The phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic pseudoscorpion family Menthidae (Pseudoscorpiones): a revised superfamily assignment based on new molecular data

Mark Harvey; Ligia Benavides; Terrence Miller; Julia Cosgrove; Gonzalo Giribet; Michael Rix

Just Accepted

This article has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. It is in production and has not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

The phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic pseudoscorpion family Menthidae (Pseudoscorpiones): a revised superfamily assignment based on new molecular data

Mark Harvey , Ligia Benavides , Terrence Miller, Julia Cosgrove , Gonzalo Giribet , Michael Rix

Abstract

Pseudoscorpions are an ancient arachnid group with a fossil record that extends to the Devonian, with all modern families having likely evolved during the Mesozoic. One of the rarest pseudoscorpion families, Menthidae, is sporadically distributed around the world, and ever since its description has been included in the superfamily Garypoidea. Based on new Sanger sequencing and phylotranscriptomic data, Menthidae are inferred to constitute a group of species of the superfamily Neobisioidea, and the sister-group to a clade that includes Gymnobisiidae, Neobisiidae and some Syarinidae.

IS24087 Accepted 28 July 2025