Stygnopsidae


The Stygnopsidae are a small family of harvestmen, with almost all species found in Mexico.

Name

The name of the type genus Stygnopsis is combined from the genus Stygnus and Ancient Greek opsis, "looks like".

Description

The body length of these harvestmen ranges from 2.5 to 7 mm. Their color ranges from dark brown to black, with much lighter appendages. Cave-dwelling species are pale light brown.

Distribution

As in other Laniatores, most species have narrow distributions. Almost all species occur in Mexico, with some found in the southern USA, and Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize.

Relationships

could be the sister group to Gonyleptoidea sensu lato, with the Stygnopsidae the sister group to the rest of Gonyleptoidea. Although they reach into the Nearctic, they are more closely related to neotropical harvestmen.

Species