Melanopa

Dorsal view of male Melanopa grandis, from Zhang & Zhang (2013). Scale bar = 2 mm.

Belongs within: Sclerosomatidae.

Melanopa is a genus of sclerosomatid harvestmen known from southern and eastern Asia. It is characterised by the presence of a pseudoarticular nodule on femur I, a median spine on scute II, and femora I and III that are shorter than the body, but the monophyly of the genus as a whole is suspect (Zhang & Zhang 2013).

Characters (from Roewer 1955): Femora I–IV with 0.1.00 nodules; median spine(s) present on area 2 of scutum only or on both areas 1 and 2; eyemound dorsally smooth or granular, without larger, prominent, single spines; femora I and III cylindrical, shorter than body.

<==Melanopa Thorell 1889 R55
    |--*M. plebeja Thorell 1889 R55 [=Gagrella plebeja R23]
    |--M. asperula Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. atrata (Stoliczka 1868) ZZ13 [=Gagrella atrata R23]
    |--M. cinctipes Banks 1930 R55
    |--M. diluta Roewer 1929 R55
    |--M. fragilis (With 1903) ZZ13 [=Gagrella fragilis M87]
    |--M. grandis Roewer 1910 (see below for synonymy) ZZ13
    |--M. guttata (Karsch 1881) R55 [=Gagrella guttata R23]
    |--M. hansenii (With 1903) R55 [=Gagrella hansenii R23]
    |--M. hirta (With 1903) ZZ13 [=Gagrella hirta M87; incl. M. fragilis luteomaculata Roewer 1911 M87]
    |--M. impressata Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. laciniipes Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. maculipes Banks 1930 R55
    |--M. matherania Roewer 1915 R55
    |--M. nigra Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. nigripes Banks 1930 R55
    |--M. ovata Sato & Suzuki 1938 R55
    |--M. peguana Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. rugosa Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. satoi Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. scabra Roewer 1912 R55
    |--M. similaris Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. sumatrana Suzuki 1982 ZZ13
    |--M. thienemanni Roewer 1931 R55
    |--M. transversalis Roewer 1912 ZZ13 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. tristis Thorell 1889 R55 [=Gagrella tristis R23]
    |--M. trochanteralis Roewer 1955 R55
    |--M. unicolor Roewer 1912 R55
    |--M. varians (With 1903) ZZ13 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. vittata Roewer 1910 R55
    |--M. wangi Zhu & Song 1999 ZS99
    |--M. yuennanensis Roewer 1910 R55
    `--M. zhui Zhang & Zhang 2013 ZZ13

Nomen nudum: Melanopa ephippiatus Kishida 1934 TM00

Melanopa grandis Roewer 1910 [incl. Gagrella crassitarsi Ha, Bae et al. 2004, Metagagrella damila Šilhavý 1976, Met. ussuriensis Redikorzew 1936] ZZ13

Melanopa transversalis Roewer 1912 ZZ13 [incl. M. biceps Roewer 1929 M87, Gagrella fragilis bispinosa With 1903 non G. feae bispinosa Thorell 1889 M87, M. fragilis bispinosa M87]

Melanopa varians (With 1903) ZZ13 [=Gagrella varians M87; incl. Gagrella varians dentata With 1903 non G. dentata With 1903 R23, Melanopa varians dentata R23]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[M87] Martens, J. 1987. Opiliones aus dem Nepal-Himalaya. VI. Gagrellinae (Arachnida: Phalangiidae). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 93: 87–202.

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

[R55] Roewer, C. F. 1955. Indoaustralische Gagrellinae (Opiliones, Arachnidae). (Weitere Weberknechte XVIII). 3. Teil. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36 (1–2): 71–121.

[TM00] Tsurusaki, N., & H. Minato. 2000. Opiliones of Wakayama Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. Nankiseibutu 42 (1): 3–8.

[ZZ13] Zhang, C., & F. Zhang. 2013. Notes on some species of the genus Melanopa (Opiliones: Sclerosomatidae: Gagrellinae) from China, with description of a new species. Journal of Arachnology 41: 306–318.

[ZS99] Zhu M.-S. & Song D.-X. 1999. Two species of harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones: Phalangidae) from China. Journal of Hebei University 19 (2): 159–162.