Metaphalangium

Metaphalangium cirtanum, copyright Luigi Barraco.

Belongs within: Phalangiidae.

Metaphalangium is a genus of harvestmen with a distribution centred in the Mediterranean region. Members of this genus have a sandy yellow dorsum with a darker saddle and a pale median stripe, and males have a broad and deep subapical spoon on the penis (Snegovaya & Staręga 2009).

Characters (from Staręga 1984): Body coloration with saddle in middle part of abdomen angularly enlarged (sometimes only this portion of the saddle visible), and a clear white longitudinal band from eye-mound to anus. Cephalothorax denticulate anterior to eye-mound, tergites with transverse rows of larger, sharper denticles. Eye-mound normal, far from anterior edge of carapace (up to twice its length), with long denticles on the eye-rings. Supracheliceral lamella with distinct granules or denticles, sometimes forming a transverse series. Chelicerae of male usually more developed than those of female and with several denticles or granules. Pedipalps short and strong, femur usually with strong denticles, patella without apophysis, tarsus in male with ventral strip of sensory granules. Legs long and strong, at least the femora with longitudinal rows of strong denticles. Leg I (femur to tibia) greatly thickened in male. Penis with characteristic subapical "spoon", sometimes occupying almost half length of shaft. Truncus expanded basally, sometimes in form of pedestal. Glans relatively large, triangular in profile, wedge-shaped in cross-section. Stylus relatively long.

<==Metaphalangium Roewer 1911 K14 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. cirtanum (Koch 1839) K14 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. abruptum (Roewer 1911) SS09 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. albiunilineatum (Lucas 1846) SS09 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. bispinifrons (Roewer 1911) (see below for synonymy) S84
    |--M. corsicum (Roewer 1956) SS09
    |--M. lusitanicum (Roewer 1956) SS09
    |--M. orientale Staręga 1973 S84
    |--M. punctatus (Roewer 1956) K14 [=Paropilio punctatus R56]
    |--‘Paropilio’ spinipes Roewer 1956 R56
    |--M. strandi (Nosek 1905) K14 [=Phalangium strandi R23, Paropilio strandi R23]
    |--M. sudanum Roewer 1961 S84
    `--M. tuberculatum (Lucas 1846) SS09 (see below for synonymy)

Metaphalangium Roewer 1911 K14 [incl. Apozacheus Šilhavý 1965 C92, Metegaenus Šilhavý 1965 C92, Odontosoma Šilhavý 1946 non Townsend 1916 C92, Parodontosoma Šilhavý 1965 C92, Paropilio Roewer 1911 C92]

Metaphalangium abruptum (Roewer 1911) SS09 [=Phalangium abruptum R23, Paropilio abruptus R23; incl. Pa. abstrusus Roewer 1911 non Ph. abstrusum Koch 1882 R23]

Metaphalangium albiunilineatum (Lucas 1846) SS09 [=Phalangium albounilineatum S84; incl. Lacinius denticulatus Roewer 1923 C92, *Parodontosoma denticulatum C92]

Metaphalangium bispinifrons (Roewer 1911) [=Zacheus bispinifrons; incl. Z. maroccanus Roewer 1915, Metaphalangium maroccanum Roewer 1923 non Zacheus maroccanus Roewer 1915] S84

Metaphalangium cirtanum (Koch 1839) K14 [=Opilio cirtanus D04, Phalangium cirtanum S84; incl. Ph. abstrusum Koch 1882 C92, *Paropilio abstrusus C92, Ph. africanum Lucas 1847 D04, Metadasylobus albanicus Schenkel 1947 D04, Ph. annulipes Lucas 1847 D04, Lacinius armatus Roewer 1923 D04, Ph. barbarum Lucas 1847 D04, *Odontosoma centetes Šilhavý 1946 C92, Metaphalangium propinquum denticulatum Hadži 1973 D04, Phalangium echinatum Lucas 1847 D04, Acantholophus echinatus nec Boisduval 1835 nec Guérin-Méneville 1838 (both not preoc. as in homonymous gen.) D04, Lacinius echinatus S84, Phalangium infuscatum Lucas 1847 D04, Dasylobus infuscatus R23, Eudasylobus infuscatus D04, Phalangium instabile Lucas 1847 D04, Opilio luridus Koch 1848 D04, Zacheus moesiacus Roewer 1923 D04, *Apozacheus moesiacus C92, Metaphalangium propinquum montenegrinum Hadži 1973 D04, Phalangium numidicum Lucas 1847 D04, Ph. propinquum Lucas 1846 SS09, *Metaphalangium propinquum C92, M. propinquum romanum Roewer 1923 D04, Phalangium semiechinatum Simon 1885 D04, Paropilio semiechinatus S84]

Metaphalangium tuberculatum (Lucas 1846) SS09 [=Phalangium tuberculatum D04, Egaenus tuberculatus S84, Egoenus (l. c.) tuberculatus S84, Lacinius tuberculatus D04, *Metegaenus tuberculatus C92, Oligolophus tuberculatus D04; incl. Dacnopilio carthaginiensis Roewer 1923 D04, Dac. carthaginensis (l. c.) S84, Egaenus kabylicus Roewer 1956 D04, Dasylobus serrifer Simon 1878 D04, Eudasylobus serrifer S84]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[C92] Crawford, R. L. 1992. Catalogue of the genera and type species of the harvestman superfamily Phalangioidea (Arachnida). Burke Museum Contributions in Anthropology and Natural History 8: 1–60.

[D04] Delfosse, E. 2004. Catalogue préliminaire des Opilions de France métropolitaine (Arachnida Opiliones). Bulletin de Phyllie 20: 34–58.

[K14] Kurt, K. 2014. Updated checklist of harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) in Turkey. Arch. Biol. Sci. 66 (4): 1617–1631.

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

[R56] Roewer, C. F. 1956. Über Phalangiinae (Phalangiidae, Opiliones Palpatores). (Weitere Weberknechte XIX). Senckenbergiana Biologica 37 (3–4): 247–318.

[SS09] Snegovaya, N. Y., & W. Staręga. 2009. Taurolaena, a new genus of Phalangiidae (Opiliones). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología 17: 37–44.

[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.

Last updated: 25 May 2019.