Macrosternodesmidae, Brolemann, 1916

Shear, William A. & Reddell, James M., 2017, Cave millipedes of the United States. XIV. Revalidation of the genus Speorthus Chamberlin, 1952 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Macrosternodesmidae), with a description of a new species from Texas and remarks on the families Polydesmidae and Macrosternodesmidae in North America, Insecta Mundi 2017 (529), pp. 1-13 : 6

Genera of Macrosternodesmidae in North America North of Mexico

Nearctodesminae. Nearctodesmus Silvestri (3 species, British Columbia to northern California), Bistulodesmus Shelley (1 species, eastern Washington, northern Idaho), Ergodesmus Chamberlin (2 species, Washington to Montana, caves in southwestern Illinois), Kepolydesmus Chamberlin (1 species, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana), Leonardesmus Shelley and Shear (1 species, Washington; perhaps 3 undescribed species, northern California).

Macrosternodesminae. Ophiodesmus (Cook) (1 species, introduced from northern Europe to Newfoundland), Chaetaspis (4 species, eastern United States), Speorthus (2 species, caves in New Mexico and Texas), Speodesmus (7 species, caves in Texas and Colorado), Tidesmus (5 species, California, Arizona, Nevada, Baja California Norte), Sequoiadesmus Shear and Shelley (1 species, caves in Sierra Nevada, California), Pratherodesmus (3 species, California, Arizona), and Nevadesmus (1 species, Nevada).

At least one undescribed genus of Macrosternodesmidae and several undescribed species of Pratherodesmus and Nevadesmus occur in Utah, Arizona and southern California.

The systematic position of Harpogonopus confluentus Loomis , from the Coast Ranges of southern California and Baja California Norte, Mexico, is not entirely clear ( Shelley 1993). The gonopod has nearctodesmine affinities, but the metazonites have rows of setae.