World Checklist of Opiliones species (Arachnida). Part 1: Laniatores – Travunioidea and Triaenonychoidea

Abstract

Comprising more than 6500 species, Opiliones is the third most diverse order of Arachnida, after the megadiverse Acari and Araneae. The database referred here is part 1 of 12 of a project containing an intended worldwide checklist of species and subspecies of Opiliones as Darwin Core archives, and it includes the superfamilies Travunioidea and Triaenonychoidea. These two superfamilies are often treated together under the denomination of Insidiatores. In this Part 1, a total of 571 species and subspecies are listed. Briggsidae and Cladonychiidae are both downgraded to subfamilies of Travuniidae. Peltonychia Roewer, 1935 is an available name and senior synonym of Hadziana Roewer, 1935 and is herein revalidated. Seven genera of Triaenonychidae described by Lawrence between 1931 and 1933 originally failed to comply ICZN rules for availability (Art. 13.3). All of them only became available when Staręga (1992) designated a type species for each. Therefore, the correct authorships of Austromontia Lawrence, 1931, Biacumontia Lawrence, 1931, Graemontia Lawrence, 1931, Larifugella Lawrence, 1933, Mensamontia Lawrence, 1931, Monomontia Lawrence, 1931 and Rostromontia Lawrence, 1931 are all Staręga, 1992. Fumontana Shear, 1977, originally referred only to subfamily Triaenonychinae (as opposed to Soerensenellinae then and not corresponding to present Triaenonychinae), not to any tribe (which in turn correspond to modern subfamilies) is herein included in the subfamily Triaenonychinae. Picunchenops Maury, 1988 originally not included in any tribe of Triaenonychidae, is herein included in the subfamily Triaenonychinae. Trojanella Karaman, 2005, originally ranked as Travunioidea incertae sedis, is herein included in the Travuniidae Travuniinae. Nuncia ovata Roewer, 1915 (synonymized with Triaenonyx cockayni Hogg, 1920 by Forster (1954), but with inverted precedence) is here combined as Nuncia coriacea ovata Roewer, 1915 as correct senior synonym instead of Nuncia coriacea cockayni (Hogg, 1920), which is current in the literature. Neonuncia enderbei (Hogg, 1909) is reaffirmed as the correct spelling for the species, while the deliberate change to Neonuncia enderbyi by Forster (1954) is an incorrect subsequent spelling.

A stable phylogenomic classification of Travunioidea (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores) based on sequence capture of ultraconserved elements

“…A highly supported sister relationship between Travunia and Trojanella is recovered, and this group is sister to all remaining travunioids in all analyses. The western North American genera Cryptomaster Briggs, 1969 and Speleomaster Briggs, 1969 are recovered as sister taxa, and although the placement of Cryptomaster + Speleomaster is inconsistent across analyses, they are never sister group to or included within the Travuniidae or Cladonychiinae sensu Kury et al (2014). In all analyses, the traditional Briggsinae ( Briggsus Özdikmen & Demir, 2008 + Isolachus Briggs, 1971) are recovered within a largely travuniid clade, and always the sister group to Speleonychia Briggs, 1974.…”

“…Within Travunioidea, no families (and all but one subfamily) as currently defined in Kury et al (2014) are monophyletic in any analyses (Figs 4, 5). A highly supported sister relationship between Travunia and Trojanella is recovered, and this group is sister to all remaining travunioids in all analyses.…”

“…All nodes in the BEAST topology have posterior probability of 1.0. Abbreviations indicate placement in classification at the time of Kury et al (2014): Tt = Travuniidae, Travuniinae; Tc = Travuniidae, Cladonychiinae; Tb = Travuniidae, Briggsinae; Pp = Paranonychidae, Paranonychinae; Ps = Paranonychidae, Sclerobuninae; N = Nippononychidae. Right: 70% BEAST concatenated.…”

“…2) A clade containing the majority of travuniid genera sensu Kury et al (2014): Peltonychia , Holoscotolemon , Erebomaster , Theromaster , Speleonychia , Briggsus , and Isolachus . This clade will use the re-elevated and re-circumscribed familial name Cladonychiidae (see below).…”

“…Kury et al (2014) recently provided a checklist of Travunioidea, made some taxonomic revisions, and provided a new taxonomy which serves as the starting point for this study. In this classification, Travunioidea includes 77 species/subspecies in 24 genera classified into three families, the Travuniidae Absolon & Kratochvíl, 1932 (including the historical Travuniidae, Cladonychiidae Hadži, 1935, and Briggsidae Özdikmen & Demir, 2008 as subfamilies), Paranonychidae Briggs, 1971, and Nippononychidae Suzuki, 1975.…”