- Animals
- ›Arthropods
- ›Chelicerates
- ›Arachnids
- ›Harvestmen
- ›Eupnoan Harvestmen
- ›Phalangioidea
- ›Phalangiid Harvestmen
- ›Phalangiinae
- ›Rilaena
Spring Harvestman
Rilaena triangularis
Rilaena triangularis is a species of the harvestman family Phalangiidae. Previously it has been considered to be in the genus and subgenus Platybunus (Paraplatybunus) Dumitrescu, 1970, in the subfamily Platybuninae. Caution is needed with the name "Paraplatybunus". Although claimed as a potential genus in many online sources, the generic rank does not appear to have any foundation in the underlying academic literature, but instead was only published as a subgenus.
From the article Rilaena triangularis on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
Rilaena triangularis is a harvestman with a broad natural distribution across Europe. This species was first described by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1799, initially as Phalangium triangularis. It was later renamed through recombination in multiple forms but including Platybunus (Paraplatybunus) triangularis (Herbst, 1799) in Dumitrescu, 1970. The triangularis portion of its name (the species epithet) can be attributed to its "saddle pattern" on the upper (dorsal) surface, typically featuring a slightly darker triangular - or vase-shaped - "saddle" marking. That is often outlined with a lighter, whitish or pale-yellow colour.
Chemical defense. When disturbed, Rilaena triangularis emits a strong-smelling secretion as a chemical defense. This fluid contains 1,4-benzoquinone, 1,4-naphthoquinone and caprylic acid.
Range & habitat
Occurrences of Rilaena triangularis have been recorded and aggregated in GBIF across Europe, with the exception of Spain and Portugal. It has also been observed in north-west and north-east corners of the United States.
Wikipedia: “Range”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Rilaena triangularis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 488349.