The Stygnidae are a family of neotropical harvestmen within the suborder Laniatores.

Name

The name of the type genus is derived from Ancient Greek stygnos "diabolic being".

Description

Body length ranges from about one to six millimeters. The color ranges from light brown to reddish. Some Heterostygninae have white patches, stripes or spots on the dorsal scutum.

Distribution

The Heterostygninae are found in the Lesser Antilles, Nomoclastinae are endemic to Colombia, and the Stygninae live from north of the Tropic of Capricorn (central South America). Most species live in the Amazonian rainforest. However, half the species have only been collected once, so distribution of species is poorly known.

Relationships

The Stygnidae are sister to Cosmetidae and Gonyleptidae, and belong to the same group inside Gonyleptoidea as these and Cranaidae and Manaosbiidae. The Stygnidae are monophyletic.

Genera

See the List of Stygnidae species for a list of currently described species.

Heterostygninae Roewer, 1913

Eutimesius Roewer, 1913 Imeri Pinto-da-Rocha & Tourinho, 2012 Innoxius Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997 Minax Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997 Stenostygnellus Roewer, 1913 Stygnidius Simon, 1879 Stygnoplus Simon, 1879 Timesius Simon, 1879 Yapacana Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997

Stygninae Simon, 1879

Actinostygnoides Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942 Auranus Mello-Leitão, 1941 Fortia Villarreal et al., 2022 Iguarassua Roewer, 1943 Jabbastygnus Kury & Villarreal, 2015 Kaapora Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997 Metaphareus Roewer, 1912 Niceforoiellus Mello-Leitão, 1941 Obidosus Roewer, 1931 Ortonia Wood, 1869 Paraphareus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1943 Phareus Simon, 1879 Pickeliana Mello-Leitão, 1932 Planophareus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1943 Protimesius Roewer, 1913 Ricstygnus Kury, 2009 Sickesia Soares, 1979 Stenophareus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1943 Stenostygnoides Roewer, 1913 Stygnus Perty, 1833 Verrucastygnus Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997

Incertae sedis:

Gaibulus Roewer, 1943

--- Else see Nomoclastinae Roewer, 1943 including Nomoclastes Sørensen, 1932 => Nomoclastidae

Footnotes

  • Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog:
  • Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9