Megabunus is a genus of harvestmen with six known recent species. All occur in Europe, mostly in the vicinity of the Alps.
| Megabunus | |
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| Megabunus diadema | |
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| Genus: | Megabunus Meade, 1855
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| Type species | |
| Megabunus insignis Meade, 1855
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See text. | |
| Diversity | |
| 6 species | |
In Megabunus, the pedipalps are armed with strong ventral spines, especially on the femur, probably to hold fast to prey.[1]
Name edit
The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek mega "big" and -bunus, which is a common ending for certain opilionid genera.
Species edit
- Megabunus armatus (Kulczynski, 1887) (Tirols, Slovenia)
- Megabunus bergomas Chemini, 1985 (Italy)
- Megabunus diadema (Fabricius, 1779) (Western Europe)
- Megabunus lesserti Schenkel, 1927 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland; possibly a variation of M. armatus)
- Megabunus rhinoceros (Canestrini, 1872) (Swiss Alps)
- Megabunus vignai Martens, 1978 (Italy)
Footnotes edit
- ^ Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 327
References edit
- Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog: Phalangiidae[permanent dead link]
- Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9
Further reading edit
- Martens, Jochen (1978): Spinnentiere, Arachnida, Weberknechte, Opiliones, ser. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands (Dahl,Friedrich ed.), vol. 64. VEB Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena
External links edit
- BioImages: Pictures of M. diadema
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