Charinus vulgaris, Miranda & Giupponi, 2011

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 : 71-73

Charinus vulgaris Miranda & Giupponi, 2011

Fig. 27 ; Table 2

Charinus vulgaris Miranda & Giupponi, 2011: 62–65 , figs 1–11, 13. Charinus vulgaris – Vasconcelos et al. 2013: 469, fig. 12. — Vasconcelos & Ferreira 2016: 185. — Miranda et al. 2016c: 31.

Diagnosis

Based on Miranda & Giupponi (2011), this species may be separated from other Charinus in Amazonia and northern South America by means of the following combination of characters: sternum tri-segmented, with second and third platelets rounded and convex; pedipalp femur with three dorsal spines and two ventral spines; pedipalp patella with four dorsal spines and two ventral spines; pedipalp tibia with two dorsal spines, proximal spine less than half length of distal spine, and one ventral spine; pedipalp tarsus with two dorsal spines; leg tibia I with 21 articles; leg IV basitibia with three pseudo-articles; distitibia with 16 or 17 trichobothria.

Etymology

Latin adjective meaning ‘ordinary, common’, referring to the microhabitats in which the specimens were collected ( Miranda & Giupponi 2011).

Type material

Holotype BRAZIL • ♀; Rondônia, Porto Velho, São João Bosco, Rio Madeira and Santo Antônio neighbourhoods; Feb. 2011; G.S. Miranda leg.; MNRJ 9106 .

Paratypes BRAZIL • 3 juv.; same locality as for holotype; Dec. 2009; MNRJ 9104 • 11 ♀♀, 6 juv.; same collection data as for holotype; MNRJ 9105 ; 1 ♀, 1 juv.; same collection data as for holotype; IBSP 226 .

Additional material

BRAZIL • 1 ♀; Rondônia, Porto Velho, Campus da Faculdade São Lucas ; 29 Jul. 2008; P.I. Silva et al leg.; small secondary forest with stream; daytime; MNRJ 9274 • 1 ♀; Rondônia, Porto Velho; MNRJ 9275 • 1 ♀; Bahia, Salvador; ECOA 2493 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; ECOA 2050 • 1 juv. ♀; same collection data as for preceding; ECOA 2440 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; ECOA 2438 .

Description

CARAPACE. Six anterior setae; frontal process triangular. Small granules densely scattered between ocular triads and among sulci. Median eyes and median ocular tubercle absent; lateral eyes well developed, with seta posterior to each lateral ocular triad; lateral ocular triad well separated from carapace margin.

STERNUM. Tritosternum projected anteriorly, with typical setation, long, surpassing base of pedipalp coxae; other sternal platelets narrow, concave, with pair of setae anteriorly; pentasternum with two setae anteriorly and without seta near membranous region.

OPISTHOSOMA. Ventral sacs and ventral sac cover absent.

GENITALIA. Female genital operculum with prominent setae posteromedially and some smaller setae near margin; gonopod cushion-like, slightly sclerotizated from base to apex. Male unknown.

CHELICERAE. Small, flat tooth on retrolateral surface of basal segment, opposite to bifid tooth; retrolateral surface of cheliceral claw without seta; claw with four or five teeth; row of ten setae on prolateral surface of basal segment; bifid tooth on basal segment with dorsal cusp larger than ventral cusp.

PEDIPALPS. Coxal dorsal carina with prominent seta encircled by round carina and three setae on margin. Femur with three dorsal spines and three ventral spines; two prominent setiferous tubercles between dorsal spine 1 and proximal margin; one setiferous tubercle between ventral spine 1 and proximal margin. Patella with three dorsal spines in primary series; one prominent setiferous tubercle distal to spine I, one-third length of spine I; two ventral spines; prominent setiferous tubercle between spine I and distal margin. Tibia with ventral spine distally and seta between spine and distal margin. Tarsus with two dorsal spines, proximal spine one-third length of distal spine; cleaning organ with 30–31 setae in ventral row.

LEGS. Tibia of leg I with 21 articles; tarsus I with 37 articles; first tarsal article similar in length to subsequent articles. Leg IV basitibia with three pseudo-articles, without sclerotized, denticulate margin projecting from apex of articles; trichobothrium bt situated in proximal third of pseudo-article; distitibia trichobothrium bc situated closer to sbf than to bf, sc and sf series each with five trichobothria.

Measurements

See Table 2 .

Distribution

Charinus vulgaris was described from Porto Velho, Rondônia (southern Amazonia) but has also been collected in a disturbed area of Salvador, Bahia (eastern Brazil). There is reason to suspect that the population in Salvador was introduced from Amazonia, because of the human history in the area. During the gold rush in Rondônia, when intensive mining occuring at the Madeira River, large numbers of people migrated between northeastern Brazil and Porto Velho, facilitating the translocation of species such as C. vulgaris along with plants.

Natural history

All specimens collected thus far are female, suggesting this species is parthenogenetic, and bolstering the hypothesis that its occurrence in Salvador may be the result of translocation from Porto Velho.

Key to the identification of the species of Charinus in western South America

1. Median eyes present ( Fig. 35A, C ).................................................................................................... 2

– Median eyes absent ( Fig. 42A, C ) ..................................................................................................... 6

2. Cheliceral claw with seven or eight teeth .......................................................................................... 3

– Cheliceral claw with five teeth .......................................................................................................... 4

3. Pedipalp femur with five dorsal spines and four ventral spines; pedipalp patella with five dorsal spines and three ventral spines ................................... C. tingomaria Ballón-Estacio & Armas, 2019

– Pedipalp femur with four dorsal spines and four ventral spines; pedipalp patella with four dorsal spines and two ventral spines ( Figs 36C–D , 40A ) ............. C. insularis Banks, 1902 ( Figs 2 , 36–41 )

4. Leg I tarsus with 27–30 articles.......................... C. longitarsus Armas & Palomino-Cárdenas, 2016

– Leg I tarsus with 41–43 articles......................................................................................................... 5

5. Pedipalp patella with four dorsal spines and three ventral spines; leg IV basitibia with four pseudoarticles..................................................................................................... C. koepckei Weygoldt, 1972

– Pedipalp patella with three dorsal spines and two ventral spines ( Fig. 35E ); leg IV basitibia with three pseudo-articles ........................................................................... C. guayaquil sp. nov. ( Fig. 35 )

6. Leg IV basitibia with two pseudo-articles................................... C. mocoa sp. nov. ( Figs 5G–H , 42 )

– Leg IV basitibia with three pseudo-articles ......................................................................................... ..................................................................... C. rocamadre Torres-Contreras, García & Armas, 2015

Figures

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

Fig. 35. Charinus guayaquil sp. nov. (MNRJ 9302), general morphology, ♀. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Sternum, ventral view. C. Frontal process. D. Pedipalp tarsus, frontal view. E. Pedipalp, dorsal view. F. Pedipalp, ventral view. Scale bars: A–B, E–F = 1 mm; C–D = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 42. Charinus mocoa sp. nov. (SMF 68), general morphology, ♀. A. Habitus, dorsal view.B. Sternum, ventral view. C. Frontal process. D. Pedipalp tarsus, frontal view. E. Pedipalp, dorsal view. F. Pedipalp, ventral view. Scale bars: A–B, E–F = 1 mm; C–D = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 36. Charinus insularis Banks, 1902 (RBINS), general morphology, ♀. A. Carapace, dorsal view. B. Sternum, ventral view. C. Pedipalp, dorsal view. D. Pedipalp, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Fig. 40. Charinus insularis Banks, 1902 (RBINS), pedipalp. A. Dorsal view. B. Spine of primary series. C. Small spine. D. Base of seta and glandular/sensory opening of spine in primary series.

Fig. 2. Charinus insularis Banks, 1902 (RBINS), dextral pedipalp, ventral view, illustrating nomenclature for pedipalp segments. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Fig. 5. Charinus Simon, 1892, female gonopods, dorsal (left column) and posterior (right column) views. A–B. Charinus apiaca sp. nov. (MNRJ 9286). C–D. Charinus gertschi Goodnight & Goodnight, 1946 (AMCC [LP 10076]). E–F. Charinus miskito sp. nov. (SMNS). G–H. Charinus mocoa sp. nov. (SMF 68). Scale bars: A–B, F–H = 0.1 mm; C–E, I–L = 0.25 mm.