Podoctidae

Podoctidae
undescribed Lomanius from the Philippines
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Opiliones
Suborder: Laniatores
Infraorder: Grassatores
Superfamily: Samooidea
Family: Podoctidae
Roewer, 1912
Genera

See text for list.

Diversity
c. 60 genera, c. 130 species

Podoctidae is a family of the harvestman infraorder Grassatores with about 130 described species.[1]

Contents

Description

Body length ranges from 2.5 to 5 millimeters, with leg length ranging from three to almost thirty mm. While most species are brown to yellow, some are deep green. The legs may be ringed in black and yellow. The penis is uniquely built.[1]

Distribution

Most species occur in Southeast Asia, especially in New Guinea. Others are found in Melanesia, Micronesia, Japan, India and Sri Lanka, Madagascar, the Seychelles and Mauritius, and central Africa. Ibantila cubana was introduced in a botanical garden in Cuba. Although one Podoctidae was described from Brazil in 1938, it was later transferred to Triaenonychidae.[1]

Relationships

Although Podoctidae are currently included in Samooidea, and are surely Grassatores, there is no obvious relationship with any family.[1]

Name

The name of the type genus is derived from Ancient Greek podos "foot" and oktis "spine", referring to the ventral row of long spines in femur I.[1]

Genera

Erecananinae

Ibaloniinae

Podoctinae

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e Kury, Adriano B. (2007): Podoctidae Roewer, 1912. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 221ff

References