Pseudoscorpions of the World

Last updated: 19 January 2009

Version 1.2, 2009

PALAEOZOIC

 

Gilboa, New York (Middle Devonian)

             Dracochelidae

                          Dracochela deprehendor Schawaller, Shear and Bonamo 1991

 

MESOZOIC

 

Burmese Amber (possibly Upper Cretaceous)          

             Garypinidae

                          Amblyolpium burmiticum (Cockerell 1920)

             Cheiridiidae        

                          Electrobisium acutum Cockerell, 1917

 

TERTIARY

 

Baltic Amber (Eocene)

             Chthoniidae

                          Chthonius (Chthonius) mengei Beier 1937

                          Chthonius (Chthonius) pristinus Schawaller 1978

             Tridenchthoniidae

                          Chelignathus kochii Menge 1854

             Pseudogarypidae

                          Pseudogarypus extensus Beier 1937

                          Pseudogarypus hemprichii (C.L. Koch and Berendt 1854)

                          Pseudogarypus minor Beier 1947

                          Pseudogarypus pangaea Henderickx 2006

             Neobisiidae

                          Microcreagris koellnerorum Schawaller 1978

                          Neobisium (Neobisium) exstinctum Beier 1955

                          Neobisium henderickxi Judson 2003

                          Roncus succineus Beier 1955

             Garypinidae

                          Garypinus electri Beier 1937

             Geogarypidae

                          Geogarypus gorskii Henderickx 2005

                          Geogarypus macrodactylus Beier 1937

                          Geogarypus major Beier 1937

             Cheiridiidae        

                          Cheiridium hartmanni (Menge 1854)

             Atemnidae

                          Progonatemnus succineus Beier 1955

             Cheliferidae

                          Dichela berendtii Menge 1854

                          Dichela gracilis (Beier 1937)

                          Dichela granulatus (Beier 1937)

                          Dichela serratidentatus (Beier 1937)

                          Electrochelifer bachofeni Beier 1947

                          Electrochelifer balticus Beier 1955

                          Electrochelifer mengei Beier 1937

                          Electrochelifer rapulitarsus Beier 1947

                          Pycnochelifer kleemanni (C.L. Koch and Berendt 1854)

             Chernetidae

                          Oligochernes bachofeni Beier 1937

                          Oligochernes wigandi (Menge 1854)

             Withiidae

                          Beierowithius sieboldtii (Menge 1854)

 

Chinese Amber (Eocene)

             Cheliferidae

                          Trachychelifer liaoningense Hong 1983

 

 

Dominican Amber (Miocene)

             Chthoniidae

                          Pseudochthonius squamosus Schawaller 1980

             Lechytiidae

                          Lechytia tertiaria Schawaller 1980

             Cheiridiidae

                          Cryptocheiridium antiquum Schawaller 1981

             Pseudochiridiidae

                          Pseudochiridium lindae Judson 2007

             Sternophoridae

                          Idiogarypops pumilus Hoff 1963 (also Recent)

             Chernetidae

                          Pachychernes effossus Schawaller 1980

 

 

 

Fossil fauna

 

The majority of recorded pseudoscorpion fossils are derived from Tertiary ambers as Baltic, Romanian, Mexican, Dominican or Chinese deposits. Three identified pseudoscorpions have been recorded from Mesozoic ambers, Amblyolpium burmiticum [redescribed by Judson (2000)], Electrobisium acutum from Myanmar amber, and an undescribed chernetid from Canadian amber (Schawaller, 1991a). Other Cretaceous pseudoscorpions have been reported from Lebanon (Whalley, 1980), U.S.A. (Grimaldi et al., 2002) and France (Perrichot, 2004).

Of greatest interest was the discovery by Shear et al. (1989) and Schawaller et al. (1991) of a remarkable pseudoscorpion from the Palaeozoic—Dracochela deprehendor. Despite its great age, it shares numerous similarities with modern chthonioids.