Megabunus diadema
Species of harvestman/daddy longlegs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Megabunus diadema is a species of harvestman in the family Phalangiidae.[1] It is distributed in Western Europe, where it has been found in Iceland, Faroe Islands, Western Norway, Great Britain, Western France, Belgium and Northern Spain.[2]
| Megabunus diadema | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Opiliones |
| Family: | Phalangiidae |
| Genus: | Megabunus |
| Species: | M. diadema |
| Binomial name | |
| Megabunus diadema (Fabricius, 1779) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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It is commonly found among moss and lichens, and has a cryptic coloration that blends with this habitat, rendering it almost invisible when it is not moving.[3] Its second pair of legs is as long as 35 mm.[4] Its prominent pair of eyes is equipped with a spiny "crown".
M. diadema was shown to feed on chironomid flies.[5]
The gregarines Actinocephalus megabuni and Doliospora repelini (Eugregarinorida), and the mite Leptus beroni were found to parasitize on this species.[6]
During a study of woodland in Scotland, they were found to be most active during March, June to July and December; in montane regions of Wales they only occurred in August, while they were found all year round in English woodland, with a peak from May to August.[7]
The mainly parthenogenetic[2] M. diadema lays three batches of eggs per year, with about 30 eggs per batch that are deposited among leaf litter or on the soil.[8] The larvae, like many in the suborder Eupnoi, have an egg tooth.[9]
Males have 28 chromosomes.[10]