Article
Article
Ricinulei
Article By:
Hoff, C. Clayton Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Last reviewed:August 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.589500
An order of extremely rare arachnids, also known as the Podogona, with a body less than 25 mm (1 in.) in length. Superficially, members of the order Ricinulei resemble ticks in general appearance and movement, and are found only in tropical Africa and in the Americas, from the Amazon region to Texas. The two anterior pairs of appendages are chelate. The terminal segments of the third legs of the male are modified as copulatory structures. Less than 25 modern species are known. The occurrence of several fossils from Carboniferous time suggests that the group was formerly more common. Virtually nothing is known about the reproduction, growth, and ecology of the Ricinulei. See also: Arachnida; Carboniferous
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