Rhampsinitus

Rhampsinitus hispidus, from Roewer (1923).
Belongs within: Phalangiidae.

Rhampsinitus is a genus of long-legged harvestmen in southern Africa, the males of which have enlarged chelicerae.

See also: The legacy of Rhampsinitus.

Characters (from Kauri 1961): Ocularium with varying numbers of denticles or granules (4-12), 1.5-2 times its length from anterior margin of carapace. Anterior margin of carapace armed or not. Carapace usually toothed or denticulate before ocularium. Denticles on carapace and tergal areas arranged in transverse rows or irregularly distributed over the back. All abdominal tergites separated by transverse furrows or the first five form a scutum. Chelicerae of normal length or longer and usually armed. Pedipalps unarmed or armed with teeth or granules, especially the femur. Supracheliceral lamellae smooth. Legs long and slender, only exceptionally short. Stigmata open, without a grill, accompanied by entapophysis. Secondary sexual characteristics distinct. Penis of usual type for Phalangiinae; glans shoe-shaped in profile, hinged to corpus; stylus terminal, tubular. Corpus penis narrow, shaft-shaped, contains muscles. Ovipositor multi-segmented, the sensilla spherical; vagina interna mostly conical; receptacula semina tubular, opening into vagina just behind terminal glands.

<==Rhampsinitus Simon 1879 S08
    |--*R. lalandei Simon 1879 R11, S84 [incl. Acantholophus diversicolor Karsch 1880 S84]
    |--R. angulatus Lawrence 1962 S84
    |--R. ater Roewer 1912 [=R. niger Roewer 1911 non Sørensen 1910] S84
    |--R. bettoni (Pocock 1903) [=Phalangium bettoni] S84
    |--R. brevipalpis Lawrence 1962 S84
    |--R. brevipes Kauri 1961 L02
    |--R. capensis (Loman 1898) [=Phalangium capense; incl. R. ceratops] S84
    |--R. crassus Loman 1898 S84 [incl. Phalangium leppanae Pocock 1903 S84, R. leppanae R23]
    |--R. cristatus Lawrence 1931 S84
    |--R. discolor (Karsch 1878) (see below for synonymy) S84
    |--R. echinodorsum Roewer 1912 S84
    |--R. ephippiatus Roewer 1956 S84
    |--R. fissidens Lawrence 1933 S84
    |--R. flavidus Lawrence 1931 S84
    |--R. forsteri Kauri 1961 L02
    |--R. fuscinatus Roewer 1956 S84
    |--R. granarius Roewer 1917 S84
    |--R. hewittius (Roewer 1956) [=Opilio hewittius; incl. O. rhodesius Roewer 1956] S03
    |--R. hispidus Roewer 1911 S84
    |--R. ingae Kauri 1961 L02
    |--R. keniatus (Roewer 1956) [=Dasylobus keniatus] S84
    |--R. lawrencei Staręga 1984 [=R. capensis Lawrence 1931 non Phalangium capense Loman 1898] S84
    |--R. leighi (Pocock 1902) S08 [=Phalangium (Rhampsinitus) leighi S84]
    |--R. levis Lawrence 1931 S84
    |--R. longipalpis Lawrence 1931 S84
    |--R. maculatus Kauri 1961 L02
    |--R. mesomelas (Sörensen 1910) [=Phalangium mesomelas] S84
    |--R. morosianus Kauri 1961 L02
    |--R. nubicolus Lawrence 1963 S84
    |--R. pectinatus Roewer 1956 S84
    |--R. qachasneki Kauri 1961 L02
    |--R. quadridens Lawrence 1949 [incl. Dichranochirus angolensis Lawrence 1951, R. angolensis] S84
    |--R. quadrispina Roewer 1911 S84
    |--R. salti Roewer 1952 S84
    |--R. scabrichelis Roewer 1956 S84
    |--R. scutiger Roewer 1956 S84
    |--R. silvaticus Lawrence 1931 S84
    |--R. soerenseni Staręga 1984 [=Phalangium pictum Sørensen 1910 non Wood 1879, R. pictus] S84
    |--R. somalicus Caporiacco 1927 S84
    |--R. spenceri (Pocock 1903) [=Phalangium (Rhampsinitus) spenceri] S84
    |--R. spinifrons Roewer 1915 S84
    |--R. telifrons (Pocock 1902) (see below for synonymy) S84
    |--R. tenebrosus Lawrence 1938 L02
    |--R. traegardhi Kauri 1961 L02
    |--R. transvaalicus Lawrence 1931 S08
    |--R. unicolor Lawrence 1931 S84
    `--R. vittatus Lawrence 1931 S84

Rhampsinitus discolor (Karsch 1878) [=Phalangium discolor; incl. P. coxale Sörensen 1910, Rhampsinitus filipes Roewer 1917, R. minor Loman 1898, R. niger Sörensen 1910] S84

Rhampsinitus telifrons (Pocock 1902) [=Phalangium (Rhampsinitus) telifrons; incl. R. littoralis Lawrence 1931, P. rhinoceros Strand 1909] S84

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[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.

[R11] Roewer, C.-F. 1911. Übersicht der Genera der Subfamilie der Phalangiini der Opiliones Palpatores nebst Beschreibung einiger neuer Gattungen und Arten. Archiv für Naturgesichte 77 (Suppl. 2): 1-106.

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

[S08] 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.

[S84] Staręga, W. 1984. Revision der Phalangiidae (Opiliones), III. Die afrikanischen Gattungen der Phalangiinae, nebst Katalog aller afrikanischen Arten der Familie. Annales Zoologici 38 (1): 1-79.

[S03] Staręga, W. 2003. On the identity and synonymies of some Asiatic Opilioninae (Opiliones: Phalangiidae). Acta Arachnologica 52 (2): 91-102.