Metabiantes

Metabiantes leighi, from Schönhofer (2008).

Belongs within: Biantidae.

Metabiantes is an southern African genus of harvestmen, most species of which are only known from limited distributions.

See also: Metabiantes at Catalogue of Organisms.

Characters (from Kauri 1961): Eyes widely separated in posterior part of cephalothorax, common ocularium absent. Anterior edge of cephalothorax bearing median frontal mound of varying height and size. Scutum with five distinct areas, the 3rd to 4th of those with a larger pair of granules or spines in the middle. First cheliceral segemnt arched distodorsally and forming a hood. Pedipalp femur with large spine on basal quarter, another smaller more proximal spine also present (readily visible only in larger species). Patella with apical retrolateral spine, tibia and tarsus with two spines on both sides. Tarsal formula of legs 3-5-5-5. Distitarsus I with two and II with three segments. Tarsus I and II with simple claws, tarsus III and IV with scopula and double claws. Third ventral coxal plate with a series of teeth on anterior and posterior edges. Stigmata hidden.

<==Metabiantes Roewer 1915 S92 [incl. Spinibiantes Roewer 1915 L31]
    |--*M. pusulosus (Loman 1898) [=Biantes pusulosus] S92
    |--M. armatus Lawrence 1962 S92
    |--M. barbertonensis Lawrence 1963 S92
    |--M. basutoanus Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. cataracticus Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. convexus Roewer 1949 [=Hinzuanius convexus] S92
    |--M. filipes (Roewer 1912) [=Biantes filipes] S92
    |--M. flavus Lawrence 1949 [=M. flava] S92
    |--M. hanstroemi Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. incertus Kauri 1961 L02
    |--M. insulanus (Roewer 1949) [=Spinibiantes insulanus] S92
    |--M. jeanneli (Roewer 1913) [=Biantes jeanneli, Hinzuanius jeanneli] S92
    |--M. kakololius Kauri 1985 S92
    |--M. kosibaiensis Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. lawrencei Staręga 1992 [=M. obscurus Lawrence 1962 non Kauri 1961] S92
    |--M. leighi (Pocock 1902) S92 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. litoralis Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. longipalpis Kauri 1985 GV09
    |--M. longipes Kauri 1985 S92
    |--M. machadoi Lawrence 1957 S92
    |--M. meraculus (Loman 1898) [=Biantes meraculus; incl. M. maximus Lawrence 1931] S92
    |--M. minutus Kauri 1985 S92
    |--M. montanus Kauri 1985 S92
    |--M. obscurus Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. parvulus Kauri 1985 S92
    |--M. perustus Lawrence 1963 S92
    |--M. pumilio Roewer 1927 S92
    |--M. punctatus (Sørensen 1910) [=Biantes punctatus, Hinzuanius punctatus] S92
    |--M. rudebecki Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. stanleyi Kauri 1985 S92
    |--M. submontanus Kauri 1985 S92
    |--M. teres Lawrence 1963 S92
    |--M. teretipes Lawrence 1962 S92
    |--M. traegardhi Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. trifasciatus Roewer 1915 [=M. trifasciata] S92
    |--M. ulindinus Kauri 1985 S92
    |--M. unicolor (Roewer 1912) [=Biantes unicolor] S92
    |--M. urbanus Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. varius Kauri 1961 S92
    |--M. zuluanus Lawrence 1937 [=Biantiplus zuluanus] S92
    `--M. zuurbergianus Kauri 1961 S92

Metabiantes leighi (Pocock 1902) S92 [=Hinzuanius leighi K61, Biantes leighi R23, Hinzuanus (l. c.) leighi S92, *Spinibiantes leighi S92]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[GV09] Giribet, G., L. Vogt, A. Pérez González, P. Sharma & A. B. Kury. 2009. A multilocus approach to harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) phylogeny with emphasis on biogeography and the systematics of Laniatores. Cladistics 25: 1-30.

[K61] Kauri, H. 1961. Opiliones. In: Hanström, B., P. Brinck & G. Rudebeck. South African Animal Life: Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951 vol. 8 pp. 9–197. Almqvist & Wiksell: Uppsala.

[L31] Lawrence, R. F. 1931. The harvest-spiders (Opiliones) of South Africa. Annals of the South African Museum 29 (2): 341-508.

[L02] Lotz, L. N. 2002. The Opiliones (Arachnida) of the Free State Province, South Africa. Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum Bloemfontein 18 (8): 161-187.

[R23] Roewer, C.-F. 1923. Die Weberknechte der Erde: Systematische Bearbeitung der bisher bekannnten Opiliones. Gustav Fischer: Jena.

Schönhofer, A. L. 2008. On harvestmen from the Soutpansberg, South Africa, with description of a new species of Monomontia (Arachnida: Opiliones). African Invertebrates 49 (2): 109-126.

[S92] Staręga, W. 1992. An annotated check-list of Afrotropical harvestmen, excluding the Phalangiidae (Opiliones). Annals of the Natal Museum 33 (2): 271-336.