Skip to content

Cave Biology Data Portal

Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe

  • ExploreExpand
    • Species
    • Taxonomy
    • States and Provinces
    • Karst Regions
    • References
    • Caves You Can Visit
  • ResourcesExpand
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Meeting and Events
    • Public Notices
    • News and Updates
  • ContributeExpand
    • Report an Observation
    • Add a Photograph or Image
    • Post an Event
    • Post an Opportunity
    • Add a Reference
    • Add a New Species
    • Report a Correction
  • AboutExpand
    • Acknowledgments
    • Data Sensitivity Policy
    • Citation and Licensing
  • ContactExpand
    • Data Requests
Cave Biology Data Portal
Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe
AnimaliaArthropodaChelicerataArachnidaOpilionesPhalangodidaeBanksula

Alabaster Cave Harvestman
Banksula californica Briggs, 1974

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Chelicerata
Class Arachnida
Order Opiliones
Family Phalangodidae
Genus Banksula
Species Banksula californica Briggs, 1974

Synonyms

  • Scotolemon californica Banks, 1900 (prior combination, CoL)
  • Phalangodes californica (Banks, 1900) (prior combination, CoL)

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class
Troglobiont
Realm
Terrestrial
Troglomorphy
Troglomorphic

Distribution

Range

Known from one county in California in the Other karst region.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

California

Counties

California
El Dorado

Karst regions

Other

Specimens

Type material

Syntype
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Paratype ×2
Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt

Collections holding material

InstitutionLots
Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt 2
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution 1

3 cataloged lots in 2 collections. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.

Download all 3 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.

Conservation and management

NatureServe

GH Possibly Extinct

G1G2G3G4G5

Global rank last reviewed 18 March 2005.

Subnational ranks

California
SH Possibly Extirpated

Ranks looked up 23 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Other resources

Catalogue of Life
7RFB4
GBIF
6908588
ITIS
1013952
iNaturalist
210683

References

  • Banks, N. 1900. New genera and species of American Phalangida. Journal of the New York Entomological Society 8: 199–201. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25002900. details
  • Goodnight, C.J. & Goodnight, M.L. 1960. Speciation among cave opilionids of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 34–38.
  • Goodnight, C.J. & Goodnight, M.L. 1981. Evolution of hypogean species of opilionids of North and Middle America. Proceedings of the 8th International Congress of Speleology. Volume 1: 9–10.
  • Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897

This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.

How to cite this account

Banksula californica Briggs, 1974. Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-0176. https://cavebiology.org/species/banksula-californica/ (accessed 18 October 2026).
Email Bluesky X Facebook

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.

Cave Biology Data Portal

Species accounts, distributions, and conservation status for the subterranean fauna of North America and around the globe, with resources for the cave and karst research community.

Text and data CC BY 4.0. Images all rights reserved unless stated.

Explore

  • Species
  • Taxonomy
  • States and Provinces
  • Karst Regions
  • References

Resources

  • Funding
  • Employment
  • Contribute

About this site

  • About Us
  • Acknowledgments
  • Contact Us
  • Data Sensitivity Policy
  • Citation and Licensing
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Explore
    • Species
    • Taxonomy
    • States and Provinces
    • Karst Regions
    • References
    • Caves You Can Visit
  • Resources
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Meeting and Events
    • Public Notices
    • News and Updates
  • Contribute
    • Report an Observation
    • Add a Photograph or Image
    • Post an Event
    • Post an Opportunity
    • Add a Reference
    • Add a New Species
    • Report a Correction
  • About
    • Acknowledgments
    • Data Sensitivity Policy
    • Citation and Licensing
  • Contact
    • Data Requests