Superfamily: Phalangodoidea
|
Originally containing four families, just one, Phalangodidae, remains after the other three were removed and placed elsewhere The Family: Phalangodidae is currently the sixth largest in the Suborder: Grassatores with 141 species. Yet, only one has so far been recorded - and identified to species level - anywhere near the Northern Rivers with a number of sightings just north of Canungra in S.E. Queensland. Its proximity to the Northern Rivers region makes it a candidate for inclusion here.
|
The Phalangodidae are mostly small to very small with bodylength not often exceeding 7 - 8 mm but most are in the range of 1 - 4 mm. Colours range from a nearly translucent white to yellow, orange, reddish browns and darker browns. Legs are typically about 3x the length of the body with the second leg the longest as is common for Harvestmen. The species identified from S.E. Queensland is a darker type and carries its rather heavy pedipalps forwards from the head.
|
|
There have been other sightings of Bogonia spp. in the Northern Rivers itself but despite the fact that there are so far only 5 described species in the genus, no definitive identification has been made for any of them. As with most Harvestmen separating individual species from one another is always troublesome particularly when whole specimen photos are all we have to work with.
|
Family: Phalangodidae
|
Bogania neogranulata (likely occurrence)
|
The distribution of the Phalangidae is noteworthy in that most of the genera are divided between three fairly distinct areas in south-western Europe and three fairly distinct areas in North America. And than of course, there is one Australian genus. The North American and south-western European connection is fairly easy to see as the regions were once joined during the age of the supercontinent: Pangea. Australia, on the other hand, was as far removed as possible from there at the time, on the far side of Gondwanaland. Might it be possible that the Australian genus, Bogonia, is an example of convergent evolution and therefore not a genus that belongs in the Phalangidae?
Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Opiliones (Harvestmen)
> Suborder: Laniatores (Armoured Harvestmen)
> Infraorder: Grassatores
> Superfamily: Phalangodoidea
> Family: Phalangodidae (Phalongodid Harvestmen)
> Genus: Bogania
> Species: B. neogranulata *
* = likely
Note: i Naturalist currently (March 2024) has the Genus: Bogania listed in the Family: Zalmoxidae (Zalmoxoidea). Its placement here in the Family: Phalangidae is in line with the arrangement on the 'World Catalogue of Opiliones (WCOLite).
References and links:
> Özdikmen, H. and Kury, A.B., (2007). 'Replacement Names for Oncopus and Oncopodidae (Arachnida, Opiliones).' Journal of Arachnology. 35 (2): 407–408. doi:10.1636/h05-46.1
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/5d9170a1-fc7d-43b9-8a1c-622761abbe45#overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_evolution
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/536679-Bogania
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/56367-Phalangodidae
https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/62695
https://wcolite.com/home.html
> Özdikmen, H. and Kury, A.B., (2007). 'Replacement Names for Oncopus and Oncopodidae (Arachnida, Opiliones).' Journal of Arachnology. 35 (2): 407–408. doi:10.1636/h05-46.1
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/5d9170a1-fc7d-43b9-8a1c-622761abbe45#overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_evolution
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/536679-Bogania
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/56367-Phalangodidae
https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/62695
https://wcolite.com/home.html
Photographic contributions: