Charinus spelaeus Vasconcelos & Ferreira, 2017

Miranda, Gustavo Silva de, Giupponi, Alessandro P. L., Prendini, Lorenzo & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2021, Systematic revision of the pantropical whip spider family Charinidae Quintero, 1986 (Arachnida, Amblypygi), European Journal of Taxonomy 772, pp. 1-409 : 130

Charinus spelaeus Vasconcelos & Ferreira, 2017

Fig. 43 ; Table 4

Charinus spelaeus Vasconcelos & Ferreira, 2017: 278–283 , figs 1–15, 24–28.

Diagnosis

Based on Vasconcelos & Ferreira (2017), this species may be separated from other Charinus in eastern South America by means of the following combination of characters: median eyes reduced to small eyespots with median ocular tubercle indistinct, lateral eyes reduced; second segment (tetrasternum) and third segment (pentasternum) of sternum wider than long; female gonopods sucker-like with slit in each gonopod structure opposite opercular margin; male gonopods with PI and LoL1 claw-shaped; cheliceral claw with 6–9 teeth; pedipalp femur with three or four dorsal spines and four or five ventral spines; pedipalp patella with five or six dorsal spines and three or four ventral spines; pedipalp tarsus with two dorsal spines; leg IV distitibia with 16 trichobothria, sc and sf series each with five trichobothria.

Etymology

Latin adjective referring to the subterranean habitat of the species ( Vasconcelos & Ferreira 2017).

Type material

Holotype BRAZIL • ♀; Minas Gerais, Presidente Juscelino municipality, Lapa d’Água cave ; 18°33′46.68″ S, 44°7′40.01″ W; 31 Jan. 2015; R.L. Ferreira leg.; ISLA 12788 [not examined].

Paratypes BRAZIL • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12789 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12791 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12793 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12795 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12796 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12797 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12798 [not examined] • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12790 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12792 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 12794 [not examined] .

Measurements

See Table 4 .

Remarks

See Vasconcelos & Ferreira (2017) for more details about this species.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality.

Natural history

Lapa d’Água is a limestone cave with a constriction in the tunnel about 50 m from the entrance which makes the inner part of the cave more humid and stable in temperature than the outer part. Specimens of C. spelaeus were only collected in the area beyond the constriction, becoming more abundant in deeper areas of the cave, where ca 20 specimens were observed. According to Vasconcelos & Ferreia (2017), no specimens of C. spelaeus were found in five other caves in the region, suggesting that the species is restricted to Lapa d’Água Cave. The surroundings of the cave entrance are well preserved and there were few signs of human disturbance. Potential prey species observed in the cave included crickets ( Endecous sp. ), cockroaches and moths.

Figures

Fig. 43. Map plotting known distributions of species of Charinus Simon, 1892 in eastern South America, with inset for southeastern Brazil.