Assamiidae
Encyclopedia
Assamiidae, with more than 400 described species, is the third most diverse family of the Suborder Laniatores
.
n province Assam
, where the type species of the type genus (Assamia westermanni) was collected.
, and are completely absent from Madagascar
and Europe
, with most species found in Africa
and southern Asia
. Although they are also not found on the Pacific islands, the subfamily Dampetrinae has radiated in Australia
, New Guinea
, and somewhat in Indonesia
.
The dampetrines are endemic to Australia and New Guinea.
The Assamiinae occur mostly in India
and Nepal
.
The Trionyxellinae have a pseudonychium (a median tarsal claw on the third and fourth leg tarsi) and are found in India and Sri Lanka
.
The Erecinae live in central Africa.
The small, blind Irumuinae dwell in caves
and soil
.
For a list of currently described species with the traditional groupings into subfamilies, see the List of Assamiidae species.
. The spiny funnel on the penis
is very similar to those of Stygnopsidae
from Mexico
. Mello-Leitão
erected the Trionyxellidae for four subfamilies of Assamiidae in 1949, but this was ignored by later authors.
Laniatores
Laniatores is the largest suborder of the arachnid order Opiliones with over 4,000 described species worldwide. The majority of the species are highly dependent on humid environments and usually correlated with tropical and temperate forest habitats....
.
Name
The family name is derived from the IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n province Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, where the type species of the type genus (Assamia westermanni) was collected.
Description
These harvestmen range in body length from two to eight millimeters. The length of their legs ranges from four to forty millimeters, though they are usually long. Assamiidae are usually reddish brown to yellow with black mottling and reticulation. Some species have white drawings on the dorsal scutum.Distribution
Assamiidae only occur in the Old WorldOld World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
, and are completely absent from Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with most species found in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Although they are also not found on the Pacific islands, the subfamily Dampetrinae has radiated in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, and somewhat in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Subtaxa
Although Roewer established numerous subfamilies for this group, most of these are unsupported. There are at least five great groups, whose boundaries do not coincide with these subfamilies.The dampetrines are endemic to Australia and New Guinea.
The Assamiinae occur mostly in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
The Trionyxellinae have a pseudonychium (a median tarsal claw on the third and fourth leg tarsi) and are found in India and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
The Erecinae live in central Africa.
The small, blind Irumuinae dwell in caves
Speleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...
and soil
Soil food web
The soil food web is the community of organisms living all or part of their lives in the soil. It describes a complex living system in the soil and how it interacts with the environment, plants, and animals....
.
For a list of currently described species with the traditional groupings into subfamilies, see the List of Assamiidae species.
Relationships
The Assamidae are possibly the sister group to the GonyleptoideaGonyleptoidea
Gonyleptoidea is the most diverse superfamily of the Grassatores. It includes around 2,500 species distributed in the tropics. They are characterized by the simplified male genitalia, with the glans free subapical in the truncus....
. The spiny funnel on the penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
is very similar to those of Stygnopsidae
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:...
from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Mello-Leitão
Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão
Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão, , was a Brazilian zoologist who is considered the founder of Arachnology in South America, publishing 198 papers on the taxonomy of Arachnida...
erected the Trionyxellidae for four subfamilies of Assamiidae in 1949, but this was ignored by later authors.