A Chaos of Delight

Mite harvestmen

 
 
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Cyphophthalmi, sironids or Mite Harvestmen

Mite harvestmen are little known cryptic arachnids, although almost worldwide in distribution, except for the continent of Antarctica. They're otherwise known as Sironids or Cyphophthalmi. They are a suborder of Opiliones, but usually much smaller than their long-legged cousins- between 1.5 and 5mm big. As the common name suggests, they bear more than a passing resemblance to mites, including having a tiny size. They can be often mistaken for Opilioacarids, although unrelated. Interestingly, like all Opiliones, they are more closely related to scorpions than spiders. They are extremely dispersal-limited, meaning that each species, with a few exceptions, is limited to a very small area. Not surprisingly, perhaps, their movements are sloth-like slow.
They live in the leaf litter of undisturbed, temperate, sub-tropical and tropical forests across the world, only needing very small preserved areas in which to survive.

The family Pettalidae, of which the orangey-brown Austropurcellia species from North Queensland below belongs to, has a wonderfully textbook Gondwanan range, only being found in parts of Australia, New Zealand, Chili, South Africa and Sri Lanka. 

Genus Austropurcellia, family Pettalidae, from under a log, Kuranda, N. Queensland, Australia

The two yellowish bulbs seen on either side of the Austropurcellia are not eyes, but in fact elevated cones called ozophores, at the top of which are defensive scent glands, called ozopores. The cones are unique to Cyphophthalmi. Most species have rudimentary eyes, situated at the base of the ozophores.

Juvenile Cyphophthalmi species from Punakaiki, New Zealand

Cyphophthalmus duricorius from Golovec (Park), Ljubljana, Slovenia, April 2017

Juvenile Cyphophthalmus duricorius from Golovec (Park), Ljubljana, Slovenia, April 2017

Juvenile Cyphophthalmus duricorius from Golovec (Park), Ljubljana, Slovenia, April 2017

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