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Ricinulei
EntityQ19120· pop 29· linked from 73 articles

Also known as Ricinuleid, Hooded tickspider

Ricinulei is a small order of arachnids. Like most arachnids, they are predatory; eating small arthropods. They occur today in west-central Africa (Ricinoides) and the Americas (Cryptocellus and Pseudocellus) from Brazil to southern Texas, where they inhabit either leaf-litter or caves. As of 2022, 103 extant species of ricinuleids have been described worldwide, all in the single family Ricinoididae. Due to their obscurity they do not have a proper common-name, though in academic literature they are occasionally referred to as hooded tickspiders.

Species

ORDER

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. ClassArachnida
  4. OrderRicinulei
Observations recorded1,656

via GBIF

Wikidata facts

Image
Cryptocellus goodnighti.jpg
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Commons category
Ricinulei
taxon name
Ricinulei
taxon common name
ricinuler
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~12 min read

Article

16 sections
Contents
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Body
  • Appendages
  • Internal anatomy
  • Distribution
  • Behavior and life history
  • Fossil record
  • Genera
  • Relationships
  • Early work
  • Ricinuleids and mites
  • Ricinuleids and trigonotarbids
  • Phylogenomic studies
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

Ricinulei is a small order of arachnids. Like most arachnids, they are predatory; eating small arthropods. They occur today in west-central Africa (Ricinoides) and the Americas (Cryptocellus and Pseudocellus) from Brazil to southern Texas, where they inhabit either leaf-litter or caves. As of 2022, 103 extant species of ricinuleids have been described worldwide, all in the single family Ricinoididae. Due to their obscurity they do not have a proper common-name, though in academic literature they are occasionally referred to as hooded tickspiders.

In addition to the three living genera, Ricinulei has a fossil-record spanning over 300 million years, including fossils from the Late Carboniferous of Euramerica and the Cretaceous Burmese amber.

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