Redescription of Promecostethus unifalculatus, the only known harvestman from Crozet Islands (Opiliones: Triaenonychidae)
Promecostethus unifalculatus Enderlein, 1909, is the only representative of the order Opiliones from the Crozet Islands. The species belongs to the family Triaenonychidae and is biogeographically interesting because it is a candidate for transoceanic dispersal, a very rare event in this ancient fami...
| Published in: | Zootaxa |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Mangolia Press
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4861.1.8 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4861.1.8 |
| Summary: | Promecostethus unifalculatus Enderlein, 1909, is the only representative of the order Opiliones from the Crozet Islands. The species belongs to the family Triaenonychidae and is biogeographically interesting because it is a candidate for transoceanic dispersal, a very rare event in this ancient family. Despite this significance, P. unifalculatus is taxonomically still poorly known, and a redescription of this species using modern taxonomic standards is urgently needed. Here we redescribe the species, offer the first description and illustrations of the male genitalia and provide a full exomorphological survey of the species using scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, we provide an emended diagnosis for the genus Promecostethus and discuss its relationship with some morphologically similar genera. |
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