Cosmetidae is a family of
harvestmen in the suborder
Laniatores. With over 700 species, it is one of the largest families in
Opiliones. They are endemic of the
New World with a
Nearctic-
Neotropical distribution where a large fraction of the diversity of Opiliones are represented by this single family.
Cosmetidae have the northern extent of their range into the USA, where a small number species occur in the southern states. However, the family is especially diverse in
Mexico,
Central America and northern
South America; especially the Andean realms. Their range also extends further south into
Argentina and southern
Brazil, but they are absent in
Chile. Cosmetidae are prevalent in Amazonian region, but only relatively few also occur in
Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Several species are also found in the
Caribbean.
Description
This family comprises members that may have elaborate white or yellow (but rarely also green/orange/red) markings such as stripes and spots on the dorsal body and peculiar pedipalps strongly compressed and applied on the chelicerae.
Some aspects of diagnosis are as follows
Eye mound is very low, saddle shaped, placed on middle of cephalothorax, each ocular globe bears a crest of small pointed tubercles or is smooth. Ozopores slit-like, one opening partially covered by tubercle of coxa II. Scutal areas are often indistinct; sometimes the sulci can be distinguished by color pattern or absence of tubercles; scutum and tergites are typically weakly armed.
Genitalia. Penis are standard gonyleptoid and very conservative, with rectangular ventral plate, puffed sac-glans, well-developed thumb-like dorsal process.
See more details in Kury & Pinto-da-Rocha (2007).
Etymology
The family name is derived from the
type genusCosmetus, which is from the
Greekkosmetós 'ornate'.
Taxonomy
As of 2006, there are 125 genera and 712 species described. Most species belong to Cynorta (153 spp), Paecilaema (102 spp), Flirtea and Erginulus (30 spp each). However, there is no reason to believe most of genera of cosmetids are natural groups, except for a few like Metavononoides, Cosmetus (Kury, 2003) and Roquettea (Ferreira & Kury 2010). Attempts to organize the family in supra-specific units are hindered by the poorly resolved basic taxonomy.
Ferreira, C.P. & Kury, A.B. (2010). A Review of Roquettea, with Description of Three New Brazilian Species and Notes on Gryne (Opiliones,Cosmetidae, Discosomaticinae). Zoological Sciences,, 27: 697 - 708.
Kury, A.B. (2003). Annotated catalogue of the Laniatores of the New World (Arachnida, Opiliones). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, vol. especial monográfico, 1: 1-337.
Kury, A.B. & Pinto-da-Rocha, R. (2007). Cosmetidae Koch, 1839. pp 182–185. In: Pinto-da-Rocha, R., G. Machado & G. Giribet (eds.). Harvestmen: the biology of the Opiliones. Harvard University Press, Cambridge and London. x + 597 pages.