''Phalangium'' is a genus of

harvestmen The Opiliones (formerly Phalangida) are an Order (biology), order of arachnids, Common name, colloquially known as harvestmen, harvesters, harvest spiders, or daddy longlegs (see below). , over 6,650 species of harvestmen have been discovered w ...

that occur mostly in the

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

. The best known species is ''

Phalangium opilio ''Phalangium opilio'' (also known as the common harvestman, brown harvestman and daddy longlegs) is a species of harvestman belonging to the family Phalangiidae. Taxonomy ''P. opilio'' is a member of the Eupnoi suborder of Opiliones. Distribut ...

'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman".

Species

The genus ''Phalangium'' contains the following species: * '' Phalangium aegyptiacum'' Savigny, 1816 (Egypt) * '' Phalangium bilineatum'' Fabricius, 1779 * '' Phalangium cancroides'' Müller, 1776 * '' Phalangium clavipus'' Roewer, 1911 (

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

) * '' Phalangium conigerum'' Sørensen, 1912 * '' Phalangium coronatum'' Fabricius, 1779 * '' Phalangium crassum'' Dufour, 1831 * '' Phalangium cristatum'' Olivier, 1791 * ''

Phalangium grossipes ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Müller, 1776 * '' Phalangium iberica'' Schenkel, 1939 (Spain) * '' Phalangium incanum'' C. L. Koch, 1839 * ''

Phalangium licenti ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Schenkel, 1953 * '' Phalangium ligusticum'' (Roewer, 1923) (

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

, Italy) * ''

Phalangium lineola ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Dufour, 1831 * ''

Phalangium litorale ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Störm, 1762 * ''

Phalangium lupatum ''Phalangium'' is a genus of Opiliones, harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phal ...

'' Eichwald, 1830 * ''

Phalangium mamillatum ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Gervais, 1844 (Spain) * ''

Phalangium mesomelas ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Soerensen, 1910 (

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) * ''

Phalangium minutum ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Meade, 1861 * ''

Phalangium mucronatum ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Müller, 1776 * ''

Phalangium muscorum ''Phalangium'' is a genus of harvestmen that occur mostly in the Old World. The best known species is ''Phalangium opilio'', which is so common in many temperate regions that it is simply called "harvestman". Species The genus ''Phalangium'' co ...

'' Latreille, 1802 * ''

'' Linnaeus, 1761 (Holarctic) * '' Phalangium ortoni'' Wood, 1869 (Ecuador) * '' Phalangium pallidum'' Müller, 1776 * '' Phalangium palmatum'' Herbst, 1797 * '' Phalangium punctipes'' (L. Koch, 1878) (Armenia) * '' Phalangium pygnogonum'' Müller, 1776 * '' Phalangium riedeli'' Starega, 1973 * '' Phalangium rubens'' Hermann, 1804 * '' Phalangium rudipalpe'' Gervais, 1849 * '' Phalangium savignyi'' Savignyi, 1826 (Egypt, Italy) * '' Phalangium spiniferum'' Cantor, 1842 (

Zhoushan Zhoushan is an urbanized archipelago with the administrative status of a prefecture-level city in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. It consists of an archipelago of islands at the southern mouth of Hangzhou Bay off the mainland c ...

, China) * '' Phalangium targionii'' (Canestrini, 1871) (Mediterranean) * '' Phalangium tricuspidatum'' Dufour, 1831 * '' Phalangium uncatum'' Hermann, 1804 (Austria)

Valid species (as of 2014)

Of the 35 species listed above, 6 are valid 'P. ligusticum'', ''P. opilio'' (originally described in 1758, not 1761), ''P. punctipes'', ''P. riedeli'', ''P. savignyi'' (originally described by Audouin, not Savigny) & ''P. targionii'' 3 belong to different genera of the opiliones, 4 belong to different arachnid orders, 2 are ''species inquirenda'' and 20 are ''nomina dubia''. The type species is ''P. opilio'', not ''P. iberica'' hich has been synonymised with ''Metaphalangium cirtanum'' (CL Koch, 1839) as designated by Latreille in 1810. In addition to the 6 valid names from the above list, the genus ''Bactrophalangium'' (with its 2 species) has been synonymized into ''Phalangium'', 8 species have been described since 2005 and one species described in 1953 is missing from the above list, making a total of 17 species currently recognized as valid.

References

Harvestmen {{Opiliones-stub