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Giant Laotian harvestman | |
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Scientific classification | |
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Genus: | Possibly
Gagrella
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The giant Laotian harvestman is the unofficial name for an as-yet undescribed species of Opiliones belonging to the family Sclerosomatidae. The species was discovered in April 2012 near a cave in the southern province of Khammouan, by Dr. Peter Jäger of the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, whilst shooting a television documentary about the wildlife of Laos.
The giant Laotian harvestman dwells inside the caves of Laos, and has a leg span stretching just over 330 millimeters (13 inches), thus making it the second largest harvestman discovered so far – surpassed only by another species in South America. [1]
Predators of the giant Laotian harvestman most likely include the larger but not as lengthy giant huntsman spider ( Heteropoda maxima), the centipede Thereuopoda longicornis, [2] other larger arthropods in terms of body mass (such as other predatory centipedes, huntsman spiders and larger arachnids), and small cave mammals.
As of 2012 [update], giant Laotian harvestman is still undescribed, lacking a scientific name. Opiliones taxonomist Dr. Ana Lúcia Tourinho concluded that it likely belongs to the genus Gagrella; additional samples have been collected and preserved in ethanol to allow their DNA to be sequenced to test this. [1] [3]