Trogulidae is a family of harvestmen comprising 65 extant species (plus 1 extinct) in five genera.

Trogulidae
Temporal range: Palaeogene–present
Trogulus tricarinatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Opiliones
Suborder: Dyspnoi
Superfamily: Troguloidea
Family: Trogulidae
Sundevall, 1833
Genera
Diversity
6 genera, 65 species
Approximate natural range of Trogulidae

Members of this species have short legs and live in soil. They have dirt attached to their bodies, to escape predators. Their body length ranges from 2 to 22 mm. In most genera the body is somewhat flattened and leathery. Adults have a small hood which hides their short chelicerae and pedipalps.[1]

Distribution edit

Members of this family occur in western and southern Europe, up to western North Africa and the Levant, the Caucasus and northern Iran. Trogulus tricarinatus, a predator of terrestrial snails, has been introduced to eastern North America.[1]

Name edit

The derivation of the name of the type genus, Trogulus, is not fully understood. The describer Latreille wrote that he named it because it looks like a monkshood. Perrier (1929) however derived the name from Ancient Greek trogein "gnawing", because of the rough, "gnawed-upon" appearance.[1]

Species edit

The known genera and species in Trogulidae as of 2023 are:[2][3][4]

See also extinct:

Plus see unknown:

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Gruber, Jürgen (2007): Trogulidae Sundevall, 1833. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 157ff
  2. ^ "A taxonomic catalogue of the Dyspnoi Hansen and Sørensen, 1904 (Arachnida: Opiliones)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  3. ^ Chemeris, A.N. (2013) Two new harvestman species (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the collection of Siberian Zoological Museum. Arthropoda Selecta
  4. ^ "Trogulidae". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2023-12-15.

Further reading edit

  • Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog: Trogulidae
  • Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9