Belongs within: Samooidea.
Metabiantes is an southern African genus of harvestmen, most species of which are only known from limited distributions.
Meet Metabiantes
Published 26 June 2015
The handsome fellow in the photo above represents a species of the genus Metabiantes, currently the largest recognised African genus of harvestmen in the family Biantidae. Metabiantes species are currently recognised from the greater part of sub-Saharan Africa, with species known from as far north as Kenya on the east coast and the Ivory Coast in the west (Staręga 1992). The bulk of study on this genus, however, has focused on the South African species. Kauri (1961) divided the southern African species between two groups based on genital morphology. Schönhofer (2008) recorded that the widespread Transvaal species M. leighi inhabits leaf litter in evergreen forests. It seems to inhabit slightly drier microhabitats than other harvestmen in the area.
Compared to many other harvestmen, Metabiantes species do not show a high degree of sexual dimorphism. The males’ chelicerae tend to be a bit larger, and consequently the front of the carapace tends to be a bit broader (Schönhofer 2008). In some species, the metatarsus of the males’ second leg bears a series of teeth (Lawrence 1937). While I haven’t found any explicit investigation of the role that such modifications play, the fact that the second legs in harvestmen fill a sensory function (being used much like the antennae in insects) provides a likely suggestion.
Systematics of Metabiantes
Characters (from Kauri 1961): Eyes widely separated in posterior part of cephalothorax, common ocularium absent. Anterior edge of cephalothorax bearing median frontal mound of varying height and size. Scutum with five distinct areas, the 3rd to 4th of those with a larger pair of granules or spines in the middle. First cheliceral segemnt arched distodorsally and forming a hood. Pedipalp femur with large spine on basal quarter, another smaller more proximal spine also present (readily visible only in larger species). Patella with apical retrolateral spine, tibia and tarsus with two spines on both sides. Tarsal formula of legs 3-5-5-5. Distitarsus I with two and II with three segments. Tarsus I and II with simple claws, tarsus III and IV with scopula and double claws. Third ventral coxal plate with a series of teeth on anterior and posterior edges. Stigmata hidden.
<==Metabiantes Roewer 1915S92 [incl. Spinibiantes Roewer 1915L31] |--*M. pusulosus (Loman 1898) [=Biantes pusulosus]S92 |--M. armatus Lawrence 1962S92 |--M. barbertonensis Lawrence 1963S92 |--M. basutoanus Kauri 1961S92 |--M. cataracticus Kauri 1961S92 |--M. convexus Roewer 1949 [=Hinzuanius convexus]S92 |--M. filipes (Roewer 1912) [=Biantes filipes]S92 |--M. flavus Lawrence 1949 [=M. flava]S92 |--M. hanstroemi Kauri 1961S92 |--M. incertus Kauri 1961L02 |--M. insulanus (Roewer 1949) [=Spinibiantes insulanus]S92 |--M. jeanneli (Roewer 1913) [=Biantes jeanneli, Hinzuanius jeanneli]S92 |--M. kakololius Kauri 1985S92 |--M. kosibaiensis Kauri 1961S92 |--M. lawrencei Staręga 1992 [=M. obscurus Lawrence 1962 non Kauri 1961]S92 |--M. leighi (Pocock 1902)S92 (see below for synonymy) |--M. litoralis Kauri 1961S92 |--M. longipalpis Kauri 1985GV09 |--M. longipes Kauri 1985S92 |--M. machadoi Lawrence 1957S92 |--M. meraculus (Loman 1898) [=Biantes meraculus; incl. M. maximus Lawrence 1931]S92 |--M. minutus Kauri 1985S92 |--M. montanus Kauri 1985S92 |--M. obscurus Kauri 1961S92 |--M. parvulus Kauri 1985S92 |--M. perustus Lawrence 1963S92 |--M. pumilio Roewer 1927S92 |--M. punctatus (Sørensen 1910) [=Biantes punctatus, Hinzuanius punctatus]S92 |--M. rudebecki Kauri 1961S92 |--M. stanleyi Kauri 1985S92 |--M. submontanus Kauri 1985S92 |--M. teres Lawrence 1963S92 |--M. teretipes Lawrence 1962S92 |--M. traegardhi Kauri 1961S92 |--M. trifasciatus Roewer 1915 [=M. trifasciata]S92 |--M. ulindinus Kauri 1985S92 |--M. unicolor (Roewer 1912) [=Biantes unicolor]S92 |--M. urbanus Kauri 1961S92 |--M. varius Kauri 1961S92 |--M. zuluanus Lawrence 1937 [=Biantiplus zuluanus]S92 `--M. zuurbergianus Kauri 1961S92
Metabiantes leighi (Pocock 1902)S92 [=Hinzuanius leighiK61, Biantes leighiR23, Hinzuanus (l. c.) leighiS92, *Spinibiantes leighiS92]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[GV09] Giribet, G., L. Vogt, A. Pérez González, P. Sharma & A. B. Kury. 2009. A multilocus approach to harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) phylogeny with emphasis on biogeography and the systematics of Laniatores. Cladistics 25: 1–30.
[K61] Kauri, H. 1961. Opiliones. In: Hanström, B., P. Brinck & G. Rudebeck (eds) South African Animal Life: Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951 vol. 8 pp. 9–197. Almqvist & Wiksell: Uppsala.
[L31] Lawrence, R. F. 1931. The harvest-spiders (Opiliones) of South Africa. Annals of the South African Museum 29 (2): 341–508.
Lawrence, R. F. 1937. The external sexual characters of South African harvest-spiders. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 24 (4): 331–337.
[L02] Lotz, L. N. 2002. The Opiliones (Arachnida) of the Free State Province, South Africa. Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum Bloemfontein 18 (8): 161–187.
[R23] Roewer, C.-F. 1923. Die Weberknechte der Erde: Systematische Bearbeitung der bisher bekannnten Opiliones. Gustav Fischer: Jena.
Schönhofer, A. L. 2008. On harvestmen from the Soutpansberg, South Africa, with description of a new species of Monomontia (Arachnida: Opiliones). African Invertebrates 49 (2): 109–126.
[S92] Staręga, W. 1992. An annotated check-list of Afrotropical harvestmen, excluding the Phalangiidae (Opiliones). Annals of the Natal Museum 33 (2): 271–336.