Phalangodidae
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 Bishopella laciniosa
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Paralolidae Kratochvíl, 1958 |
The Phalangodidae are a family of harvestman with about 20 genera and more than 100 described species, distributed in the Holarctic Region.
It is not to be confused with the harvestman family Phalangiidae, which is in the suborder Eupnoi.
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[edit] Name
The name of the type genus Phalangodes is derived from Ancient Greek phalanx, a line of soldiers in formation. This probably refers to the rows of pedipalpal spines.[1]
[edit] Description
Body length ranges from less than one to about three millimeter. The pedipalps are armed with large spines. While some species have short legs (about twice the body length), others have legs eight times the body length. Most species are yellowish to orange brown. Cave-dwelling species are depigmented.[1]
[edit] Distribution
More than two thirds of the species occur in the western Nearctic, especially in California with about 50 species in four endemic genera. About ten species are known from the eastern Nearctic. Few occur in the Palearctic, with one species each in the Canary Islands and Japan, and about 20 species in the Mediterranean.[1]
[edit] Relationships
The family seems to be largely monophyletic, with the exceptions of a few genera like Guerrobunus and Glennhuntia. Although the relationship of Phalangodidae to other Grassatores is curretly unresolved, at seems that the family is relatively basal inside the Grassatores.[1]
[edit] Genera
For a list of all currently described species, see the List of Phalangodidae species.
- Ausobskya Martens, 1972 — Greece (4 species)
- Banksula Roewer, 1949 — California (10 species)
- Bishopella Roewer, 1927 — southeastern US (2 species)
- Calicina Ubick & Briggs, 1989 — California (25 species)
- Crosbyella Roewer, 1927 — southeastern US (5 species)
- Glennhuntia Shear, 2001 — western Australia (1 species) (probably misplaced)
- Guerrobunus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1945 — Mexico (3 species) (probably misplaced)
- Haasus Roewer, 1949 — ( species)
- Lola Kratochvíl, 1937 — Israel (1 species)
- Maiorerus Rambla, 1993 — Canary Islands (1 species)
- Microcina Briggs & Ubick, 1989 — California (6 species)
- Paralola Kratochvíl, Balat & Pelikan, 1958 — Bulgaria (1 species)
- Phalangodes Tellkampf, 1844 — Kentucky, Cuba? (2 species) (1 species possibly misplaced)
- Phalangomma Roewer, 1949 — Virginia (1 species) (probably misplaced)
- Proscotolemon Roewer, 1916 — Japan (1 species)
- Ptychosoma Sørensen, 1873 — Spain, Italy, North Africa (2 species)
- Scotolemon Lucas, 1860 — Mediterranean (13 species)
- Sitalcina Banks, 1911 — California (9 species)
- Texella Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 — Texas, California, Oregon, New Mexico (28 species)
- Tolus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 — Tennessee (1 species)
- Undulus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 — Alabama (1 species)
- Wespus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 — Arkansas (1 species)
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog: Phalangodidae
- Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9
