Rhaucus (harvestman)

Rhaucus is a genus of harvestmen in the family Cosmetidae. The genus is endemic to the Colombian northern Andes. There are currently seven described species in the genus.

Taxonomy
Many species were included in Rhaucus, until a taxonomic revision (in 2017) reduced the genus to a more clearly defined grouping and synonymized or transferred multiple previously described species to leave five remaining species. A previously synonymized species, R. papilionaceus, was revalidated in 2018.

Etymology
Rhaucus is named for an ancient Cretian town, Rhaucus.

Species
Rhaucus contains seven species: (after García et al. (2017)


 * Rhaucus florezi Garcia & Kury, 2017
 * Rhaucus papilionaceus (Simon, 1879)
 * Rhaucus quinquelineatus Simon, 1879
 * Rhaucus robustus (Mello-Leitão, 1941)
 * Rhaucus serripes (Simon, 1879)
 * Rhaucus trilineatus (Sørensen, 1932)
 * Rhaucus vulneratus Simon, 1879

(Note: Rhaucus trilineatus is interpreted as having been indirectly transferred to Rhaucus due to the synonymy of Metarhaucus F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1905 under Rhaucus in García & Kury (2017: 417). There, the type species Metarhaucus fuscus Pickard-Cambridge 1905 became a junior synonym of Rhaucus serripes (Simon, 1879)), consequently leading to Metarhaucus = Rhaucus. Other species then placed in Metarhaucus at that time and similarly affected by the same synonymy have since been re-formalised into other genera).