Family ZALMOXIDAE Sörensen, 1886

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

The Zalmoxidae were first recognised by Sörensen (1886), but the family was synonymised within the Phalangodidae by Roewer (1912, 1923). Over recent years the family Phalangodidae has been recognised as polyphyletic and has been reduced in size; many of the subfamilies included by Roewer have been elevated to family level. Starega (1989) first reinstated the Zalmoxidae and listed five genera, but was unable to provide a definitive systematic position for many other phalangodid genera, including Spalicus from Australia, which is here retained in the Phalangodidae until further research can demonstrate a better placement.

The family is limited to the Old World ranging from Mauritius to the islands of the south-western Pacific. Two Australian genera were included by Starega (1989), Zalmoxis and Bogania.

General References

Roewer, C.F. 1912. Die familien der Assamiiden und Phalangoden der Opiliones-Laniatores. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 78A: 1-242

Roewer, C.F. 1923. Die Webernechte der Erde. Jena : Gustav Fischer pp. 1-1116.

Sörensen, W. 1886. Opiliones. pp. 53-86 in Koch, L. & Keyserling, K. (eds). Die Arachniden Australiens, nach der Natur beschrieben und abgebildet. Nürnberg : Bauer & Raspe Vol. 2.

Starega, W. 1989. Harvestmen (Opiliones) from the Mascarene Islands and resurrection of the family Zalmoxidae. Annals of the Natal Museum 30: 1-8

History of changes