Sabaconidae


Sabaconidae is a family of harvestmen with 57 described species in one genus, Sabacon, which is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Name

The name of the type genus is derived from "Sabacon", an Egyptian king.

Description

This family is very easily recognizable on the basis of the unique pedipalp morphology, which is densely covered in plumose setae, and features a concave depression on the tibia, and a bulbous tarsus, which fits snugly into the tibial depression.

Distribution

Sabaconidae exhibits a wide, yet highly disjunct, distribution. Species can be found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, though individual species usually have very restricted distributions.

Fossil Record

There is one species, Sabacon bachofeni Roewer, 1939, known from Baltic amber.

Relationships

Sabaconidae belongs to the superfamily Ischyropsalidoidea. The family originally consisted of just the genus *Sabacon*, though *Taracus* was later added to the family. *Hesperonemastoma* was later moved to this family, as well, after molecular studies confirmed that this genus was closely related to *Taracus*. However, a new family, Taracidae, was later erected for *Hesperonemastoma* and *Taracus*, leaving Sabaconidae once again monogeneric. Currently, Sabaconidae is thought to be most closely related to Taracidae, and more distantly to Ischyropsalididae.
The internal relationships of Sabaconidae are not fully understood. Generally, species within a geographical region form a clade, with the exception of *Sabacon cavicolens*, which belongs to a clade with the European species.

Species

There are currently 57 described species, 2 of which are subdivided into 2 subspecies.