// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Tectosphaera say? I'm plate-fully in love.
| Tectosphaera | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Myriapoda |
| Class: | Diplopoda |
| Order: | Glomerida |
| Family: | Glomeridae |
| Genus: | Tectosphaera Mauriès, 2005 |
| Species: | T. vicenteae |
| Binomial name | |
| Tectosphaera vicenteae Mauriès, 2005 | |
Tectosphaera is a genus of pill millipede found in Northwestern Iberia.[1] It currently contains only one known species, Tectosphaera vicenteae.[2]
Description
[edit]Tectosphaera millipedes are approximately 3–4 mm in length.[1] The thoracic shield has a lateral circular groove to accommodate the lateral tips of the tergites when the millipede is curled up in a defensive posture. The head possesses a Y-shaped crest and antennal grooves.
Like those of other Doderiinae millipedes, male Tectosphaera millipedes have telopods at the 19th pair of legs, the femur of which bears a long, internal distal process on its caudal surface.[3] The 17th pair of legs possesses non-rounded syncoxal lobes and 3-segmented telopodites.
The tergites of Tectosphaera millipedes are smooth, without tranverse ridges. They are densely and strongly punctuated. The penultimate 11th tergite extends into a posterior pseudo-telson. The corselet possesses hollow lateral lobes, similar to those of the Trachysphaera genus.
Etymology
[edit]The name Tectosphaera is derived from the Latin tecto, which means roof, referring to the shape of the penultimate tergite, and sphaera, meaning ball.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Enghoff, Henrik; Golovatch, S.; Short, Megan; Stoev, Pavel; Wesener, Thomas (4 October 2015). Diplopoda - taxonomic overview. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ↑ "MilliBase - Tectosphaera Mauriès, 2005". millibase.org. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- 1 2 Mauriès, J.-P. (2005). "Essai de classification des Glomerida (Diplopoda), et description de deux nouveaux genres du nourd-ouest de la péninsule ibérique" (PDF). Arthropoda Selecta. 14 (3): 241–249. Retrieved 11 June 2025.