Abstract
Abstract. Pseudoscorpions, given their resemblance to scorpions, have attracted human attention since the time of Aristotle, although they are much smaller and lack the sting and elongated tail. These arachnids have a long evolutionary history but their origins and phylogenetic affinities are still being debated. Here, we summarise their fossil record based on a comprehensive review of the literature and data contained in other sources. Pseudoscorpions are one of the oldest colonisers of the land, with fossils known since the Middle Devonian (ca. 390 Ma). The only arachnid orders with an older fossil record are scorpions, harvestmen and acariform mites, plus two extinct groups. Pseudoscorpions do not fossilise easily, and records from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic consist almost exclusively of amber inclusions. Most Mesozoic fossils come from Archingeay and Burmese ambers (Late Cretaceous) and those from the Cenozoic are primarily from Eocene Baltic amber, although additional fossils from, for example, Miocene Dominican and Mexican ambers, are known. Overall, 16 of the 26 families of living pseudoscorpions have been documented from fossils and 49 currently valid species are recognised in the literature. Pseudoscorpions represent a case of morphological stasis and even the Devonian fossils look rather modern. Indeed, most amber fossils are comparable to Recent groups despite a major gap in the fossil record of almost 250 Myr. Baltic amber inclusions indicate palaeofauna inhabiting much warmer climates than today and point to climatic shifts in central Europe since the Eocene. They also indicate that some groups (e.g. Feaellidae and Pseudogarypidae) had much wider Eocene distributions. Their present-day occurrence is relictual and highlights past extinction events. Faunas from younger tropical amber deposits (e.g. Dominican and Mexican amber) are comparable to Recent ones. Generally, there is a strong bias in the amber record towards groups that live under tree bark, whereas those from litter habitats are underrepresented. We also discuss challenges in interpreting fossils: their cryptic morphology warranting novel techniques of morphological reconstruction, the massive gap in the fossil record between the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic, and problems with the classification of (historically) old amber material. Finally, we discuss aspects of the palaeoecology and biology of the fossils compared with the Recent fauna, such as phoresy.
Highlights
Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) are a group of small arachnids, with body lengths typically around 2– 8 mm
Most Mesozoic fossils come from Archingeay and Burmese ambers (Late Cretaceous) and those from the Cenozoic are primarily from Eocene Baltic amber, additional fossils from, for example, Miocene Dominican and Mexican ambers, are known
Most phylogenetic analyses based on morphology (e.g. Shultz, 2007) suggest that pseudoscorpions are the sister group of the camel spiders (Solifugae), together forming a clade either called Apatellata – which is misleading as these animals do have a patella – or Haplocnemeta
Summary
Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) are a group of small arachnids, with body lengths typically around 2– 8 mm. As their name implies, they superficially resemble scorpions in having large chelate pedipalps, but unlike scorpions they lack the tail ending in a sting. Pseudoscorpions are commonly found in habitats such as leaf litter, moss, bird nests, or under bark. The more derived families have venom glands in their pedipalps, which they use to immobilise their prey Given their small size even the venomous species are completely harmless to humans. Several families are restricted today to tropical environments This puts them fifth in terms of global arachnid diversity, after the spiders, the acariform mites, the parasitiform mites, and the harvestmen
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have