Charinus platnicki ( Quintero, 1986 )

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 : 65-66

Charinus platnicki ( Quintero, 1986)

Fig. 27 ; Table 2

Tricharinus platnicki Quintero, 1986: 211 , figs 13–15, 17, 22–28. Charinus platnicki – Harvey 2002b: 455; 2003: 7. — Weygoldt 2002a: 297.— Miranda & Giupponi 2011: 66, fig. 13. — Vasconcelos et al. 2013: 497. — Miranda et al. 2016c: 31.

Diagnosis

Based on the description of Quintero (1986), this species may be separated from other Charinus in Amazonia and northern South America by means of the following combination of characters: tegument dark, blackish in color; small median eyes and median ocular tubercle; lateral eyes well developed; female gonopod cushion-like; bifid tooth of cheliceral basal segment with dorsal cusp larger than ventral cusp; cheliceral claw with four teeth; pedipalp femur with three dorsal spines and four ventral spines; pedipalp patella with three dorsal spines and three ventral spines, and setiferous tubercle between dorsal spine 1 and distal margin; pedipalp tarsus with two dorsal spines, distal spine long, half length of tarsus, proximal spine one-third length of distal spine; tibia of leg I with 23 articles, tarsus I with 37 articles; leg IV basitibia with two pseudo-articles; sc and sf series each with five trichobothria; trichobothrium bc situated closer to sbf than to bf.

Charinus platnicki and C. gertschi are distinct species differing in the number of spines on the pedipalp femur and patella, the number of articles with the tibia and tarsus of leg I, and the number of pseudoarticles in the basitibia of leg IV.

Etymology

Patronym honoring Dr Norman I. Platnick ( Quintero 1986).

Type material

Syntypes SURINAM • 2 ♂♂; Lelydorp ; [05°41′59.92″ N, 55°14′02.1″ W]; 18 Nov. 1958; D.C. Geyshes leg.; in nests of Atta cephalotes (Linnaeus, 1758) ; RMNH [not examined] • 2 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; Dec. 1958; D.C. Geyshes leg.; in nests of Atta sexdens (Linnaeus, 1758) ; RMNH [not examined] • 6 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Nassaugebergte [Nassau Mountains]; 04°48′00.04″ N, 54°36′00.03″ W; 19 Mar. 1949; D.C. Geyshes leg.; in Bromelia uriezca [sic]; RMNH [not examined] .

Measurements

See Table 2 .

Distribution

Known from Surinam. The type locality of one paratype of C. gertschi , Paramaribo, is near the locality of C. platnicki, Lelydorp. Considering that most species of Charinus have restricted distributions, the paratype of C. gertschi from Paramaribo may be conspecific with C. platnicki . Unfortunately, the type material of both species was not deposited as designated (AMNH, MCZ and RMNH) hence the material could not be checked. Further investigation of topotypes is needed to address this question.

Natural history

Known to inhabit bromeliads and the nests of leafcutter ants, Atta cephalotes and A. sexdens . Charinus platnicki and C. bromeliaea are the only charinid species thus far known to inhabit bromeliads, the first in leaves of Aechmea sp. in French Guiana, and the second in Bromelia sp. in Surinam ( Quintero 1986; Jocqué & Giupponi 2012)

Remarks

Weygoldt (2000a) synonymized Tricharinus with Charinus but did not transfer the species from the former genus to the latter. Harvey (2002b) created the new combinations with C. caribensis , C. guianensis , and C. platnicki .

Figures

Fig. 27. Map plotting known distributions of species of Charinus Simon, 1892 in northern South America.