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1 April 2012 New species of mite harvestmen from the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia, with commentary on biogeography of the genus Austropurcellia (Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi: Pettalidae)
Sarah L. Boyer, Catherine N. Reuter
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Abstract

Cyphophthalmi, commonly known as mite harvestmen, are a suborder of cryptic Opiliones with a global distribution. The genus Austropurcellia Juberthie 1988 is a lineage of mite harvestmen currently known from a small number of localities in the forests of Queensland, Australia. We describe four new species of Austropurcellia (A. alata, A. culminis, A. despectata, and A. vicina) from museum lots; each new species is known from only a single collection and few specimens. We present the first key to the species of Austropurcellia, a catalogue of known collecting localities, and a distribution map. Although our current knowledge of the diversity and distribution of this genus is certainly incomplete, it is clear that these narrow-range endemics have great potential as a system for understanding the role of historical forest fragmentation in the evolution of rainforest animals.

Sarah L. Boyer and Catherine N. Reuter "New species of mite harvestmen from the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia, with commentary on biogeography of the genus Austropurcellia (Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi: Pettalidae)," The Journal of Arachnology 40(1), 96-112, (1 April 2012). https://doi.org/10.1636/Ha11-44.1
Published: 1 April 2012
KEYWORDS
biodiversity
dispersal
Endemism
evolution
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