Phalangodidae

The Phalangodidae are a family of harvestmen with about 30 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.

Name

The name of the type genus ''Phalangodes'' is derived from Ancient Greek ('), a line of soldiers in formation. This probably refers to the rows of pedipalpal spines.

Description

Body length ranges from less than 1 mm to about . The pedipalps are armed with large spines. While some species have legs eight times the body length, others have shorter legs around twice the body length. Most species are yellowish to orange brown. Troglobitic (cave-dwelling) species are depigmented.

Distribution

More than two-thirds of the species occur in the western Nearctic, especially in California] with about 50 species in four endemism, endemic genera. About 10 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.

Relationships

The family seems to be largely monophyletic, with the exceptions of a few genera such as ''Guerrobunus'' and ''Glennhuntia''. Although the relationship of the Phalangodidae to other Grassatores is currently unresolved, the family seems relatively basal inside the Grassatores.

Genera

The family Phalangodidae contains these genera:Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog
Phalangodidae
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* '' Ausobskya'' Martens, 1972 ^{c g} — Greece (four species)
* '' Banksula'' Roewer, 1949 ^{i c g b} — USA (California) (10 or 11 species)
* '' Bishopella'' Roewer, 1927 ^{i c g b} — USA (southeastern states) (two species)
* '' Bogania'' Forster, 1955 ^{c g} — Australia (five species)
* '' Bunofagea'' Staręga, 1992 ^{c g} — Madagscar (two species)
* '' Calicina'' Ubick & Briggs, 1989 ^{i c g b} — USA (California) (25 species)
* '' Chinquipellobunus'' Goodnight and Goodnight, 1944 ^{i c g}
* '' Crosbyella'' Roewer, 1927 ^{i c g b} — southeastern US (five species)
* '' Enigmina'' Ubick & Briggs, 2008 ^{i c g b}
* '' Glennhuntia'' Shear, 2001 — western Australia (one species; probably misplaced)
* '' Guerrobunus'' Goodnight & Goodnight, 1945 — Mexico (three species, probably misplaced)
* ''Lola'' Kratochvil, 1937 ^g — Israel (one species)
* '' Maiorerus'' Rambla, 1993 ^g — Canary Islands (one species)
* '' Megacina'' Ubick & Briggs, 2008 ^{i c g b}
* '' Microcina'' Briggs & Ubick, 1989 ^{i c g b} — California (six species)
* '' Microcinella'' Ubick & Briggs, 2008 ^{i c g b}
* '' Neoparalus'' Özdikmen, 2006 ^{i c g}
* '' Paralola'' Kratochvil, 1951 ^g — Bulgaria (one species)
* '' Phalangodes'' Tellkampf, 1844 ^{i c g b} — Kentucky, Cuba? (two species; one species possibly misplaced)
* '' Phalangomma'' Roewer, 1949 — Virginia (one species; probably misplaced)
* '' Proscotolemon'' Roewer, 1916 — Japan (one species)
* '' Ptychosoma'' Sørensen, 1873 — Spain, Italy, North Africa (two species)
* '' Scotolemon'' Lucas, 1860 ^g — Mediterranean (13 species)
* '' Sitalcina'' Banks, 1911 ^{i c g b} — California (9 species)
* '' Spalicus'' Roewer, 1949 ^{i c g}
* '' Texella'' C.J. Goodnight & M.L. Goodnight, 1942 ^{i c g b} — Texas, California, Oregon, New Mexico (28 species)
* '' Tolus'' C.J. Goodnight & M.L. Goodnight, 1942 ^{i c g b} — Tennessee (one species)
* '' Tularina'' Ubick & Briggs, 2008 ^{i c g b}
* '' Undulus'' C.J. Goodnight & M.L. Goodnight, 1942 ^{i c g b} — Alabama (one species)
* '' Wespus'' C.J. Goodnight & M.L. Goodnight, 1942 ^{i c g b} — Arkansas (one species)

* '' Alpazia'' Özdikmen & Kury, 2006 ^{i c g}
* '' Haasus'' Roewer, 1949 (See Pyramidopidae)

Data sources: i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.net

References

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Harvestmen
Harvestman families