Sphaerotherium giganteum Porat, 1872
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.7666078 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7666616 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1A76E76B-4063-FC1B-02DA-FBD670C6D1B1 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Sphaerotherium giganteum Porat, 1872 |
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Sphaerotherium giganteum Porat, 1872 View in CoL
( Figs 28a–g View Figs 28 , 37 View Figs 34–42 )
Material examined:
Type material ::^ lectotype (designated herewith), ^ paralectotype, South Africa, Caffraria, 1845, J. A. Wahlberg ; SMNH.
Other material: numerous Ò and ^ from MRAC, SAMC and TMSA, various dates and collectors.
Description:
Total length ranging from 10–55, width from 7–20, average length 30.
Colour: Head, antennae and collum orange brown.Thoracic shield, tergites and pygidium yellow brown, bordered with dark brown along posterior margin. Underside and legs dark orange brown.
Head with a few piliferous punctures growing denser towards clypeus and apical part of head; gnathochilarium densely pilose. Both sides of labrum broadly rounded laterad, middle scarcely emarginate, with a single median tooth. Ocelli obvious, almost black. Antennae short, antennomere 8 with 7–17 apical sensory cones.
Collum smooth, pilosity growing longer along anterior margin.
Thoracic shield with brim relatively narrow, accompanied by a row of longer setae along its margin, surface covered with fine piliferous punctation. Underside covered with long setae.
Tergites without median keel, surface like that of thoracic shield. Endotergum with one row of marginal hairs surpassing margin, marginal ridge with one row of well-developed callosities, no cuticular pattern, intersegmental membrane covered with long setae and different dark cones ( Figs 28c View Figs 28 , 37 View Figs 34–42 ).
Legs with a well developed lateral lobe on coxa ( Fig. 28f View Figs 28 ).
Male sexual characters:
Second pair of legs with coxal lobe.
Pygidium of largest specimens with a small spot of very short setae in posterior, premarginal part.
Anterior telopods with an undivided tarsus, distal outer surface beset with series of sclerotised ridges, apical anterior side bearing several small tactile spines ( Fig. 28g View Figs 28 ). Posterior telopod with large femur. Lateral side of median tibial process with one fingerlike protuberance.Tarsus 1-segmented, a row of striated knobs on anterior side, concavity with a broad triangular lobe with several spines and a small apical protuberance with several spines ( Fig. 28d View Figs 28 ).
Female sexual characters:
Second pair of legs with a coxal lobe. Cyphopod large, with a more or less triangular operculum. Vulvae setose ( Fig. 28e View Figs 28 ).
Comments : This species is widespread in South Africa, and is also the largest member of the genus. The best preserved syntype has been selected as lectotype, the remaining female as paralectotype.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.