Agoristenidae are a neotropical harvestman family of the Suborder Laniatores, in the superfamily Gonyleptoidea.

Agoristenidae
Scientific classification
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Agoristenidae

Šilhavý, 1973
Species

see text

Diversity
27 genera, > 78 species

Name edit

The name of the type genus is a combination of Ancient Greek agora "gathering" and stenos "few", referring to the rarity of the family at the time of its discovery.[1]

Description edit

These harvestmen range in body length from two to about five millimeters. Their coloring ranges from yellowish to dark brown. Some show yellow stripes or white or green patches.[1]

Distribution edit

The subfamily Agoristeninae is endemic to the Greater Antilles. The other subfamilies have been found from northern South America.

Relationships edit

In older schemes, the now obsolete "Zamorinae" were the basal clade, with Agoristeninae and Leiosteninae as sister groups. Agoristeninae is sister group to all Gonyleptoidea except Stygnopsidae.[1]

Stygnopsidae

Agoristenidae

"Zamorinae"

Agoristeninae

Leiosteninae

other Gonyleptoidea

(after Kury 1997b, 1997c)

Species edit

Agoristeninae edit

Globibuninae edit

Leiosteninae edit

Agoristenidae Insertae sedis edit

Excluded from Agoristenidae, now placed elsewhere:

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Pinto-da-Rocha, Ricardo & Kury, Adriano B. (2007): Agoristenidae Šilhavý, 1973. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 171ff

Further reading edit

  • Kury, Adriano B. (1997b): A new subfamily of Agoristenidae, with comments on suprageneric relationships of the family (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores). Trop. Zool. 10: 333-346.
  • Kury, Adriano B. (1997c): Os Stygnopsidae na filogenia de Gonyleptoidea, com comentários sobre a biogeografia da superfamilia. P. 30 in Actas del Primer Encuentro de Aracnólogos del Cono Sur. Montevideo, Uruguay.
  • Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9
  • Pinto-da-Rocha, R. and Hara, M.R. (2010) : New familial assignments for three species of Neotropical harvestmen based on cladistic analysis (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores). Zootaxa, 2241: 33–46.

External links edit