A new jewel-like species of the pill-millipede genus Sphaerobelum Verhoeff, 1924 (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Zephroniidae) from Thailand

By

Srisonchai, Ruttapon
Likhitrakarn, Natdanai
Čhirasak Sutčharit
Backeljau, Thierry
Pimvichai, Piyatida

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1181

Pages

41--57

Subjects

Biodiversity , limestone karst , Soil fauna , Southeast Asia , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1181.109076

 

Abstract

A new species of the giant pill millipede genus Sphaerobelum is described: Sphaerobelum turcosasp. nov. from the northeastern part of Thailand. Species delimitation is based on morphological characters and COI sequence data. The new species can be clearly discriminated from congeners by its greenish-blue body color, the face mask-like appearance of the thoracic and anal shields jointly when rolled up, and the combination of the following four characters: (1) the coxa of the second leg laterally with a sharp and long process, (2) the tarsi of legs 4–21 with 6–7 ventral spines, (3) the anterior telopods consisting of four conspicuous telopoditomeres, and (4) the immovable, slender (not strongly humped) and distally curved finger of the posterior telopods without a membranous spot. The interspecific COI sequence divergence between the new species and other Sphaerobelum species ranges from 17% to 23% (mean 20%). The intergeneric COI sequence divergence between the new species and Zephronia species ranges from 18% to 21% (mean 20%). The relationships among Sphaerobelum and Zephronia species based on the COI sequence data were not resolved in this study. Sphaerobelum turcosasp. nov. is restricted to limestone habitat in Loei province and is probably endemic for the Thai fauna.