Dalquestia

Cokendolpher, 1984

Species Guides

Dalquestia is a of harvestmen (Opiliones) described by Cokendolpher in 1984. The genus comprises six described distributed in North America, primarily in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The type species, Dalquestia formosa, was originally described as Eurybunus formosus by Banks in 1910. The genus is placed in the Globipedidae, though some sources historically placed it in Sclerosomatidae.

Dalquestia rugosa by (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon. Used under a CC-BY license.

Opiliones, Eupnoi, Metopilio Group, Dalquestia rugosa, female (4289983106) by Marshal Hedin from San Diego. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Opiliones, Eupnoi, Metopilio Group, Dalquestia rugosa, female (4289238813) by Marshal Hedin from San Diego. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Dalquestia: /dælˈkwɛstiə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Members of Dalquestia can be distinguished from related by the combination of their North American distribution and specific genital described in the original taxonomic treatment. The genus was erected to accommodate previously placed in Eurybunus and other genera based on detailed morphological study.

Images

Habitat

occur in arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, including Chihuahuan Desert and adjacent areas. Specific microhabitat associations have been documented for individual species but general patterns remain poorly characterized.

Distribution

Restricted to North America. Documented from: USA (Arizona, California, Texas) and Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas).

Similar Taxa

EurybunusDalquestia were historically classified in Eurybunus; separated based on detailed morphological differences in genitalia and other characters
DendrolasmaAnother of Globipedidae; the Wikipedia source contains an apparent error conflating the two genera in the description section, suggesting potential historical confusion

Misconceptions

Some sources, including Wikipedia and NCBI, have historically placed Dalquestia in Sclerosomatidae rather than Globipedidae; current consensus based on Catalogue of Life and GBIF places it in Globipedidae.

More Details

Family placement

There is taxonomic disagreement regarding placement: Globipedidae (Catalogue of Life, GBIF, iNaturalist) versus Sclerosomatidae (NCBI, some Wikipedia versions). The Globipedidae placement appears to reflect more recent taxonomic revisions.

Etymology

The is neuter in grammatical gender.