Nemastomatidae

Martens, Jochen, Maghradze, Eter & Barjadze, Shalva, 2021, Two new species of the genus Nemaspela Šilhavý from caves in Georgia (Opiliones Nemastomatidae), Zootaxa 4951 (3), pp. 541-558 : 553-554

Nemastomatidae in the Caucasus

One of main hotspots of nemastomatid diversity is situated in the Caucasus, with highest species diversity in

the northwestern part ( Martens 2006). Representatives of nine genera are found there, i.e. about half of the genera presently accepted in Nemastomatinae , comprising about 25 species. Four of the genera are endemic or subendemic to this area. Surprisingly, of the 13 troglobiotic nemastomatid species presently known in Eurasia, eight occur in the Caucasus area, one in the Crimea, and two each in the southern Alps and the Balkan peninsula ( Hadži 1940; Martens 2006; Mitov 2011; Kozel et al. 2020).

Apart from a few laniatorean genera and species, all European (including Caucasian) troglobiotic species belong to Nemastomatidae . The majority of species are in the genus Nemaspela Šilhavý, 1966 , in which only troglobionts are known, all from the Caucasus area, Crimea and the Balkan Peninsula. The genus Hadzinia Šilhavý, 1966 has only two troglobiont species from Slovenia, the genus Mitostoma Roewer, 1951 one north Italian troglobitic species, and the genus Paranemastoma Redikorzew, 1936 two Bulgarian troglobites (Kratochíl 1958; Mitov 2011).