Charinus bromeliaea sp. n. (Amblypygi: Charinidae); a new species of bromeliad inhabiting whip spider from French Guyana
Author
Jocque, Merlijn
Author
Giupponi, Alessandro Ponce De Leão
text
Zootaxa
2012
3158
53
59
journal article
45667
10.5281/zenodo.212528
b742dc67-b14d-4106-8a0a-f9c090cf2c04
1175-5326
212528
Charinus bromeliaea
sp. n.
Jocque & Giupponi
(
Figs 2–4
)
Type
material.
Holotype
:
Female (
MNRJ
09185), French
Guyana
, Savanna Roche La Virginie, (
4°11'24.00"N
,
52°08'60.00"W
), collected on
20 august 2008
by M. Jocque in
Achmea
cfr.
melionii
bromeliads.
Paratypes
:
3 females
(
MNRJ
09185), same data as the
holotype
.
Derivation of name.
The name is based on the peculiar habitat of the animal.
Diagnosis.
Total length:
5.2 mm
.
Charinus bromeliaea
sp. n.
can be distinguished from the remaining
Charinus
species by the median and lateral eyes reduced in comparison to average size for the genus (distinguishing it from
C. quinteroi
,
C. bordoni
,
C. tronchoni
,
C. camachoi
and
C. pardillalensis
); basitibia IV divided in two articles (distinguishing it from
C. gertschi
,
C. insularis
and
C. koepckei
); sternal plates narrow, convex and rounded, tritosternum greater than 3 times longer than wide.
Charinus bromeliae
sp. n.
is similar to
C. platnicki
but is larger, has a lighter brown color and basal distitibial spine of pedipalp about 2/3 the size of the medial spine while in
C. platnicki
it is about 1/4. Basitibia and distitibia of leg IV have 15 trichobothria (1 + 14) compared to 18 (2 + 16) in
C. platnicki
and
C. caribensis
and 17 (1 + 16) in
C. quinteroi
.
MEASUREMENTS (in mm)
: Female
holotype
: cephalothorax: length: 2.12, width: 2.94; pedipalp: femur 1.59, tibia 1.62, basitarsus 0.81, distitarsus 0.54, tarsal claw 0.49.
Description.
Color of specimen in alcohol is overall pale yellow-brown (
Fig. 2
A–B). Cephalothorax with linear stains, slightly darker lines radiating from fovea. Lateral and median eye edges bearing black stains. Legs slightly darker than overall color.
Cephalothorax
(
Fig. 2
A) flattened, wider than long (ratio a little over 4/5) with a posterior depression (opposite to median eye tubercle) from which a thin median groove starts that runs to a depression in between the pair of lateral humps situated behind lateral eye spots. Corners of anterior margin extending downwards in a wide, roundish boss. Median and lateral eyes reduced in comparison to average size for the genus.
FIGURE 2.
Charinus bromeliaea
sp. n.
holotype (female). 1. Cephalothorax, dorsal view. 2. Cephalothorax, ventral view.
FIGURE 3.
Tarsus of holotype (female); A. Tarsus of pedipalp, ventral, B. pedipalp ventral, C. pedipalp dorsal.
Frontal process well developed, much longer than large, with blunt, rebordered apex.
Sternum
(
Fig. 2
B) consisting of 3 sclerotized parts: tritosternum with a round base and projecting anteriorly between palpal coxa in an elongated, forked tubercle, a little over 3 times longer than wide, with 2 apical (1 on each prong of the fork), 2 middle and 2 basal setae; central part rounded, convex, anteriorly with 2 strong setae, and 2 setulae laterally and 1 posteriorly; third sclerite rounded and convex, slightly smaller or equally large as second sclerite, with 2 large setae positioned centrally.
Abdomen
(
Fig. 2
A, B) oblong, with almost indistinguishable punctuations, finer than those on carapace.
Chelicera
with cheliceral furrow (
Figs. 3
A–D) bearing 4 internal teeth, the distal tooth bifid, the first cusp bigger than the second; fourth tooth twice as long as others and much stouter; relative teeth length (from tip to base) IV>Ia>Ib>III=II.
Pedipalp
:
Trochanter Femur
(
Fig. 3
B,C) bearing 2 or 3 dorsal spines (I>II>III); basal spine almost 2 times longer than median and the latter over 2 times longer than distal spine; femur ventrally with 3 spines on primary series (I>II>III); basal ventral spine curved inwards and considerably longer than median spine; distal ventral spine half as long as median ventral spine.
Tibia
(
Fig. 3
B, C) with 5 dorsal spines I<II>III>IV>V; spine
IV 1
/3 longer than spine III; spine V approximately 1/3 the length of spine IV.
Basitarsus
(
Fig. 3
A–C) bearing 2 large dorsal spines, with the distal spine slightly longer than basal spine; basitarsus also bearing 2 smaller ventral spines, apical one approximately ¼ the length of the proximal dorsal spine.
Distitarsus
(
Fig. 3
A, B) long, with 2 curved spines in basal half; basal spine about 2/3 the size of distal one and this spine is ¼ the size of distitarsus; cleaning organ about ¾ the segment length.
Claw
(
Fig. 3
A–C) long, with an acute, curved tip.
Legs
with many small spines. Ventral corner of the prolateral face of femora II–IV projecting in a distinct spiniform process.
Femur length
I>II=III=IV=II.
Tibia
I with 23 articles.
Tarsus
(basitarsus + distitarsus) I with 25 articles.
Leg IV: Basitibia
with 2 pseudo-articles, 1 trichobothrium located on last pseudo-article.
Distitibia
with 1 basal, 3 median and 11 distal trichobothria (
Fig. 4
).
Genitalia
: Female gonopods (
Fig. 5
) small, a bit longer than wide, ballon-shaped with sucker-like prehensile structure with divergent rounded openings, without smooth sclerotized finger–like appendage, with numerous acuminated setae in particular along its posterior edge. Male gonopods unknown.