Eupnoan Harvestmen - Suborder: Eupnoi
|
The second largest suborder, the Eupnoi, contains 1,807 species as of January 2024. All but three of these species are in the superfamily Phalangeoidea which itself contains five families. Only one family is represented in the Northern Rivers with sightings of nine species confirmed in the region. Fair to say there may well be others.
Eupnoan Harvestmen often have small bodies and long legs, the second leg is usually the longest and can be up to 15 times the bodylength. Other than for locomotion the second leg is also used as sensory organ somewhat similar to the antennae in insects. |
The one Eupnoan family found in Australia, the Neopillionidae, has a typical Gondwanan distribution; it is found in southern Africa and South America as well. Measured by bodylength alone they do not usually get bigger than 5 millimeters. Many species do however have disproportionately large pedipalps which in some may reach 8-10x the bodylength. And, oddly enough, the chelicerae are not necessarily the same length. In the recently described (see: Taylor 2009) genus: Australiscutum, one species, A. triplodaemon, is said to be unique among Opiliones in that the right chelicera is considerably larger than the left.
|
|
Harvestmen, unlike many species of spiders, do not have booklungs, breathing instead by means of tracheal gas exchange. In Neopillionids the spiracles, or tracheal openings are protected by a 'lattice-like operculum' which sets them apart from the Phalangioidea.
The oldest fossil record for Eupnoans in general goes back to the Carboniferous and are estimated to be from 336-326 Mya. However, whereas most of these fossils found have been identified as Phalangeoids, to date no fossils have been identified that can confidently be placed in the Family: Neopillionidae. |
Family: Neopillionidae
Subfamily: Enantiobuninae
|
Australiscutum graciliforceps
|
|
Australiscutum hunti
|
|
Australiscutum triplodaemon
|
|
Megalopsalis coronata
|
|
Megalopsalis puerilis
|
|
Megalopsalis serritarsus
|
|
Neopantopsalis camelus
|
|
Neopantopsalis pentheter
|
L 193 - N.Lambert
L. 196 - N.Lambert
|
|
Neopantopsalis thaumatopoios
|
L 190 - N.Lambert
L. 189 - N.Lambert
|
Unidentified Neopantopsalid - Neopantopsalis sp.
L 192 - N.Lambert
|
L 191 - N.Lambert
|
Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Opiliones
> Suborder: Eupnoi (Eupnoan Harvestmen)
> Superfamily: Phalangioidea
> Family: Neopilionidae (Neopilionid Harvestmen)
> Subfamily: Enantiobuninae
> Genus: Australiscutum
> Species: A. graciliforceps
> Species: A. hunti
> Species: A. triplodaemon
> Genus: Megalopsalis
> Species: M. coronata
> Species: M. puerilis
> Species: M. serritarsus
> Genus: Neopantopsalis
> Species: N. camelus
> Species: N. pentheter
> Species: N. thaumatopoios
References and links:
> Huang D., Selden P.A. et al, (2009). 'Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the Middle Jurassic of China.' Naturwissenschaften 96 8, 955-962 doi:10.1007/s00114-009-0556-3
> Selden P.A., Dunlop J.A. et al. (2016). 'Carboniferous araneomorph spiders reinterpreted as long-bodied harvestmen.' Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14, 127-137
> Taylor, C.K., (2009). ‘Australiscutum , a new genus of Monoscutidae (Arachnida: Opiliones) from eastern Australia, with the first record of asymmetrical chelicerae in Opiliones.’ Insect Systematics & Evolution - INSECT SYST EVOL. 40. 319-332. DOI:10.1163/187631209X458367.
https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/624PB
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneider_(Weberknechte)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carboniferous\
https://www.mindat.org/taxon-P178545.html
https://wcolite.com/index.html#
> Huang D., Selden P.A. et al, (2009). 'Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the Middle Jurassic of China.' Naturwissenschaften 96 8, 955-962 doi:10.1007/s00114-009-0556-3
> Selden P.A., Dunlop J.A. et al. (2016). 'Carboniferous araneomorph spiders reinterpreted as long-bodied harvestmen.' Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14, 127-137
> Taylor, C.K., (2009). ‘Australiscutum , a new genus of Monoscutidae (Arachnida: Opiliones) from eastern Australia, with the first record of asymmetrical chelicerae in Opiliones.’ Insect Systematics & Evolution - INSECT SYST EVOL. 40. 319-332. DOI:10.1163/187631209X458367.
https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/624PB
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneider_(Weberknechte)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carboniferous\
https://www.mindat.org/taxon-P178545.html
https://wcolite.com/index.html#
Photographic contributions:
Lambert, Nick. L 186 - L 187 - L 188 - L 189 - L190 - L191 - L 192 - L 193 - L 194 - L 195 - L 196.
Lambert, Nick. L 186 - L 187 - L 188 - L 189 - L190 - L191 - L 192 - L 193 - L 194 - L 195 - L 196.