Bragg, P. D.

Holmberg, Robert G.

Athabasca University Library Institutional Repository

RESEARCH NOT EPLATYRUNUS TRIANGULARIS AND PA R OLIGOLOPHUS A GRESTIS :TWO PHALANGIDS INTRODUCED TO NORTH AMERIC A(ARACHNIDA, OPILIONES )Platybunus triangularis (Herbst) 1799, and Paroligolophus agrestis (Meade) 185 5(family Phalangiidae) have been collected from locations on the west coast of Nort hAmerica . Until now these species have been reported only from Europe (Roewer, 1923 ;Spoek, 1963) . Their taxonomic descriptions closely follow those given by Spoek (1963) ,and so are not repeated here . The indentifications have been verified by Dr . G . L . Spoek .Numerous specimens of both series of these species have been collected from Britis hColumbia and Washington . The localities are as follows : P. triangularis (British Columbia :Burnaby, Coquitlam, Haney, Pitt Meadows, Vancouver ; Washington : Seattle) ; P. agrestis(British Columbia : Burnaby, Haney, Parksville, Richmond, Vancouver; Washington :Seattle) . Mature specimens of F. triangularis were collected late March to July, and of P .agrestis late August to late October (data from 1963 to 1973) . These periods of maturitycoincide with those reported for the species in England (Todd, 1949) .These species appear to be introduced . Banks (1894, 1901, 1911), who made com-prehensive studies of the west coast phalangids, did not list them . Although small, P.agrestis is commonly found near human habitations and so, if present, should have bee ncollected . The occurrence of these species in North America, which seems to be limited t othe seaports of Seattle and Vancouver, also supports this hypothesis . The only othe rphalangid definitely known to be introduced to North America is Trogulus tricarinatus(L .) 1758, which was reported from Rochester, New York (Muchmore, 1963) .We thank Dr . G . L . Spoek of Emmen, The Netherlands for confirming our identifica-tions ; R . Crawford for the loan of specimens from the Thomas Burke Memorial Washing-ton State Museum, Seattle ; and Dr . A. L . Turnbull of Simon Fraser University for readingthe manuscript .LITERATURE CITE DBanks, N . 1894 . Washington Phalangida, with a description of a new southern Liobunum . Canad .Entomol . 26 :160-164 .Banks, N . 1901 . Synopses of North-America invertebrates . XVI. The Phalangida . Amer . Nat.35 :669-679 .Banks, N . 1911 . The Phalangida of California. Pomona J . Entomol . 3 :412-421 .Muchmore, W . B. 1963. Two European arachnids new to the United States . Entomol . New s74 :208-210 .Roewer, C . F . 1923 . Die Weberknechte der Erde . G . Fischer, Jena . 1 116 p .Spoek, G . L . 1963 . The Opilionida (Arachnida), of The Netherlands . Zool . Verhand . 63 :1-70 .Todd, V . 1949 . The habits and ecology of the British harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones), with specia lreference to those of the Oxford district . J . Anim . Ecol . 18 :209-216 .P. D . Bragg, 4610 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia V6R 1V7, and R. G .Holmberg, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Britis hColumbia V5A 1S6 .127

Platybunus triangularis and Paroligolophus agrestis: two phalangids introduced to North America (Arachnida, Opiliones)

Bragg, P D

Holmberg, R G

Biodiversity Heritage Library OAI Repository