Hubbardiid Whipscorpions - Family: Hubbardiidae
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There are still sources that list a Superfamily: Hubbardioidea but this taxon appears rather superfluous when dealing with the Short-tailed Whipscorpions. There are only two families, the Hubbarddidae (2 subfamilies, 76 genera and 368 species) and the Protoschizomidae (2 genera, 16 species) and those sources that may justify the ongoing use of the superfamily taxon are hard to come by.
The family Hubbardiidae was originally named Schizonotidae until the American entomologist Orator F. Cook (1867-1949) in 1899 found that the genus name Schizonotus on which the family name was based was already taken. He then proposed that the names Hubbardia and Hubbardiidae be used in honour of the discoverer of Hubbardia, Henry G. Hubbard (1850-1899), a fellow American entomologist. |
Hubbardiids can be described as superficially resembling small crickets with eight legs which, of course, explains the generic name'Sprickets' ; a cross between a spider and a cricket. Despite having an exoskeleton thay are relatively soft-bodied. The fact that they have plates covering the cephaloothorax indicates they may also be a little more flexible than their relatives. This will put them in good stead when crawling through the leaf litter and other tight spaces in which they live. The abdomen consists of twelve segment and they use only six of their legs for walking; the first pair of legs serve as antennae and are suitably elongated for the purpose. The fourth pair of legs at the rear are modified for jumping like in crickets and their pedipalps carry small pincers betraying their heritage as arachnids.
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Australia can boast of a strong contingent of Hubbardiids including a large number of endemics, yet, they have only been recorded from the northern regions between the Gold Coast in Qld. and Exmouth in W.A. Their inclusion here is based on a combination of their relative scarcity and the fact that the Northern Rivers has never been an area where arachnology has been an area of interest for many. It may well be that the lack of local sightings is due to a lack of enthusiasm rather than the absence of Short-tailed Whipscorpions. The two species listed in 'Taxonomy' are the most likely candidates for local encounters particularly near the N.S.W./Qld. border.
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Subfamily: Hubbardiinae
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Brignolizomus walteri (possible occurrence)
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Brignolizomus woodwardi (possible occurrence)
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Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Schizomida (Short-tailed Whipscorpions)
> Superfamily: Hubbardioidea
> Family: Hubbardiidae (Hubbardiid Short-tailed Whipscorpions)
> Subfamily: Hubbardiinae
> Genus: Brignolizomus
> Species: B. walteri ^
> Species: B. woodwardi ^
* = likely
^ = possibly
References and links:
> Cook, O.F., (1899). 'Hubbardia, a new genus of Pedipalpi.' Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 4: 249–261.
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/9d9b2b49-3d17-492f-be07-42fcabfbbbce#classification
https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/HUBBARDIIDAE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Guernsey_Hubbard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbardiidae
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orator_F._Cook
> Cook, O.F., (1899). 'Hubbardia, a new genus of Pedipalpi.' Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 4: 249–261.
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/9d9b2b49-3d17-492f-be07-42fcabfbbbce#classification
https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/HUBBARDIIDAE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Guernsey_Hubbard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbardiidae
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orator_F._Cook
Photographic contributions: