Cryptomaster Briggs, 1969

Cryptomaster leviathan Briggs, 1969

The Cryptomastridae can be diagnosed from all other travunioids by the presence of a distal swelling on tibia II that bears enlarged setae (Figure 6A, C), a sexually dimorphic structure found only in males. Both genera are fairly distinctive. Cryptomaster is easily identified as the largest (>2.5 mm body length) laniatorean in the Pacific Northwest of North America (Figure 6D) and largest member of Travunioidea, although two size forms exist (Starrett et al. 2016). Speleomaster species are restricted to lava tubes showing extreme levels of troglomorphy with complete absence of eyes, extremely reduced pigmentation, and leg elongation (Figure 6B). Although unrelated, Speleomaster and Speleonychia are both highly troglomorphic lava tube dwellers in the Pacific Northwest, found in Idaho and Washington, respectively. Aside from their disjunct geographic distribution, Speleomaster can be differentiated from Speleonychia by the absence of a free ninth tergite and lateral sclerites, and by the presence of bifurcating tarsal claws of the hind legs (Speleonychia with a peltonychium). The cryptomastrid genera can be distinguished from the eastern North American Cladonychiidae (Erebomaster + Theromaster) by the spination of the pedipalpal tarsus, previously noted by Briggs (1969, 1974). Cryptomastrids possess five prominent spines on the lateral margins of the pedipalpal tarsus, three on the prolateral margin and two on the retrolateral margin. Erebomaster and Theromaster possess three pairs of prominent lateral spines (in some Theromaster, the two apical retrolateral spines are fused at the base). The Cryptomastridae are unique in intestinal morphology, possessing a combination of an elongate and triangular DI (similar to Briggsus and Isolachus), and shorter OD2 and OD3 (similar to the Paranonychidae) (Suppl. material 2: Figure 2).

Cryptomaster. Described by Briggs (1969) and originally included only Cryptomaster leviathan Briggs, 1969 from the Coastal Range of southwestern Oregon. A second species, Cryptomaster behemoth Starrett & Derkarabetian, 2016, was described from the west-central Cascade Range of Oregon (Starrett et al. 2016).

Speleomaster. Briggs (1974) described the genus and both known species, Speleomaster lexi Briggs, 1974 and Speleomaster pecki Briggs, 1974, from lava tubes of the Snake River Plain in southern Idaho.