Pseudoscorpions of the World

Last updated: 19 January 2009

Version 1.2, 2009
Text Box: Atemnidae Text Catalogue Bochicidae Text Catalogue Cheiridiidae Text Catalogue Cheliferidae Text Catalogue Chernetidae Text Catalogue Chthoniidae Text Catalogue Dracochelidae Text Catalogue Feaellidae Text Catalogue Garypidae Text Catalogue Garypinidae Text Catalogue Geogarypidae Text Catalogue Gymnobisiidae Text Catalogue Hyidae Text Catalogue Ideoroncidae Text Catalogue Larcidae Text Catalogue Lechytiidae Text Catalogue Menthidae Text Catalogue Neobisiidae Text Catalogue Olpiidae Text Catalogue Parahyidae Text Catalogue Pseudochiridiidae Text Catalogue Pseudogarypidae Text Catalogue Sternophoridae Text Catalogue Syarinidae Text Catalogue Tridenchthoniidae Text Catalogue Withiidae Text Catalogue Text Box: Home Text Box: What are pseudoscorpions? Text Box: Phylogeny Text Box: Classification & list of families Text Box: Literature Text Box: List of genera, alphabetical Text Box: Numbers of Recent taxa Text Box: Fossils Text Box: Full classification Text Box: Nomina dubia & nomina nuda Text Box: Species by country

Very few phylogenetic hypotheses have been proposed in the scientific literature. Chamberlin (1931) depicted a “scheme of classification” which was modeled on the classification that he proposed in the monograph. Some rearrangements were proposed by later authors, including the addition and deletion of families, but the overall scheme remained essentially the same.

Harvey (1992) presented a phylogenetic hypothesis based upon a cladistic analysis of 126 characters. This tree (reproduced below) proposed a number of significant changes:

· The Feaelloidea was thought to represent the sister-group to the Chthonioidea, which were united in the suborder Epiocheirata (meaning gentle hand, and referring to the lack of a venom apparatus in the chelal fingers).

· The remaining pseudoscorpions were placed in the suborder Iocheirata (meaning “poison hand” and referring to the presence of a venom apparatus in the chelal fingers).

· Within the Iocheirata, the Neobisioidea were hypothesized as the sister-group to the remaining taxa. This is in contrast to the classifications in which all pseudoscorpions with separate metatarsi and tarsi in each leg were placed in the Diplosphyronida (e.g. Chamberlin, 1930, 1931) or Neobisiinea (Beier, 1932).

· Recognition of the superfamily Olpioidea for Olpiidae and Menthidae. These families were previously treated within the Garypoidea by previous authors.

· Transfer of the Cheiridiidae and Pseudochiridiidae (part of the Cheiridioidea) to within the Garypoidea.

· Recognition of the superfamily Sternophoridea for Sternophoridae. This enigmatic family was previously regarded as a member of the Cheiridioidea by Chamberlin (1931) and all subsequent authors, despite Chamberlin’s misgivings regarding this relationship.

 

Subsequent changes

To fully clarify the current state of pseudoscorpion phylogeny and classification, the following alterations have been proposed since the publication of Harvey (1992):

· Judson (2000) disputed the synonymy of the Cheiridioidea with the Garypoidea, and revalidated the Cheiridioidea for Cheiridiidae and Pseudochiridiidae.

· Judson (2004) proposed that the Garypinidae — previously a subfamily of the Olpiidae — be recognized as a distinct family.
Text Box: Chthoniidae Text Box: Tridenchthoniidae Text Box: Lechytiidae Text Box: Feaellidae Text Box: Ideoroncidae Text Box: Pseudogarypidae Text Box: Bochicidae Text Box: Hyidae Text Box: Gymnobisiidae Text Box: Neobisiidae Text Box: Syarinidae Text Box: Parahyidae Text Box: Garypidae Text Box: Larcidae Text Box: Cheiridiidae Text Box: Pseudochiridiidae Text Box: Geogarypidae

Epiocheirata

 

Iocheirata

 
Text Box: Chthonioidea Text Box: Feaelloidea Text Box: Neobisioidea Text Box: Garypoidea Text Box: The scheme of classification proposed by Chamberlin (1931) Text Box: The phylogeny proposed by Harvey (1992) Text Box: Olpiidae Text Box: Menthidae Text Box: Sternophoridae Text Box: Withiidae Text Box: Cheliferidae Text Box: Chernetidae Text Box: Atemnidae Text Box: Olpioidea Text Box: Cheliferoidea Text Box: Sternophoroidea

Phylogeny