Thelyphonidae Lucas 1835

Thelyphonidae^[1] is the sole family in the Uropygi order of arachnids.^[2]

Description

These arachnids can reach a length of 18–85 millimetres (0.71–3.35 in). The body consists of a cephalothorax coated with chitin and of an abdomen divided into 12 segments.

Fossil record

The largest of prehistoric whipscorpions and possibly the largest-known whipscorpion ever discovered^[3] was Mesoproctus from this family. While M. rowlandi reached 16.8 mm (0.66 in) in length (without tail), an unnamed species M. sp. had a carapace of 32.5 mm (1.28 in) in length and 16 mm (0.63 in) in width, comparable or even larger than the extant Mastigoproctus have.^[4]

Genera

Most genera are currently placed in four recognised subfamilies:

Hypoctoninae

Auth.: Pocock, 1899

• Etienneus Heurtault, 1984
• Hypoctonus Thorell, 1888
• Labochirus Pocock, 1894
• Thelyphonellus Pocock, 1894
• Ravilops Viquez & de Armas, 2005

Mastigoproctinae

Auth.: Speijer, 1933

Mastigoproctus colombianus

• Mastigoproctus Pocock, 1894
• Mayacentrum Viquez & de Armas, 2006
• Mimoscorpius Pocock, 1894
• Sheylayongium Teruel, 2018
• Uroproctus Pocock, 1894
• Valeriophonus Viquez & de Armas, 2005

Thelyphoninae

Auth.: Lucas, 1835

Thelyphonus sp. (Malaysia)

• Abaliella Strand, 1928
• Chajnus Speijer, 1936
• Ginosigma Speijer, 1936
• Glyptogluteus Rowland, 1973
• Minbosius Speijer, 1936
• Tetrabalius Thorell, 1888
• Thelyphonoides - monotypic Thelyphonoides panayensis Krehenwinkel, Curio, Tacud & Haupt, 2009
• Thelyphonus Latreille, 1802
• †Mesothelyphonus Cai and Huang, 2017 (Burmese amber, Cenomanian)

Typopeltinae

Auth.: Rowland & Cooke, 1973

Typopeltis sp.

• Typopeltis Pocock, 1894

Incertae sedis

• †Mesoproctus Dunlop, 1998 (Crato Formation, Aptian)

References