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Stygnommatidae

Stygnommatidae is a small neotropical family of the harvestman infraorder Grassatores with about thirty described species.

Description

Stygnommatidae range from three to six millimeters in body length. Some species have chelicerae that effectively double their length. The pedipalps are strong, enlarged and armed. The legs are relatively short. These harvestmen dwell in litter, with some species found in caves.

Distribution

Members of this family are found in the neotropics from Mexico to Brazil. Some species are found in southern Florida and others in Indonesia and Malaysia, but it is not sure that these belong into this family.

Relationships

The monophyly of this family is disputed. Its closest relatives within the Samooidea are Samoidae, Biantidae and Podoctidae.

Name

The name of the type genus is combined from the genus name Stygnus and Ancient Greek omma "eye", referring to the eyes that are separated like in Stygnus.

Species

The following belong in Stygnomma <small>Roewer, 1912</small>

* Stygnomma spiniferum spiniferum <small>(Packard, 1888)</small> — Florida, Jamaica
* Stygnomma spiniferum bolivari <small>(Goodnight & Goodnight, 1945)</small> — Cuba
* Stygnomma spiniferum tancahense <small>Goodnight & Goodnight, 1951</small> — Mexico, Belize

Footnotes

References

  • 's Biology Catalog: Stygnommatidae
  • (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press