvae. Abbreviations: Cx = coxa; O = operculum; Pre = prefemur; St = stigmatic plate. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 3.Sphaeromimus titanus sp. n., C female paratype, A, B holotype A left posterior telopod, anterior view B left posterior telopod, posterior view C female subanal plate with washboard. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 4.Sphaeromimus titanus sp. n., holotype, SEM, left antenna. A lateral view B detail of disc with apical cones.

Figure 5.SEM, Endoterga of mid-body tergite. A Sphaeromimus titanus sp. n., holotype B Sphaeromimus vatovavy sp. n., holotype. Abbreviations: (1) = inner area with large spines and long setae; (2) = area with cuticular patterns; (3) = outer area with row(s) of marginal bristles and tergite margin.