Английская Википедия:Giant Laotian harvestman
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Multiple issues Шаблон:Use dmy dates
The giant Laotian harvestman is the unofficial name for an as-yet undescribed species of Opiliones belonging to the family Sclerosomatidae. The species was discovered in April 2012 near a cave in the southern province of Khammouan, by Dr. Peter Jäger of the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, whilst shooting a television documentary about the wildlife of Laos.
Physical description
The giant Laotian harvestman dwells inside the caves of Laos, and has a leg span stretching just over 330 millimeters (13 inches), thus making it the second largest harvestman discovered so far – surpassed only by another species in South America. It is currently unknown why it has such a large leg span, but it is believed that, since opiliones breatheШаблон:Clarify through their legs, a larger leg span makes respiration easier in the caves' low oxygen environment.[1]
Predators
Predators of the giant Laotian harvestman most likely include the larger but not as lengthy giant huntsman spider (Heteropoda maxima), the centipede Thereuopoda longicornis,[2] other larger arthropods in terms of body mass (such as other predatory centipedes, huntsman spiders and larger arachnids), and small cave mammals.
Binomial nomenclature
Шаблон:As of, giant Laotian harvestman is still undescribed, lacking a scientific name. Opiliones taxonomist Dr. Ana Lúcia Tourinho concluded that it likely belongs to the genus Gagrella; additional samples have been collected and preserved in ethanol to allow their DNA to be sequenced to test this.[1][3]
References
