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of Opiliones
Info
Definition: Harvestmen are members of the class Arachnida, order Opiliones.
Relationships: Opiliones are more closely related to scorpions than to spiders (following Shultz, 1990, but there are different interpretations in that Scorpiones do not even make part of the Arachnida).
Diversity: This group constitutes the fourth largest order of the arachnids (following Araneae, Acari, Pseudoscorpiones), with almost 6500 described species.
Distribution: They are one of the more widely distributed groups of organisms; occurring in most terrestrial habitats and on all continents except Antarctica proper. They are much vulnerable to human destructive action on our planet and many species are endangered by the quick deforestation of Earth.
Who are they?
Laniatores: these are the stout, spiny harvestmen found in the Tropics, which may reach very large size.
Dyspnoi: these are Temperate Old World species, dull-colored and short-legged. Some species may have bizarre ocular ornamentation.
Eupnoi: these are the daddy-longlegs, familiar to Europeans and Americans. They have coriaceous tegument, delicate pedipalps, legs often very thin and long. There is a a myriad of tropical species (Gagrellinae), which may have mettalic shines, intricate honeycomb patterns of granulation, and striped/dotted multicolored hues of blue, red, green, yellow.
Cyphs: these are the minute acari-like Opiliones
which were undersampled until the last decades, when intensive studies made them much better known.
Acknowledgements: warm thanks are due to all colleagues who contributed with pictures and assorted info. Gonzalo Giribet provided supplements, corrections and updates to the iconography.
You may cite this page as:
Kury, A.B. (2000 onwards) Classification of Opiliones. Museu Nacional/UFRJ website. Online at: http://www.museunacional.ufrj.br/mndi/Aracnologia/opiliones.html
Worldwide count of extant Opiliones species in April 2017 is...
Suborder | Superfamily/Infraorder | Number of species |
Cyphophthalmi - 208 | Incertae sedis | 3 |
Sternophthalmi | 43 |
|
Scopulophthalmi | 73 |
|
Boreophthalmi | 89 |
|
Eupnoi - 1810 | Caddoidea | 2 |
Eupnoi incertae sedis | 15 |
|
Phalangioidea | 1793 |
|
Dyspnoi - 387 | Acropsopilionoidea | 20 |
Ischyropsalidoidea | 105 |
|
Troguloidea | 262 |
|
Laniatores - 4248 | Travunioidea | 78 |
Triaenonychoidea | 493 |
|
Grassatores incertae sedis | 73 |
|
Assamioidea | 535 |
|
Epedanoidea | 411 |
|
Gonyleptoidea | 2039 |
|
Phalangodoidea | 132 |
|
Samooidea | 215 |
|
Zalmoxoidea | 272 |
|
OPILIONES TOTAL | -- | 6653 |
Bibliography
A bibliography of Opiliones systematics is the OmniPaper project developed by the Arachno-Lab of the National Museum, Rio. Besides the list of publications and short biographies of the systematists, it has some pdfs of papers.
Systematics
Below a synoptic classification of the order Opiliones is given down to family-group level.
Order Opiliones Sundevall 1833
SUBORDER Cyphophthalmi Simon 1879
Scopulophthalmi Giribet et al., 2012 | Pettalidae Shear 1980 (Australasian, Afrotropical, Indomalayan, Neotropical – 61 species) |
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Pettalus thwaitesi Sharma et al. 2009 - Sri Lanka - from Sarah L. Boyer website Copyright © Gonzalo Giribet |
Sternophthalmi Giribet et al., 2012 | Troglosironidae Shear 1993 (Australasian – 13 species) |
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Troglosiro longifossa Sharma & Giribet, 2005 - New Caledonia - from Cyphophthalmi checklist Copyright © Gonzalo Giribet |
Neogoveidae Shear 1980 (Neotropical, Afrotropical, Nearctic – 22 species) |
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Metasiro americanus (Davis, 1933) - USA - from Cyphophthalmi checklist
Copyright © Gonzalo Giribet |
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Ogoveidae Shear 1980 (Afrotropical – 3 species) |
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Ogovea cameroonensis Giribet & Prieto, 2003 - Cameroon - original.
Copyright © Gonzalo Giribet |
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Boreophthalmi Giribet et al., 2012 | Sironidae Simon 1879 (Palearctic, Nearctic – 52 species) |
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Siro boyerae Giribet & Shear, 2010 - USA (thanks to Giribet for ID) - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
Stylocellidae Hansen & Sørensen 1904 (Indomalayan – 36 species) |
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Leptopsalis sp. (thanks to Giribet for tentative ID)- Singapore - from flickr Copyright © [wj] |
SUBORDER Eupnoi Hansen & Sørensen 1904
Caddoidea Banks 1893 | Caddidae Banks 1893 | Caddinae Banks 1893 (Afrotropical, Nearctic, Neotropical – 11 species) |
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Caddo agilis Banks, 1892 - Canada - from Bug Guide Copyright © 2011 Stephen Luk |
Phalangioidea Latreille 1802 | †Kustarachnidae Petrunkevitch, 1949 (Nearctic – 1 fossil species) |
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† Kustarachne tenuipes Scudder, 1890 - Upper Carboniferous, USA - from Dunlop, 2007 Copyright © Harvard University Press. |
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Neopilionidae Lawrence 1931 | Ballarrinae Hunt & Cokendolpher 1991 (Australasian, Neotropical, Afrotropical – 10 species) |
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Ballarra drosera Hunt & Cokendolpher, 1991 - Australia - from Hunt & Cokendolpher, 1991 Copyright © The Australian Museum, Sidney |
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Enantiobuninae Mello-Leitão 1931 (Australasian, Neotropical – 52 species) |
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Forsteropsalis nigra (Forster, 1944) - (thanks to Giribet for the ID) - New Zealand - from flickr Copyright © New Zealand Wild [Steve Reekie] |
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Neopilioninae Lawrence 1931 (Afrotropical – 2 species) |
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Metopilio Group (Nearctic, Neotropical – 32 species) |
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Eurybunus sp. - USA - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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Phalangiidae Latreille 1802 | "Dicranopalpus group" (Palearctic, Neotropical – 12 species) |
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Dicranopalpus ramosus (Simon, 1909) - UK - from flickr Copyright © Boom-Stick [James Clay] |
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Oligolophinae Banks 1893 (Palearctic, Nearctic, Indomalayan – 51 species) |
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Mitopus glacialis (Heer, 1845) - Austria - from Arages Copyright © Barbara Knoflach |
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Opilioninae Koch 1839 (Palearctic, Nearctic, Indomalayan – 86 species) |
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Egaenus convexus (C.L.Koch in Herrich-Schäffer, 1835) - Czech Republic - from BioLib Copyright © Ondřej Machač |
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Phalangiinae Latreille 1802 (Palearctic, Afrotropical, Nearctic – 189 species) |
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Rilaena triangularis (Herbst 1799) - UK - from flickr Copyright © shane58 |
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Platybuninae Starega 1976 (Palearctic – 44 species) |
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Megabunus diadema (Fabricius 1779) - UK - from flickr Copyright © shane58 |
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Protolophidae Banks, 1893 (Nearctic – 8 species) |
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Protolophus singularis Banks, 1893 - USA - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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Sclerosomatidae Simon 1879 | Gagrellinae Thorell 1889 (Indomalayan, Neotropical, Nearctic – 1049 species) |
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Gen. sp. - Philippines - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Gyinae Šilhavý, 1946 (Palearctic – 12 species) |
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Gyas titanus Simon, 1879 - Spain - from flickr Copyright © Óskar87jk Óscar Méndez |
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Leiobuninae Banks 1893 (Palearctic, Nearctic, Indomalayan, Neotropical – 202 species) |
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Leiobunum rotundum (Latreille 1798) - UK - from flickr Copyright © Boom-Stick [James Clay] |
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Sclerosomatinae Simon 1879 (Palearctic – 34 species) |
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Homalenotus quadridentatus (Cuvier 1795) - UK - from Spider and Harvestman Recording Scheme website Copyright © J.P.Richards |
SUBORDER Dyspnoi Hansen & Sørensen 1904
Acropsopilionoidea Roewer 1923 | Acropsopilionidae Roewer 1923 (Australasian, Neotropical, Nearctic – 13 species) |
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Acropsopilio neozealandiae (Forster, 1948) - New Zealand - from WikiSpecies Copyright © S.E. Thorpe |
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Ischyropsalidoidea Simon 1879 | Ceratolasmatidae Shear 1986 (Nearctic – 5 species) |
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Ceratolasma tricantha Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 - cropped - USA - from flickr Copyright © stevelewalready [Steve Lew] |
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Ischyropsalididae Simon 1879 (Palearctic – 37 species) |
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Ischyropsalis hellwigii hellwigii (Panzer, 1794) cropped - Germany - from fotocommunity Copyright © Ulla N. |
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Sabaconidae Dresco 1970 (Palearctic, Nearctic – 53 species) |
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Sabacon cavicolens (Packard, 1884) - USA - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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Troguloidea Sundevall 1833 | Dicranolasmatidae Simon 1879 (Palearctic – 18 species) |
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Dicranolasma scabrum (Herbst 1799) - Serbia - from Nature Photography by Dragiša Savić Copyright © Dragiša Savić. |
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Nemastomatidae Simon 1872 | Nemastomatinae Simon 1872 (Palearctic – 188 species) |
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Nemastoma bimaculatum (Fabricius, 1775) cropped - UK - from flickr Copyright © Jonathan (chirpy) [Jonathan Michaelson] |
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Ortholasmatinae Shear & Gruber 1983 (Nearctic, Indomalayan – 19 species) |
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Ortholasma colossus Shear, 2010 - USA - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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†Nemastomoididae Petrunkevitch 1955 (Nearctic, Palearctic, 2 fossil species) |
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† Nemastomoides longipes (Petrunkevitch, 1913) - Upper Carboniferous, USA - from Dunlop, 2007 Copyright © Harvard University Press. |
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Nipponopsalididae Martens 1976 (Palearctic – 4 species) |
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Nipponopsalis sp. -Japan - from defunct link Copyright © unknown |
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Trogulidae Sundevall 1833 (Palearctic – 51 species) |
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Trogulus nepaeformis (Scopoli 1763) - Czech Republic - from BioLib Copyright © Ivo Antušek |
SUBORDER Laniatores Thorell, 1876
Travunioidea Absolon & Kratochvil 1932 | Nippononychidae Suzuki, 1975 | |||
Paranonychidae Briggs, 1971 | Paranonychinae Briggs, 1971 | Metanonychus setulus, adult, USA, OR, Curry Co, Brookings. From Harvestmen of North America. Photo copyright © Axel Schönhofer. | ||
Sclerobuninae Dumitrescu, 1976 |
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Sclerobunus robustus idahoensis Briggs, 1971 - USA - from flickr - cropped Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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Travuniidae Absolon & Kratochvil, 1932 | Briggsinae Özdikmen & Demir 2008 (Nearctic – 6 species) |
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Briggsus sp. - USA - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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Cladonychiinae Hadzi, 1935 (Palearctic, Nearctic – 18 species) |
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Cryptomaster leviathan Briggs, 1969 - USA - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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Travuniinae Absolon & Kratochvil, 1932 | ||||
Triaenonychoidea Sørensen, 1886 | Triaenonychidae Sørensen, 1886 | Adaeinae Pocock, 1902 | Copyright © | |
Soerensenellinae Forster, 1954 | ![]() |
Soerensenella sp. - New Zealand - original. Copyright © Gonzalo Giribet. |
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Synthetonychiinae Forster, 1954 | ![]() |
Synthetonychia sp. - New Zealand - original. Copyright © Gonzalo Giribet. |
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Triaenobuninae Pocock, 1902 | ||||
Triaenonychinae Sørensen, 1886 (Australasian, Afrotropical, Neotropical – 341 species) |
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Algidia sp. - New Zealand - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Triaenonychidae incertae sedis | ||||
Assamioidea Sørensen, 1884 | Assamiidae Sørensen, 1884 (Afrotropical, Indomalayan, Australasian – 484 species) |
many ill-defined subfamilies | ![]() |
Gen. sp. - Malaysia - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
Pyramidopidae Sharma et al., 2011 (Afrotropical, Australasian – 46 species)
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Pyramidops sp. - Cameroon - original - cropped Copyright © Gonzalo Giribet |
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Epedanoidea Sørensen, 1886 | Epedanidae Sørensen, 1886 (Indomalayan, Australasian – 174 species) |
a few ill-defined subfamilies | ![]() |
Gen. sp. - Malaysia - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
Petrobunidae Sharma & Giribet, 2011 (Indomalayan, Australasian – 5 species) |
Petrobunus sp. - Philippines - original - cropped Copyright © Peter Jäger |
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Podoctidae Roewer, 1912 | Ibaloniinae Roewer, 1912 (Australasian, Indomalayan, Afrotropical, Neotropical – 66 species) |
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Ibalonius sp. - Philippines - from flickr Copyright © Paul Bertner |
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Podoctinae Roewer, 1912 (Indomalayan, Afrotropical, Australasian – 62 species) |
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Hoplodino sp. - Singapore - from flickr Copyright © Steven Yoon |
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Sandokanidae Özdikmen & Kury, 2007 (Indomalayan – 72 species) |
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Sandokan sp. - Malaysia - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Tithaeidae Sharma & Giribet, 2011 (Indomalayan – 38 species) |
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Tithaeus sp. - Singapore - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Gonyleptoidea Sundevall, 1833 | Agoristenidae Šilhavý, 1973 (Neotropical – 76 species) |
Gen. sp. - Puerto Rico - from Father Sanchez's Web Site of West Indian Natural History Copyright © unknown |
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Cosmetidae Koch, 1839 | Cosmetinae Koch, 1839 (Neotropical, Nearctic – 684 species) |
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Flirtea sp. - Ecuador - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Discosomaticinae Roewer, 1923 (Neotropical – 34 species) | ![]() |
Sibambea sp. - Ecuador - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Cranaidae Roewer, 1913 (Neotropical – 165 species) |
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Phareicranaus gracilis (Pinto-da-Rocha & Kury, 2003) - Ecuador - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Gonyleptidae Sundevall, 1833 | Ampycinae Kury, 2003 (Neotropical – 22 species) |
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Ampycus telifer (Butler, 1873) - Colombia - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Bourguyiinae Mello-Leitão, 1923 (Neotropical – 10 species) |
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Bourguyia bocaina Yamaguti & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2009 - Brazil - from Yamaguti & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2009 Copyright © John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
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Caelopyginae Sørensen, 1884 (Neotropical – 31 species) |
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Metarthrodes longipes (B. Soares, 1945) - Brazil - from Laboratory of arthropod behavior and evolution - cropped Copyright © Glauco Machado |
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Cobaniinae Kury, 1994 (Neotropical – 2 species) |
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Cobania picea (Bertkau, 1880) - Brazil - from Laboratory of arthropod behavior and evolution - cropped Copyright © Glauco Machado |
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Goniosomatinae Mello-Leitão, 1935 (Neotropical – 38 species) |
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Goniosoma calcar (Roewer, 1913) - Brazil - from Laboratory of arthropod behavior and evolution Copyright © Glauco Machado |
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Gonyassamiinae Soares & Soares, 1988 (Neotropical – 3 species) |
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Trichominua roeweri (Soares & Soares, 1954) - Brazil - original. Copyright © A.B. Kury |
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Gonyleptinae Sundevall, 1833 (Neotropical – 142 species) |
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Neosadocus sp. - Brazil - from flickr Copyright © Techuser [João P. Burini] |
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Hernandariinae Sørensen, 1884 (Neotropical – 23 species) |
Copyright © | |||
Heteropachylinae Kury, 1994 (Neotropical – 12 species) |
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Magnispina neptunus Mendes, 2011 - Brazil - from Laboratory of arthropod behavior and evolution Copyright © Glauco Machado |
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Metasarcinae Kury, 1994 (Neotropical – 23 species) |
Copyright © | |||
Mitobatinae Simon, 1879 (Neotropical – 45 species) |
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Promitobates ornatus (Mello-Leitão, 1922) - Brazil - from flickr Copyright © Techuser [João P. Burini] |
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Pachylinae Sørensen, 1884 (Neotropical – 396 species) |
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Sadocus sp. - Chile - from flickr Copyright © BernardoSegura |
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Pachylospeleinae Šilhavý, 1974 (Neotropical – 1 species) |
Copyright © | |||
Progonyleptoidellinae Soares & Soares, 1985 (Neotropical – 17 species) |
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Progonyleptoidellus striatus (Roewer, 1913) - Brazil - from flickr Copyright © macrophoto [Jan von Bodegraven] |
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Sodreaninae Soares & Soares, 1985 (Neotropical – 5 species) |
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Sodreana sodreana Mello-Leitão, 1922 - Brazil - from Laboratory of arthropod behavior and evolution Copyright © Glauco Machado |
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Tricommatinae Roewer, 1912 (Neotropical – 53 species) |
Copyright © | |||
Manaosbiidae Roewer, 1943 (Neotropical – 47 species) |
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Zygopachylus albomarginis Chamberlin, 1925 - Panama - from flickr Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Stygnidae Simon, 1879 (Neotropical – 98 species) |
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Eutimesius simoni Roewer, 1913 - Ecuador - from flickr - cropped Copyright © Arthur Anker |
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Stygnopsidae Sørensen, 1932 (Neotropical – 37 species) |
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Paramitraceras sp. - Honduras - from flickr Copyright © asnyder5 [Andrew Snyder] |
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Phalangodoidea Simon, 1879 | Phalangodidae Simon, 1879 (Nearctic, Palearctic, Afrotropical?, Australasian? – 117 species) |
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Sitalcina sura Briggs, 1968 - USA - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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Samooidea Sørensen, 1886 | Biantidae Thorell, 1889 (Afrotropical, Indomalayan, Neotropical – 133 species) |
a few ill-defined subfamilies | ![]() |
Biantes sp. - Singapore - from flickr Copyright © [wj] |
Samoidae Sørensen, 1886 (Neotropical, Afrotropical, Australasian – 48 species) |
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Pellobunus insularis Banks, 1905 - Costa Rica - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
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Stygnommatidae Roewer, 1923 (Neotropical – 33 species) |
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Zygobunus sp. - Costa Rica - from flickr Copyright © Abel y Ana - Cosa Nostra - [Abel Pérez González] |
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Zalmoxoidea Sørensen, 1886 | Escadabiidae Kury & Pérez, 2003 | Copyright © | ||
Fissiphalliidae Martens, 1988 | Copyright © | |||
Guasiniidae Gonzalez-Sponga, 1997 | Copyright © | |||
Icaleptidae Kury & Pérez, 2002 | Copyright © | |||
Kimulidae Pérez, Kury & Alonso-Zarazaga, 2007 | Copyright © | |||
Zalmoxidae Sørensen, 1886 (Neotropical, Australasian, Indomalayan, Afrotropical – 209 species) |
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Panopiliops reimoseri (Roewer, 1949) - Costa Rica - from flickr Copyright © M Hedin [Marshal Hedin] |
Page conceived and arranged by AB Kury. Updated 2017.