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The genus Neoscotolemon Roewer, 1912, is herein reviewed and re-diagnosed for the first time using modern taxonomic standards. Neoscotolemon is removed from Grassatores incertae sedis and transferred to the superfamily Samooidea incertae sedis, transl. nov. The genera Citranus Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942, Rula Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942, and Vlachiolus Šilhavý, 1979, are considered new subjective synonyms of Neoscotolemon Roewer, 1912. Neoscotolemon pictipes (Banks, 1908) is redescribed and fully illustrated, including, for the first time, the external and genital morphology of males. Neoscotolemon armasi spec. nov. is described from Isla de la Juventud, Cuba. Five additional species are transferred to Neoscotolemon, including some that were newly ranked from subspecies to species: Neoscotolemon bolivari (Goodnight & Goodnight, 1945) comb. nov., stat. rest. (transferred from Stygnomma), N. cotilla (Goodnight & Goodnight, 1945) comb. nov., nom. rest., stat. rest. (transferred from Stygnomma), N. spinifer (Packard, 1888) comb. rest. (transferred from Stygnomma), N. tancahensis (Goodnight & Goodnight, 1951) comb. nov., stat. prom. (transferred from Stygnomma), and N. vojtechi (Šilhavý, 1979) comb. nov. (transferred from Vlachiolus). Finally, upon reexamination of Neoscotolemon lutzi Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942, the male genital morphology, herein illustrated for the first time, indicates that this species is not related to Neoscotolemon and is therefore transferred to Metapellobunus and combined as Metapellobunus lutzi (Goodnight & Goodnight, 1942) comb. nov. A map is provided showing the known distribution of Neoscotolemon in the southeastern USA, Cuba, Mexico, and Belize with doubtful and unconfirmed records in Jamaica and Cayman Islands. Neoscotolemon is characterized by multiple somatic and genitalic traits. Atop the hourglass-shaped scutum magnum, there is a widely-separated pair of eyes with a large spiniform apophysis placed between them. The pedipalps are robust, and in major males they are elongated and thickened. In major and minor males, the metatarsus III is enlarged, ventrally covered with modified trichomes, and possesses aggregated pores distally. The penis has a ventral plate ending in a deep calyx, armed with two bilateral rows of macrosetae, and a short, pointed stylus that is basally fused to two laminar conductors. Although the family allocation remains uncertain, the re-diagnosis of Neoscotolemon, together with the re-description of the type species, makes this an easily recognizable genus, among Samooidea, that now contains seven species.  

Triaenonychidae Sørensen in L. Koch, 1886 is a large family of Opiliones with ~480 described species broadly distributed across temperate forests in the Southern Hemisphere. However, it remains poorly understood taxonomically, as no comprehensive phylogenetic work has ever been undertaken. In this study we capitalise on samples largely collected by us during the last two decades and use Sanger DNA-sequencing techniques to produce a large phylogenetic tree with 300 triaenonychid terminals representing nearly 50% of triaenonychid genera and including representatives from all the major geographic areas from which they are known. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods recover the family as diphyletic, placing Lomanella Pocock, 1903 as the sister group to the New Zealand endemic family Synthetonychiidae Forster, 1954. With the exception of the Laurasian representatives of the family, all landmasses contain non-monophyletic assemblages of taxa. To determine whether this non-monophyly was the result of Gondwanan vicariance, ancient cladogenesis due to habitat regionalisation, or more recent over-water dispersal, we inferred divergence times. We found that most divergence times between landmasses predate Gondwanan breakup, though there has been at least one instance of transoceanic dispersal – to New Caledonia. In all, we identify multiple places in the phylogeny where taxonomic revision is needed, and transfer Lomanella outside of Triaenonychidae in order to maintain monophyly of the family. 

No abstract available.