Agoristenidae are a neotropical harvestman family of the Suborder Laniatores, in the superfamily Gonyleptoidea.

Agoristenidae
Scientific classification
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Agoristenidae

Šilhavý, 1973
Species

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Diversity
27 genera, > 78 species

Name

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The name of the type genus is a combination of Ancient Greek agora "gathering" and stenos "few", referring to the rarity of the family at the time of its discovery.[1]

Description

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These harvestmen range in body length from two to about five millimeters. Their coloring ranges from yellowish to dark brown. Some show yellow stripes or white or green patches.[1]

Distribution

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The subfamily Agoristeninae is endemic to the Greater Antilles. The other subfamilies have been found from northern South America.

Relationships

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In older schemes, the now obsolete "Zamorinae" were the basal clade, with Agoristeninae and Leiosteninae as sister groups. Agoristeninae is sister group to all Gonyleptoidea except Stygnopsidae.[1]

Stygnopsidae

Agoristenidae

"Zamorinae"

Agoristeninae

Leiosteninae

other Gonyleptoidea

(after Kury 1997b, 1997c)

Species

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Agoristeninae

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Globibuninae

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Leiosteninae

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Agoristenidae Insertae sedis

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Excluded from Agoristenidae, now placed elsewhere:

References

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  1. ^ a b c Pinto-da-Rocha, Ricardo & Kury, Adriano B. (2007): Agoristenidae Šilhavý, 1973. In: Pinto-da-Rocha et al. 2007: 171ff

Further reading

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  • Kury, Adriano B. (1997b): A new subfamily of Agoristenidae, with comments on suprageneric relationships of the family (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores). Trop. Zool. 10: 333-346.
  • Kury, Adriano B. (1997c): Os Stygnopsidae na filogenia de Gonyleptoidea, com comentários sobre a biogeografia da superfamilia. P. 30 in Actas del Primer Encuentro de Aracnólogos del Cono Sur. Montevideo, Uruguay.
  • Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. Harvard University Press ISBN 0-674-02343-9
  • Pinto-da-Rocha, R. and Hara, M.R. (2010) : New familial assignments for three species of Neotropical harvestmen based on cladistic analysis (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores). Zootaxa, 2241: 33–46.
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