Phalangodidae
Encyclopedia
The Phalangodidae are a family of harvestmen 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
.
(), a line of soldiers in formation. This probably refers to the rows of pedipalp
al spines.
(cave-dwelling) species are depigmented.
, 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 region
.
is currently unresolved, at seems that the family is relatively basal
inside the Grassatores.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
and more than 100 described species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, distributed in the Holarctic Region.
It is not to be confused with the harvestman family Phalangiidae
Phalangiidae
The Phalangiidae are a family of harvestmen with about 380 known species. The best known is Phalangium opilio. Dicranopalpus ramosus is an invasive species in Europe....
, which is in the suborder Eupnoi
Eupnoi
The Eupnoi are a suborder of harvestmen, with more than 200 genera, and about 1,700 described species.They consist of two superfamilies, the Phalangioidea with many long-legged species common to northern temperate regions, and the small group Caddoidea, which have prominent eyes and spiny...
.
Name
The name of the type genus Phalangodes is derived from Ancient GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
(), a line of soldiers in formation. This probably refers to the rows of pedipalp
Pedipalp
Pedipalps , are the second pair of appendages of the prosoma in the subphylum Chelicerata. They are traditionally thought to be homologous with mandibles in Crustacea and insects, although more recent studies Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi), are the second pair of appendages of the...
al spines.
Description
Body length ranges from less than 1 mm to about 3 mm (0.118110236220472 in). The pedipalps are armed with large spines. While some species have legs eight times the body length, others have shorter legs of about twice the body length. Most species are yellowish to orange brown. TroglobiticTroglobite
Troglobites are small cave-dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings. Troglobite species include spiders, insects, fish and others. They live permanently underground and cannot survive outside the cave environment. Troglobite adaptations and characteristics include a heightened...
(cave-dwelling) species are depigmented.
Distribution
More than two thirds of the species occur in the western NearcticNearctic
The Nearctic is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones dividing the Earth's land surface.The Nearctic ecozone covers most of North America, including Greenland and the highlands of Mexico...
, especially in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with about 50 species in four endemic genera. About ten species are known from the eastern Nearctic. Few occur in the Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
, with one species each in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and about 20 species in the Mediterranean region
Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...
.
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 GrassatoresGrassatores
Grassatores is the most diverse infraorder of the Laniatores. It includes over 3,500 species distributed mainly in the World Tropics...
is currently unresolved, at seems that the family is relatively basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
inside the Grassatores.
Genera
The family Phalangodidae contains the following genera:- Ausobskya Martens, 1972 — GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(4 species) - BanksulaBanksulaBanksula is a genus of harvestman in family Phalangodidae. Currently, ten species are described, all of them endemic to California, USA.The genus is named in honor of Nathan Banks, who described the type species.-Species:...
Roewer, 1949 — CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(10 species) - BishopellaBishopellaBishopella is a genus of the harvestman family Phalangodidae, with two described species. B. jonesi occurs only in Alabama, while B. laciniosa is found in the southeastern United States....
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 — MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(3 species; probably misplaced) - Haasus Roewer, 1949
- Lola Kratochvíl, 1937 — Israel (1 species)
- Maiorerus Rambla, 1993 — Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
(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 — JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(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)
- TolusTolusTolus is a genus of harvestman in family Phalangodidae with the sole described species Tolus appalachius. It is only found in Tennessee.-References:'s Biology Catalog:...
Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 — TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
(1 species) - Undulus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 — AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
(1 species) - Wespus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 — ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
(1 species)