Cheliferidae

Risso, 1827

Genus Guides

1

Cheliferidae is a of pseudoscorpions first described by Risso in 1827. It is nearly in distribution, occurring on all land masses and many oceanic islands. The family is divided into two (Cheliferinae and Philomaoriinae) and contains approximately 64 and 282 . Members occupy diverse including leaf litter, under tree bark, caves, and animal nests, with some species exhibiting phoretic on insects or association with beehives.

Ar 1 by wikipedia. Used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.House Pseudoscorpion (Chelifer cancroides) - Guelph, Ontario 2016-02-17 by Ryan Hodnett. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.Chelifer cancroides 65064350 by Dan MacNeal. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Cheliferidae: //kəˈlɪfəˌraɪdiː//

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Habitat

Leaf litter, under tree bark, caves, and nests of vertebrates. Some are troglobionts (cave-adapted), while others occur in beehives or exhibit on tree-dwelling insects.

Distribution

Nearly ; present on all land masses and many oceanic islands. Specific regional records include: Thailand (Tak, Chiangmai, Nakhon Ratchasima provinces), China (Guizhou), Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Vietnam, Nepal, and Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden). Ellingsenius occurs in Afrotropical, Indo-Malayan, and Mediterranean regions.

Host Associations

  • Apis cerana cerana - commensalEastern ; specimens of Ellingsenius renae and all previously known Ellingsenius collected from beehives

Behavior

on tree-dwelling insects has been observed. Multiple Ellingsenius are associated with beehives, though the nature of this relationship remains to be fully characterized.

More Details

Taxonomic scope

As of October 2023, the World Pseudoscorpiones Catalog accepts 64 in Cheliferidae. The is divided into Cheliferinae and Philomaoriinae.

Cave adaptation

Metachelifer includes troglobiont with specialized cave-adapted , including four species described from Thailand caves.

Sources and further reading