FIRST CASE OF MATERNAL CARE IN THE FAMILY CRANAIDAE (OPILIONES, LANIATORES)

Abstract

In this paper, we provide the first observations of maternal care for the harvestman family Cranaidae. Adult females of two species, Santinezia serratobialis Roewer 1932, which belongs to the group curvipes, and Santinezia sp., which is probably a new species of the group gigantea, were found in association with egg clutches. Since the microhabitats used for oviposition by these species are very similar, we believe that maternal care may be a synapomorphic trait of the genus Santinezia.