Monoscutidae

The Monoscutidae are a family of harvestmen with 32 known species that all occur in or near Australia and New Zealand.

Monoscutidae
Pantopsalis listeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Arachnida
Order:
Opiliones
Suborder:
Eupnoi
Superfamily:
Phalangioidea
Family:
Monoscutidae

Forster, 1948
Genera
see text
Diversity
5 genera, 32 species

Species range in body length from two to three millimeters (Monoscutinae) and three to ten mm (Megalopsalidinae). The chelicerae are enormously enlarged in males of the subfamily Megalopsalidinae. Most species are coloured in shades of browns to black. Megalopsalis inconstans is jet black with bright orange patches on the carapace; Acihasta salebrosa is tan and brown with many white and gold specks over the dorsum.[1]

The Monoscutidae are closely related to the Neopilionidae, which also occur in the Southern hemisphere.[1]

Species
  • Megalopsalidinae Forster, 1949
  • Megalopsalis Roewer, 1923
  • Megalopsalis serritarsus (Sørensen, 1886) (New South Wales; type species)
  • Megalopsalis chiltoni (Hogg, 1910) (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis chiltoni (Hogg, 1910)
  • Megalopsalis nigra Forster, 1944 (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis distincta (Forster, 1964) (New Zealand - Auckland Island)
  • Megalopsalis fabulosa (Phillips & Grimmett, 1932) (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis grayi (Hogg, 1920) (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis grimmetti Forster, 1944 (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis hoggi (Pocock, 1902) (Victoria)
  • Megalopsalis inconstans Forster, 1944 (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis marplesi Forster, 1944 (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis triascuta Forster, 1944 (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis tumida Forster, 1944 (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis turneri Marples, 1944 (New Zealand)
  • Megalopsalis wattsi (Hogg, 1920) (New Zealand)
  • Pantopsalis listeri (White, 1849) (New Zealand; type species)
  • Pantopsalis albipalpis Pocock, 1903 (New Zealand)
Synonyms: Pantopsalis nigripalpis Pocock, 1902
    Pantopsalis nigripalpis spiculosa Pocock, 1902
    Pantopsalis jenningsi Pocock, 1903
  • Pantopsalis cheliferoides (Colenso, 1882) (New Zealand)
  • Pantopsalis coronata Pocock, 1903 (New Zealand)
Synonym: Pantopsalis trippi Pocock, 1903
  • Pantopsalis johnsi Forster, 1964 (New Zealand - Auckland Island)
Synonym: Pantopsalis mila Forster, 1964
  • Pantopsalis luna (Forster, 1944) (New Zealand)
  • Pantopsalis phocator Taylor, 2004 (New Zealand)
  • Pantopsalis pococki Hogg, 1920 (New Zealand)
  • Pantopsalis rennelli Forster, 1964 (New Zealand - Campbell Island)
  • Pantopsalis snaresensis Forster, 1964 (New Zealand - Snares Island
  • Spinicrus Forster, 1949
  • Spinicrus tasmanicum (Hogg, 1910) (Tasmania; type species)
  • Spinicrus camelus Forster, 1949 (New South Wales)
  • Spinicrus continentalis (Roewer, 1923) (Queensland)
  • Spinicrus minimum Kauri, 1954 (Western Australia)
  • Spinicrus nigricans Hickman, 1957 (Tasmania)
  • Spinicrus porongorupense Kauri, 1954 (Western Australia)
  • Spinicrus stewarti Forster, 1949 (Victoria)
  • Spinicrus thrypticum Hickman, 1957 (Tasmania)
  • Monoscutinae Forster, 1948
  • Acihasta Forster, 1948
  • Acihasta salebrosa Forster, 1948 (New Zealand - Three Kings Islands)
  • Monoscutum Forster, 1948
  • Monoscutum titirangiensis Forster, 1948 (New Zealand)
  • Templar Taylor, 2008
  • Templar incongruens Taylor, 2008 (New Zealand)

Footnotes
  1. Cokendolpher, James C. & Taylor, Christopher K. (2007): Monoscutidae Forster, 1948. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 119ff

References
  • Forster, R. R. 1964. The Araneae and Opiliones of the sub-Antarctic islands of New Zealand. Pacific Insects Monograph 7: 58-115.
  • Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog: Monoscutidae
  • Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9
  • Taylor, C. K. 2004. New Zealand harvestmen of the subfamily Megalopsalidinae (Opiliones: Monoscutidae) - the genus Pantopsalis. Tuhinga 15: 53-76.
  • Taylor, C. K. 2008. A new species of Monoscutinae (Arachnida, Opiliones, Monoscutidae) from New Zealand, with a redescription of Monoscutum titirangiense. Journal of Arachnology 36: 176-179.
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