The Dicranolasmatidae are a monotypic family of harvestmen with 16 described species in a single genus, Dicranolasma.[1][2]

Dicranolasma
Dicranolasma soerensenii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Suborder:
Superfamily:
Family:
Dicranolasmatidae

Simon, 1879
Genus:
Dicranolasma

Sørensen, 1873
Type species
Opilio scaber
Herbst, 1799
Diversity
1 genus, 16 species
Synonyms
  • Amopaum Sørensen 1873:517
  • Dicranalasma (non-valid unattributed misspelling listed in Hallan 2000, online only)

Description

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Species of Dicranolasma range in body length from three to 6.4 mm. Most parts of the body are encrusted with soil particles. The anterior region features a large headlike "hood" with the eyes in center, which consists of two curved processes. The chelicerae and pedipalps are both hidden under the hood in adults and about half as long as the body. The legs are short. Immature forms are quite different from adults. The immature form of D. opilionoides was even described as a different genus (Amopaum). The hood develops only gradually, so in young Dicranolasma the relatively longer pedipalps are carried outside the hood.[3]

Distribution

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Dicranolasmatidae occur mainly in the Mediterranean region northward to the southern Alps, the Carpathians, eastward to the Caucasus and Iraq, the Levant and southward to western North Africa.[3]

Relationships

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The Dicranolasmatidae are closely related to the Trogulidae and Nemastomatidae, with Trogulus probably sister to Dicranolasma.[3]

The genus consists of five species groups:[4][5]

  • D. scabrum group — Aegean Islands, Turkey, Caucasia, Middle East
    • D. scabrum, D. opilionoides, D. hoberlandti, D. giljarovi, D. kurdistanum, D. thracium, D. ressli, D. ponticum, D. cretaeum.
  • D. mladeni group
  • D. cristatum group
  • D. soerensenii group
  • D. apuanum group

Etymology

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The genus name Dicranolasma is a combination of Ancient Greek di "two", kranion "head", and elasma "plate", referring to the distinctive bifurcated hood of the genus.[3]

Species

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The 16 recognised species of Dicranolasma, along with their type localities: [6][1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dicranolasma". Kury, A. et al. (2023). WCO-Lite: World Catalogue of Opiliones. Retrieved 27 Dec 2023.
  2. ^ "Genus Dicranolasma". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  3. ^ a b c d Gruber, Jürgen (2007): Dicranolasmatidae Simon, 1879. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 142ff
  4. ^ Bayram & Çorak 2007
  5. ^ Gruber 1998
  6. ^ Schönhofer, Axel L. (2013-06-17). "A taxonomic catalogue of the Dyspnoi Hansen and Sørensen, 1904 (Arachnida: Opiliones)". Zootaxa. 3679 (1): 1–68. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3679.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 26146693.