Giant Pill-Millipedes of Nepal

Description

The Asian giant pill-millipedes (Family Zephroniidae) reach their western-most distribution in Nepal. There is only a single historic giant pill-millipede record from Nepal itself, the occurence of the group in Nepal is therefore still unresearched. In this project we will research the collections of the famous Himalaya researcher Prof. Martens, who collected in Nepal in the 1980ties. Our research will show whether the Nepalese giant pill-millipedes are widespread species also occuring in India or Sikkim, or whether they are local endemics. For this, the Nepalese specimens will be compared with species described from nearby India and Sikkim. Because most species are only known from their type material, collected 120-150 years ago, a careful redescription of these types from the Natural History Museums in London, Berlin and Vienna is a prerequisite and important part of this study.

Location