Cyphophthalmi

Cyphophthalmi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Opiliones
Suborder:	Cyphophthalmi Simon, 1879
Superfamilies
Stylocelloidea Ogoveoidea Sironoidea
Diversity
6 families, > 100 species

The Cyphophthalmi are a suborder of harvestmen, with about 36 genera, and more than hundred described species. The six families are currently grouped into two infraorders, the Tropicophthalmi and the Temperophthalmi; however, these are not supported by modern phylogenetic analysis.

They are smaller than the more familiar "daddy long-legs" harvestmen, with adults ranging from 1 to 6mm, including legs. Moreover, their legs are comparatively short compared to their body length, typically shorter than the body. Some superficially resemble mites. Their coloration is almost always some shade of brown, with a heavily sclerotized body, and they are quite inconspicuous, residing in leaf litter or in caves.^[1] Many cyphophthalmids are eyeless, and presumably rely on olfactory cues to find food and mates. Their scent glands are located on special elevated cones called ozophores. They have low dispersal rates and consequently high endemism.^[2]

Relationships

Cyphophthalmi are one of the two lineages of harvestmen, the other, containing the Laniatores, Dyspnoi and Eupnoi is also called Phalangida.^[1] Although they are grouped into the infraorders Temperophthalmi and Tropicophthalmi, this division is not supported by either molecular or morphological data.^[3] DNA sequence data suggests that Neogoveidae and Troglosironidae form a monophyletic group.^[4]

Distribution

Cyphophthalmi are found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, where they probably also once lived. As they did not disperse onto any oceanic islands, and it is believed that they did not travel between separate landmasses, they make an interesting subject for biogeography. Each of the six currently recognized families has a distinct distribution:^[5]

• the Stylocellidae are found from India to New Guinea
• the Ogoveidae occur in West Africa
• the Neogoveidae only occur between Florida and Ecuador, and western equatorial Africa
• the Pettalidae are found in South America, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand (Gondwana distribution)
• the Sironidae show a Laurasian distribution, with most members found in temperate Europe and the west coast of North America
• and the Troglosironidae are restricted to New Caledonia. Although they occur in the same region as some Pettalidae, the two are not closely related.

Colombia shows the largest diversity of Cyphophthalmi among countries in South America. This could reflect the large number of ecosystems found there, but could also be due to a high rate of sampling in this country.^[6]

Fossil Record

One fossil cyphophthalmid assigned to a modern genus, Siro platypedibus Dunlop & Gribet, 2003 (Sironidae), has been described from the ?Oligocene Bitterfeld amber of eastern Germany. A second fossil, Palaeosiro burmanicum Poinar, 2008, has been described from the Cretaceous Myanmar (or Burmese) amber, and was also assigned to Sironidae.

Systematics

• Tropicophthalmi

• Stylocelloidea

• Stylocellidae (5 genera, 34 species)

• Ogoveoidea

• Ogoveidae (1 genus,3 species)
• Neogoveidae (5 genera, 12 species)

• Temperophthalmi

• Sironoidea

• Pettalidae (11 genera, 35 species)
• Sironidae (8 genera, 35 species)
• Troglosironidae (1 genus, 13 species)

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b} Shultz, Jeffrey W. & Pinto-da-Rocha, Ricardo (2007): Morphology and Functional Anatomy. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 15ff
2. ^ Cyphophthalmi Research page at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology
3. ^ Giribet & Boyer 2002
4. ^ Giribet, Gonzalo & Kury, Adriano B. (2007): Phylogeny and Biogeography. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 68ff
5. ^ Giribet, Gonzalo & Kury, Adriano B. (2007): Phylogeny and Biogeography. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 79f
6. ^ Benavides & Giribet 2007

References

• Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog (2005)
• Checklist of the Cyphophthalmi species of the World
• Giribet, G. & Boyer, S. L. (2002): A cladistic analysis of the cyphophthalmid genera (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi). J. Arachnol. 30: 110-128. PDF
• Benavides, Ligia & Giribet, Gonzalo (2007): An illustrated catalogue of the South American species of the cyphophthalmid family Neogoveidae (Arthropoda, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) with a report on 37 undescribed species. Zootaxa 1509: 1-15. PDF
• Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9

Further reading

• Dunlop, Jason A. & Giribet, Gonzalo (2003): The first fossil Cyphophthalmid (Arachnida, Opiliones) from Bitterfeld Amber, Germany. The Journal of Arachnology 31: 371-381. PDF

See also

• Harvestman phylogeny

External links

• Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology: Cyphophthalmi Research page