The Pettalidae are a family of harvestmen with 75 described species in 10 genera.[1] Several undescribed species are known or assumed in some genera.[2]
Pettalus is a name from Greek mythology that appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses.[2]
All species except the cave-dwelling South African Speleosiro argasiformis spend their entire life cycle in leaf litter.
They are two to five millimeters long, usually with an oval shaped body.
Although all Pettalidae except Parapurcellia have eyes, these were long thought to be absent in the family, mainly because they cannot be seen by scanning electron microscopy. They are often incorporated at the base of the ozophores and typically lack lenses.[1]
The members of this family are distributed throughout former temperate Gondwana, with genera in Chile, South Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, eastern and western Australia, and New Zealand, where they are most diverse by far, with 29 species and subspecies found in three genera.[2]
Parapurcellia (eastern South Africa)
Neopurcellia (New Zealand)
Rakaia (New Zealand)
Aoraki (New Zealand)
Purcellia (western South Africa)
Chileogovea (Chile)
Karripurcellia (Western Australia)
Pettalus (Sri Lanka)
Austropurcellia (Queensland)
Phylogeny of most Pettalidae(after Boyer & Giribet 2007)The family Pettalidae is monophyletic, although it is at the moment (2007) unclear what the nearest relatives are. It probably originated in the southern part of Gondwana.[1] Parsimony analysis suggests it could be a sister group to the remaining Cyphophthalmi, though this could also be the case for the Stylocellidae,[1] or it could be related to the Sironidae, or specifically to the sironid genus Suzukielus.[2] It is unrelated to the Troglosironidae that are endemic to New Caledonia.
The main lineages of the family may have arisen rapidly, possibly during the rapid expansion of Glossopteris forests that were predominant in temperate Gondwana. Pettalidae were likely present throughout the forests of Antarctica, which formed a land bridge between Australia and South America up until circa 50 million years ago (mya).
The Australian genera Austropurcellia (Eastern Australia: Queensland) and Karripurcellia (Western Australia) are not sister groups. It is possible that the Cyphophthalmi dispersed across Australia while the central region was covered with Nothofagus rainforest (until 37 mya), or that the ancestors of the two genera independently dispersed from adjacent landmasses now separate from Australia.[1]
Parapurcellia from eastern South Africa is sister to all other Pettalidae, while Purcellia from western South Africa is sister to the Chilean Chileogovea. Western South Africa and southern South America were last connected during the Late Jurassic, about 150 mya. Likewise, the monotypic Neopurcellia from New Zealand appears as the sister group to all Pettalidae except for Parapurcellia, instead of being monophyletic with the other two New Zealand genera, which themselves appear as sister groups in Bayesian analysis, but not in direct optimization parsimony analyses.[1]
The family Pettalidae contains the following genera and species:[3][4]
The Pettalidae are a family of harvestmen with 75 described species in 10 genera. Several undescribed species are known or assumed in some genera.
Les Pettalidae sont une famille d'opilions cyphophthalmes, la seule de l'infra-ordre des Scopulophthalmi. On connaît 80 espèces dans dix genres.
Les espèces de cette famille se rencontrent en Nouvelle-Zélande, en Australie, au Chili, en Afrique du Sud, à Madagascar et au Sri Lanka[1].
Selon World Catalogue of Opiliones (15/04/2021)[2] :
Les Pettalidae sont une famille d'opilions cyphophthalmes, la seule de l'infra-ordre des Scopulophthalmi. On connaît 80 espèces dans dix genres.
Pettalidae er en gruppe av edderkoppdyr som tilhører ordenen vekjerringer (Opiliones).
Små (kroppslengde 2-5 mm) vevkjerringer med forholdsvis korte bein og oval kropp. De fleste har øyne men disse er lite synlige.
Alle artene bortsett fra den hulelevende Speleosiro argasiformis lever mellom løvstrø.
Familien er utbredt i tempererte områder på den sørlige halvkulen: sørligste Sør-Amerika, Sør-Afrika, Madagaskar, Australia og New Zealand. Dessuten er den funnet på Sri Lanka.
Pettalidae er en gruppe av edderkoppdyr som tilhører ordenen vekjerringer (Opiliones).
Pettalidae - rodzina pajęczaków z rzędu kosarzy i podrzędu Cyphophthalmi zawierająca 52 opisane gatunki i podgatunki z 11 rodzajów[1][2].
Przedstawiciele tej rodziny posiadają zazwyczaj owalnego kształtu ciało długości od 2 do 5 mm. Rodzaj Parapurciella jest bezoki, pozostałe zaś posiadają oczy, są one jednak nie widoczne pod skaningowym mikroskopem elektronowym z powodu umiejscowienia w podstawie ozoforu i częstego braku soczewki[2].
Kosarze te są rozprzestrzenione po całym terenie dawnej Gondwany. Występują w Chile, Południowej Afryce, na Sri Lance i Madagaskarze, w zachodniej i wschodniej Australii, a najliczniej na Nowej Zelandii[2].
Pattalidae są rodziną monofiletyczną, jednak ich pokrewieństwo z innymi grupami w 2007 roku było nadal niejasne. Ich ojczyzną jest prawdopodobnie południowa część Gondwany. Badania molekularne sugerują pokrewieństwo z Stylocellidae lub Sironidae[2], szczególnie z rodzajem Suzukielus[1].
Nazwa rodzajowa Pettalus pochodzi z mitologii greckiej, z Metamorfoz Owidiusza[1].
Rodzina liczy 11 rodzajów i 60 gatunków[3].
Pettalidae - rodzina pajęczaków z rzędu kosarzy i podrzędu Cyphophthalmi zawierająca 52 opisane gatunki i podgatunki z 11 rodzajów.
Pettalidae (лат.) — семейство паукообразных из подотряда Cyphophthalmi отряда сенокосцев. Включает около 75 видов.
Южная Америка, Южная Африка, Мадагаскар, Шри-Ланка, Австралия, Новая Зеландия[1].
Мелкие сенокосцы с короткими ногами, похожие на клещей. Имеют длину тела от 2 до 5 мм. Глаза развиты у всех родов (но малозаметные, расположены у основания озофоров и обычно без линз), кроме слепых Parapurcellia. Все виды, кроме обитающих в пещерах южноафриканских Speleosiro argasiformis, проводят весь свой жизненный цикл в опавших листьях[1].
Parapurcellia (Южная Африка)
Neopurcellia (Новая Зеландия)
Rakaia (Новая Зеландия)
Aoraki (Новая Зеландия)
Purcellia (Южная Африка)
Chileogovea (Чили)
Karripurcellia (Австралия)
Pettalus (Шри-Ланка)
Austropurcellia (Австралия)
В семейство включают около 75 видов в следующих родах[2][3][4]:
Pettalidae (лат.) — семейство паукообразных из подотряда Cyphophthalmi отряда сенокосцев. Включает около 75 видов.