Reinstatement of the genus Pseudoleiobunum Müller, 1914 with the inclusion of a new species from Hong Kong and reallocation of the Leiobunum maximum species complex (Arachnida: Opiliones: Eupnoi: Sclerosomatidae)

The genus Leiobunum Koch, 1839 is extremely diverse and includes species distributed globally. Taxonomic relationships within Leiobunum are unclear since diagnostic features of the genus are vague and common in many other eupnoan species. The discovery of a new species in Hong Kong prompted an examination of East Asian Leiobuninae using a combination of external morphological and molecular analyses, and comparison of genital morphology and ecological features.

Morphological and molecular data link this new species to the Leiobunum maximum superspecies. In this paper, we resurrect Pseudoleiobunum, the oldest genus name for Leiobunum maximum. We place members of the superspecies into Pseudoleiobunum, along with the new species P. lutulentum sp. nov. .