Zalmoxidae
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| Zalmoxidae | ||||||||||||||||
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| c. 70 genera, > 200 species | ||||||||||||||||
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The Zalmoxidae are a family of harvestmen within the suborder Laniatores.
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[edit] Name
Zalmoxis is the name of a Thracian Dacian god.[1]
[edit] Description
Zalmoxidae are small Laniatores of dark brown to dark yellow color with varied darker mottling. Some small edaphic species are pale yellowish.[1]
[edit] Distribution
Members of this family are distributed throughout most tropical regions of the world, with the notable exception of mainland Africa. While most occur from Costa Rica to Brazil, with a center of diversity in Venezuela, others are found in Oceania, with many species in New Guinea. Some species are found on the Seychelles and Mauritius, although the single species described from Madagascar does not belong to Zalmoxidae.[1]
[edit] Systematics
For a list of currently described species, see the List of Zalmoxidae species.
[edit] Relationships
Zalmoxidae are closely related to Icaleptidae and Fissiphalliidae. The latter will possibly be merged into Zalmoxidae, although much research is to be done in this field.[1]
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog: Zalmoxidae
- Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9
