Harvestmen in the semiarid: a new genus and three new species of Pachylinae (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae) from Caatinga dry vegetation, with a cladistic analysis

Abstract Opiliones are highly diverse in the Neotropics. Because of biological constraints, most harvestmen communities associated with humid forests, exhibiting a high species diversity and endemism these habitats. Drier formations, such as Caatinga biome northeastern Brazil, less still considered under-sampled for order. This study represents an effort to examine aforementioned by describing new Gonyleptidae genus, Sertaneja gen. nov. , comprising two from Ceará state, bicuspidata sp. crassitibialis one Rio Grande do Norte falcata A morphological cladistic analysis consisting 20 terminals 72 characters was performed evaluate monophyly genus relate it other Gonyleptidae. The resulted single parsimonious tree, corroborating relatedness Gyndoides springmanni Soares & Soares, 1947, which turn is sister group DRMN clade. Taking into account traits phylogenetic placement we chose place Pachylinae despite its polyphyletic status, given that clade closely related Brazilian lineage. resolution conundrum needed further explain subfamily intricacies. Future research requires larger scope, but currently, based on monophyly, support, relatedness, formally propose creation hope shed light possible evolutionary scenarios subfamily.