Gymnobisiidae Beier, 1947
Family
The family Gymnobisiidae was first recognized by Beier (1947) for Gymnobisium from South Africa. The family was enlarged by Beier (1956) to include the family Vachoniidae, first described by Chamberlin (1947). Vital-di Castri (1963) added Mirobisium (described by Beier in 1931) and the new genus Vachonobisium, both from South America. Muchmore (1972) demonstrated that the Vachoniidae were quite distinct from the Gymnobisiidae, thus restricting the family to its modern limits.
Composition
The family contains only four genera (Gymnobisium, Beierobisium, Mirobisium and Vachonobisium) and only 11 species.
Distribution
The Gymnobisiidae are highly restricted in distribution with Gymnobisium found in South Africa, Beierobisium on the Falkland Islands, and Mirobisium and Vachonobisium in mainland South America.
| Distribution | Count |
|---|---|
| Argentina | 1 |
| Bolivia | 1 |
| Chile | 7 |
| Falkland Islands | 1 |
| Lesotho | 1 |
| South Africa | 2 |
Important References
Muchmore, W.B. (1972). New diplosphyronid pseudoscorpions, mainly cavernicolous, from Mexico (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpionida). Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 91: 261-276.
Vitali-di Castri, V. (1963). La familia Vachoniidae (= Gymnobisiidae) en Chile (Arachnidea, Pseudoscorpionida). Investigaciones Zoológicas Chilenas 10: 27-82.
References
Gymnobisiidae Beier, 1947b: 287-288; Muchmore, 1972g: 268; Muchmore, 1982a: 98; Harvey, 1991a: 312; Harvey, 1992c: 1408-1409; Harvey, 1996a: 258.