Phalangiotarbida is an extinct arachnid order first recorded from the Early Devonian of Germany and most widespread in the Upper Carboniferous coal measures of Europe and North America. The last species are known from the early Permian Rotliegend of Germany.
The affinities of phalangiotarbids are obscure, with most authors favouring affinities with Opiliones (harvestmen) and/or Acari (mites and ticks). Phalangiotarbida has been recently (2004) proposed to be sister group to (Palpigradi+Tetrapulmonata): the taxon Megoperculata sensu Shultz (1990).
Nemastomoides depressus, described as a harvestman in the family Nemastomoididae, is actually a poorly preserved phalangiotarbid.
Taxa included
- Family Anthracotarbidae <small>Kjellesvig-Waering, 1969</small>
- Genus Anthracotarbus <small>Kjellesvig-Waering, 1969</small>
- Species Anthracotarbus hintoni <small>Kjellesvig-Waering, 1969</small>
- Family Architarbidae <small>Karsch, 1882</small>
- Genus Architarbus <small>Scudder, 1868</small>
- Species Architarbus hoffmanni <small>Guthörl, 1934</small> (Jr synonyms Opiliotarbus kliveri <small>Waterlot, 1934</small>; Goniotarbus sarana <small>Guthörl, 1965</small>)
- Species Architarbus minor <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Species Architarbus rotundatus <small>Scudder, 1868</small>
- Genus Bornatarbus <small>RöÃÂler & Schneider, 1997</small>
- Species Bornatarbus mayasii <small>Haupt in Nindel, 1955</small>
- Genus Devonotarbus <small>Poschmann, Anderson & Dunlop, 2005</small>
- Species Devonotarbus hombachensis<small> Poschmann, Anderson & Dunlop, 2005</small>
- Genus Discotarbus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Species Discotarbus deplanatus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Genus Geratarbus <small>Scudder, 1890</small>
- Species Geratarbus lacoei <small>Scudder, 1890</small>
- Species Geratarbus bohemicus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1953</small>
- Genus Goniotarbus <small> Petrunkevitch, 1953</small>
- Species Goniotarbus angulatus <small>Pocock, 1911</small>
- Species Goniotarbus tuberculatus <small>Pocock, 1911</small>
- Genus Hadrachne <small>Melander, 1903</small>
- Species Hadrachne horribilis <small>Melander, 1903</small>
- Genus Leptotarbus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1945</small>
- Species Leptotarbus torpedo <small>Pocock, 1911</small>
- Genus Mesotarbus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1949</small>
- Species Mesotarbus angustus <small>Pocock, 1911</small>
- Species Mesotarbus eggintoni <small>Pocock, 1911</small>
- Species Mesotarbus hindi <small>Pocock, 1911</small>
- Species Mesotarbus intermedius <small>Petrunkevitch, 1949</small>
- Species Mesotarbus peteri <small>Dunlop & Horrocks, 1997</small>
- Genus Metatarbus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Species Metatarbus triangularus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Genus Ootarbus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1945</small>
- Species Ootarbus pulcher <small>Petrunkevitch, 1945</small>
- Species Ootarbus ovatus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1945</small>
- Genus Orthotarbus<small>Petrunkevitch, 1945</small>
- Species Orthotarbus minutus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Species Orthotarbus robustus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1945</small>
- Species Orthotarbus nyranensis <small>Petrunkevitch, 1953</small>
- Genus Paratarbus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1945</small>
- Species Paratarbus carbonarius <small>Petrunkevitch, 1945</small>
- Genus Phalangiotarbus <small>Haase, 1890</small>
- Species Phalangiotarbus subovalis <small>Woodward, 1872</small>
- Genus Pycnotarbus <small>Darber, 1990</small>
- Species Pycnotarbus verrucosus <small>Darber, 1990</small>
- Genus Triangulotarbus <small>Patrick, 1989</small>
- Species Triangulotarbus terrehautensis <small>Patrick, 1989</small>
- Family Heterotarbidae <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Genus Heterotarbus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Species Heterotarbus ovatus <small> Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
- Family Opiliotarbidae <small>Petrunkevitch, 1949</small>
- Genus Opiliotarbus <small>Pocock, 1910</small>
- Species Opiliotarbus elongatus <small>Scudder, 1890</small>
- nomina dubia
- Eotarbus litoralis <small> KuÃ
¡ta, 1888</small>
- Nemastomoides depressus <small>Petrunkevitch, 1913</small>
References
Bibliography
- Petrunkevitch, Alexander I. (1955): Arachnida. pp. 42âÂÂ162 in Treatise on Invertebrate Palaeontology, part P. Arthropoda 2 (R.C. Moore, ed.). Geological Society of America & University of Kansas Press, Lawrence.
- Shultz, Jeffrey W.(1990): Evolutionary morphology and phylogeny of Arachnida. Cladistics 6: 1-38.
- Dunlop, Jason A. (1997): Palaeozoic arachnids and their significance for arachnid phylogeny. Proceedings of the 16th European Colloquium of Arachnology 65âÂÂ82. - Abstract
- Pollitt, Jessica R.; Braddy, Simon J. & Dunlop, Jason A. (2004): The phylogenetic position of the extinct arachnid order Phalangiotarbida Haase, 1890, with reference to the fauna from the Writhlington Geological Nature Reserve (Somerset, UK). Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Earth Sciences, 94(3): 243âÂÂ259. - <small>PDF available on request </small>
- Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press
Further reading
- (1997): Phalangiotarbid arachnids from the Coal Measures of Lancashire, UK. Geological Magazine 134: 369âÂÂ381.