
Belongs within: Sclerosomatidae.
Melanopa is a genus of sclerosomatid harvestmen known from southern and eastern Asia. It is characterised by the presence of a pseudoarticular nodule on femur I, a median spine on scute II, and femora I and III that are shorter than the body, but the monophyly of the genus as a whole is suspect (Zhang & Zhang 2013).
Characters (from Roewer 1955): Femora I–IV with 0.1.00 nodules; median spine(s) present on area 2 of scutum only or on both areas 1 and 2; eyemound dorsally smooth or granular, without larger, prominent, single spines; femora I and III cylindrical, shorter than body.
<==Melanopa Thorell 1889R55 |--*M. plebeja Thorell 1889R55 [=Gagrella plebejaR23] |--M. asperula Roewer 1955R55 |--M. atrata (Stoliczka 1868)ZZ13 [=Gagrella atrataR23] |--M. cinctipes Banks 1930R55 |--M. diluta Roewer 1929R55 |--M. fragilis (With 1903)ZZ13 [=Gagrella fragilisM87] |--M. grandis Roewer 1910 (see below for synonymy)ZZ13 |--M. guttata (Karsch 1881)R55 [=Gagrella guttataR23] |--M. hansenii (With 1903)R55 [=Gagrella hanseniiR23] |--M. hirta (With 1903)ZZ13 [=Gagrella hirtaM87; incl. M. fragilis luteomaculata Roewer 1911M87] |--M. impressata Roewer 1955R55 |--M. laciniipes Roewer 1955R55 |--M. maculipes Banks 1930R55 |--M. matherania Roewer 1915R55 |--M. nigra Roewer 1955R55 |--M. nigripes Banks 1930R55 |--M. ovata Sato & Suzuki 1938R55 |--M. peguana Roewer 1955R55 |--M. rugosa Roewer 1955R55 |--M. satoi Roewer 1955R55 |--M. scabra Roewer 1912R55 |--M. similaris Roewer 1955R55 |--M. sumatrana Suzuki 1982ZZ13 |--M. thienemanni Roewer 1931R55 |--M. transversalis Roewer 1912ZZ13 (see below for synonymy) |--M. tristis Thorell 1889R55 [=Gagrella tristisR23] |--M. trochanteralis Roewer 1955R55 |--M. unicolor Roewer 1912R55 |--M. varians (With 1903)ZZ13 [=Gagrella variansM87] | |--M. v. variansR23 | `--M. v. ‘dentata’ (With 1903) [=Gagrella varians dentata non G. dentata With 1903]R23 |--M. vittata Roewer 1910R55 |--M. wangi Zhu & Song 1999ZS99 |--M. yuennanensis Roewer 1910R55 `--M. zhui Zhang & Zhang 2013ZZ13 Nomen nudum: Melanopa ephippiatus Kishida 1934TM00
Melanopa grandis Roewer 1910 [incl. Gagrella crassitarsi Ha, Bae et al. 2004, Metagagrella damila Šilhavý 1976, Met. ussuriensis Redikorzew 1936]ZZ13
Melanopa transversalis Roewer 1912ZZ13 [incl. M. biceps Roewer 1929M87, Gagrella fragilis bispinosa With 1903 non G. feae bispinosa Thorell 1889M87, M. fragilis bispinosaM87]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[M87] Martens, J. 1987. Opiliones aus dem Nepal-Himalaya. VI. Gagrellinae (Arachnida: Phalangiidae). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 93: 87–202.
[R23] Roewer, C.-F. 1923. Die Weberknechte der Erde: Systematische Bearbeitung der bisher bekannnten Opiliones. Gustav Fischer: Jena.
[R55] Roewer, C. F. 1955. Indoaustralische Gagrellinae (Opiliones, Arachnidae). (Weitere Weberknechte XVIII). 3. Teil. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36 (1–2): 71–121.
[TM00] Tsurusaki, N., & H. Minato. 2000. Opiliones of Wakayama Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. Nankiseibutu 42 (1): 3–8.
[ZZ13] Zhang, C., & F. Zhang. 2013. Notes on some species of the genus Melanopa (Opiliones: Sclerosomatidae: Gagrellinae) from China, with description of a new species. Journal of Arachnology 41: 306–318.
[ZS99] Zhu M.-S. & Song D.-X. 1999. Two species of harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones: Phalangidae) from China. Journal of Hebei University 19 (2): 159–162.