Taxonomic review of Bourguyiinae, cladistic analysis, and a new hypothesis of biogeographic relationships of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest (Arachnida: Opiliones, Gonyleptidae)

Abstract

The subfamily Bourguyiinae Mello-Leito, 1923 (Gonyleptidae) is revised, and both phylogenetic and biogeographic hypotheses are proposed. Bourguyiinae is monophyletic, and is the sister group of the remainder of the Gonyleptidae species used for analysis, except for the Metasarcinae, which collectively is the sister group of Metavononoides orientalis Mello-Leito, 1923 (Cosmetidae). Bourguyiinae is divided into two genera: Bourguyia (six species) and Asarcus (four species). The genus-level synonyms proposed here are as follows: Caldasius, Styloleptes, and Stylopisthos are junior synonyms of Bourguyia; Bogdana, Cnemoleptes, and Opisthoplites are junior synonyms of Asarcus. The species synonyms proposed here are as follows: Afranius amarali