Zosterogrammidae is an extinct

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

millipedes Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a resu ...

containing three genera, each with a single species. Fossils are known from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, and the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Zosterogrammidae constitutes the sole family of the order Zosterogrammida.

Description

Zosterogrammids have broad heads, 20 to 32 body segments, with a body tapering towards the head and rear. The dorsal plates of each segment are very broad and the rear portion of each is segment ornamented with lines. Size ranges from to in length. Superficially they are similar to the living

Polyzoniida __NOTOC__ Polyzoniida is an order of millipedes in the subterclass Colobognatha containing three families and at least 74 described species. Description Polyzoniidans have a somewhat domed dorsal surface with a flat ventral side. Their heads a ...

in body proportion.

Taxonomy and distribution

Zosterogrammidae is placed in its own order, Zosterogrammida. Zosterogrammida is considered ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' (uncertain placement) within the millipede subclass

Chilognatha Chilognatha is a subclass of the class Diplopoda, which includes the vast majority of extant millipedes, about 12,000 species. Taxonomy The classification of Chilognatha presented below is based on Shear, 2011, and Shear & Edgecombe, 2010 (exti ...

. :Family †Zosterogrammidae Wilson, 2005 :: ''Casiogrammus ichthyeros'' Wilson, 2005 -

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...

, Scotland; Wenlock (Silurian) :: ''Purkynia lata'' Fritsch, 1899 -

Nýřany Nýřany (; german: Nürschan) is a town in Plzeň-North District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,900 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Doubrava and Kamenný Újezd are administrative parts of Nýřany. Geo ...

, Czech Republic; Westphalian (Upper Carboniferous) :: ''Zosterogrammus stichostethus'' Wilson, 2005 -

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, USA; Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous)

References

Millipede families Silurian myriapods Devonian myriapods Carboniferous myriapods Wenlock first appearances Pennsylvanian extinctions {{carboniferous-animal-stub