Sabacon

Sabacon is a genus of the harvestman family Sabaconidae with about forty species.

Species of this genus have usually thickened pedipalps with stiff, fine hairs, which is unique among harvestmen. Although the small eye tubercle is usually not ornamented, there is a spine on one Nepalese species. Males have long, thin legs, females are stouter.

The genus is widespread in the temperate northern hemisphere, even extending into the subarctic, with the most southern records from caves in the southeastern United States and high elevations in Nepal. The center of diversification seems to be in Asia, where many species were described from Japan, Korea and Nepal. Some species occur in Europe.

While the Asian and North American species are easy to differententiate from one another by male genital traits, the few European species are very similar, and seem to be closely related to S. cavicolens. S. mitchelli, which, like the larger S. cavicolens, occurs in the eastern US, is quite different from the latter, with males lacking cheliceral glands. Species from the western US seem most closely related to Asian forms. S. astoriensis is very similar to S. dentipalpe and S. makinoi; it was collected from dried seaweed and debris in beach dunes.

Almost all Sabacon species prefer moist, cool microhabitats, and many species live in caves, but none are modified for cave life. Outside of caves they are often found in forests or shaded ravines.