''Nemastomoides'' is an
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
harvestmen
The Opiliones (formerly Phalangida) are an order of arachnids colloquially known as harvestmen, harvesters, harvest spiders, or daddy longlegs. , over 6,650 species of harvestmen have been discovered worldwide, although the total number of ext ...
known from the
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...
fossil record
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
. The genus is the only member of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Nemastomoididae and contains three described species. ''Nemastomoides elaveris'' was found in the Coal Measures of
Commentry
Commentry (; Auvergnat: ''Comentriac'') is a commune in the department of Allier in central France. It lies southwest of Moulins in the valley of the Œil. It is within 8 km of one of the geographic centres of France. The film actress Y ...
in northern France, together with ''
Eotrogulus fayoli
''Eotrogulus'' is an extinct genus of harvestmen known from the Carboniferous fossil record. The genus is the only member of the family Eotrogulidae and contains one species ''Eotrogulus fayoli''. ''Eotrogulus'' was found in the Coal Measures o ...
''.
Alexander Petrunkevitch
Alexander Ivanovitch Petrunkevitch (Russian: Александр Иванович Петрункевич, December 22, 1875 in Plysky near Kyiv, now Ukraine – March 9, 1964 in New Haven) was an eminent Russian arachnologist of his time. From ...
described two fossil harvestmen from
Mazon Creek
The Mazon Creek fossil beds are a conservation ' found near Morris, in Grundy County, Illinois. The fossils are preserved in ironstone concretions, formed approximately in the mid- Pennsylvanian epoch of the Carboniferous period. These concreti ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, United States, in 1913 in the genus ''Protopilio'', but later synonymized the two with the genus ''Nemastomoides''.
While ''N. longipes'' is a harvestman with long legs and a segmented oval body, ''N. depressus'' is in reality not a harvestman, but a poorly preserved
phalangiotarbid.
[Dunlop, Jason A. (2007): Paleontology. In: Pinto-da-Rocha ''et al.'' 2007: 255]
While the Nemastomoididae are currently included in the harvestman suborder
Dyspnoi
Dyspnoi is a suborder of harvestmen, currently comprising 43 extant genera and 356 extant species, although more species are expected to be described in the future. The eight families are currently grouped into three superfamilies: the Acropsopil ...
, they look more like
Eupnoi
The Eupnoi are a suborder of harvestmen, with more than 200 genera, and about 1,700 described species.
They consist of two superfamilies, the Phalangioidea with many long-legged species common to northern temperate regions, and the small group C ...
.
[
]
Species
* '' Nemastomoides elaveris'' Thevenin, 1901
* '' Nemastomoides longipes'' (Petrunkevitch, 1913)
Not a harvestman, but a phalangiotarbid:
* '' Nemastomoides depressus'' (Petrunkevitch, 1913)
Footnotes
References
* Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog
Nemastomoididae
* Thevenin, A. (1901): Sur la découverte d'arachnides dans le terrain houiller de Commentry. ''Bull Soc Géol. Fr.'' 4(1): 605-611.
* Petrunkevitch, A. I. (1955): Arachnida. pp. 42–162 in ''Treatise on Invertebrate Palaeontology
The ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology'' (or ''TIP'') published by the Geological Society of America and the University of Kansas Press, is a definitive multi-authored work of some 50 volumes, written by more than 300 paleontologists, and co ...
'', part P. ''Arthropoda 2'' (R. C. Moore, ed.). Geological Society of America & University of Kansas Press, Lawrence.
* Pinto-da-Rocha, R., Machado, G. & Giribet, G. (eds.) (2007): Harvestmen - The Biology of Opiliones. ''Harvard University Press''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3021518
Carboniferous arthropods
Harvestmen
Carboniferous arachnids
Fossils of the United States