Phalangodes armata Tellkampf, 1844
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Chelicerata |
| Class | Arachnida |
| Order | Opiliones |
| Family | Phalangodidae |
| Genus | Phalangodes |
| Species | Phalangodes armata Tellkampf, 1844 |
Synonyms
- Phrixis longipes Cope, 1872 (subjective synonym, CoL)
- Acanthocheir armata (Tellkampf, 1844) (prior combination, CoL)
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Troglobiont
- Realm
- Terrestrial
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
Distribution
Type locality
Mammoth Cave, Edmonson Co. KY
Range
Known from three counties across two states in the Interior Low Plateau karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Indiana, Kentucky
Counties
- Indiana
- Crawford
- Kentucky
- Edmonson, Warren
Karst regions
Interior Low Plateau
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COI | mitochondrial | 3 | 993-996 bp | GQ200389.1 |
| 28S | nuclear | 1 | 1145-1145 bp | GQ205645.1 |
4 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.
Download all 4 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.
Specimens
Type material
- Holotype
- 44960 · Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard | 9 |
| Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt | 6 |
15 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 15 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
NatureServe
G3G4 Vulnerable to Apparently Secure
Global rank last reviewed 21 August 2002.
Subnational ranks
- Kentucky
- S3 Vulnerable
- Tennessee
- S3 Vulnerable
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
References
- Bailey, V. 1933. Cave Life of Kentucky. US Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey, Washington, DC, USA. 256 pp.
- Barr, T.C., Jr. & Kuehne, R.A. 1971. Ecological studies in the Mammoth Cave system of Kentucky. II. The Ecosystem. Annales de Speleologie 26: 47–96. doi:10.5038/1827-806X.3.1.10
- Giovannoli, L. 1933. Invertebrate life of Mammoth and other neighboring caves. In: Bailey, V. (ed), Cave Life of Kentucky, pp. 600–623.
- 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.
- Harker, D.F., Jr. & Barr, T.C., Jr. 1980. Caves and associated fauna of the Western Kentucky coal field, Volume 2. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfurt, Kentucky, USA. 114 pp.
- Hedin, M. & Thomas, S.M. 2010. Molecular systematics of eastern North American Phalangodidae (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores), demonstrating convergent morphological evolution in caves. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54: 107–121. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.08.020
- Lewis, J.J. & Lewis, S.L. 2005. Inventory of the subterranean fauna of Tims Ford State Park, Franklin County, Tennessee. Tennesee Natural Heritage Program, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 28 pp.
- Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897
- Packard, A.S. 1871. The Mammoth Cave and its inhabitants. On the crustaceans and insects. American Naturalist 5: 739–761. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2447590. details
- Tellkampf, T. 1844. Beschreibung einiger neuer in der Mammuth-Höhle in Kentucky aufgefundener Gattungen von Gliedertieren. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 10: 318–322. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.29561
- Tellkampf, T.A. 1845. Memoirs on the blind fishes and some other animals living in the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The New York Journal of Medicine and the Collateral Sciences 5: 84–93. https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_York_journal_of_medicine/rXEdAQAAMAAJ?hl=en. details
This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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