Heterophrynus elaphus Pocock, 1903

Chirivi-Joya, Daniel, Moreno-González, Jairo A. & Fagua, Giovanny, 2020, Two new species of the whip-spider genus Heterophrynus (Arachnida: Amblypygi) with complementary information of four species, Zootaxa 4803 (1), pp. 1-41 : 19-23

Heterophrynus elaphus Pocock

Figures 11–13 , 22 (in part). Table 4.

Heterophrynus elaphus Pocock, 1903: 220–222 ; Mello-Leitão 1931: 49; Mello-Leitão & Feio 1949: 318; Roewer 1952: 37; Roewer 1956: 430; Roewer 1957: 68; Weygoldt 1972: fig. 10; Weygoldt, 1974: figs 2, 6; Igelmund & Wendler 1985: 287; Igelmund 1987: 75–88, figs 1–6; Igelmund & Wendler 1991a: 63–73, figs 1–10; Igelmund & Wendler, 1991b: 75–82, figs 1–6; Selden et. al. 1991: figs 2, 6; Weygoldt 1994: 245; Weygoldt 1996: figs 9, 29, 33; Weygoldt 2000: figs 20, 25, 32, 79–87; Giupponi 2002: 173; Réveillion et al. 2014: 102; Armas et al. 2016: 45, 48, figs 1A, 2F-I, 3C; Lehmann & Friedrich 2018: 171, table 2, 3; Ballón-Estacio & Armas 2019: 15, 19.

Type locality: Marcapata Valley , Cuzco, Perú .

Examined material (1 female, 1 male, 1 juvenil): PERÚ: Pasco: Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillén, Paujil (10°19´22.5´´S; 75°15´44.7´´W): 360 masl, 1 October 2015, J. Cabra, B. Portuguéz, three males, 1 female, 1 male juvenile ( MZUSP 74571 ) .

Distribution: Countries: Bolivia, Perú. Other records from: Peru: Igelmund & Wendler (1991a): Pucallpa; Roewer (1952): Tingo María; Roewer (1957): Cascas, near to Trujillo; La Merced; Saposoa; Puente Cayumba: Rio Huallaga; Tingo Maria: Cueva de Las Lechuzas; Ballón-Estacio & Armas (2019): Cusco, Madre de Dios. Bolivia: Réveillion et al. (2014): Beni.

Diagnosis. Heterophrynus elaphus can be differentiated from other species by present the following characters together: three teeth in the ectal portion of the basal segment of the chelicerae. Six spines in the dorsal Patella , P7 and PIII are absent. Four long spines in the ventral femur, spine FIII is smaller than FII and longer than FV, FIV is absent. Female genitalia with gonopod sclerites with claw-like shape, a little curved at the distal portion. Seminal receptacles with a square shape ( Fig. 13D ).

Similar species: the more similar species is H. cheiracanthus , however, this species present the spines P7, and PIII. The female genital differs by presenting gonopod sclerites shorter and more curved ( Fig. 10D ).

Male genital of H. elaphus presents a Pi, LaM, and LoL 1 with a very similar length and an LoD very elongated and wide, which differs from the other species ( Fig. 13 , A, B, C).

Complementary description. Female (MZUSP 74571): Total length 32.4mm. Carapace, opisthosoma, and legs have a brown coloration, pedipalps brown with red tonalities. Measures of the female are provided in Table 4.

Carapace. Anterior margin straight without lobes, carapace surface with a widely spaced granulation, posterior margin of with a concave medial region. Lateral and anteromedial eyes clearly visible, anteromedial ocular tubercle with black coloration ( Fig. 11A ).

Sternum. Tri-segmented, segments are well sclerotized, the area around segments is also sclerotized. Tritosternum projected anteriorly, elongated, conical, with 30 setae in the basal region, eighth in the medial region, 11 in distal region and two more in the apex.

The second segment (tetrasternum) oval and with three setae on medial region. The third segment (penta- sternum) rounded, smaller than the second segment, has two setae on medial region. Metasternum longitudinally divided ( Fig. 11B ).

Abdomen. Oblong, color brown, with soft punctuations. Carapace wider than the Abdomen ( Fig. 11C ).

Chelicera. Presents a mesal row of three teeth on the basal segment of the chelicerae with the first in the proximal region, with two cuspids, follow by one tooth shorter in the medial portion, and the third bigger than others placed in the distal region ( Fig. 11D ). The ectal row of the basal segment of the chelicerae have three teeth, two with acuminated apex placed in the proximal portions, fused at the base (tooth 1 and 2), and one more with acuminate apex placed on the medial portion (tooth 3) ( Fig. 11F ). Mobile finger of the chelicerae with five teeth.

Pedipalp. Trochanter: Prolateral face with four spines; spines Tr1 and Tr3 placed in the medial region, Tr2 placed near to ventral margin. Tr3 and Tr4 with subequal lengths. Spines lengths: Tr2>Tr1>Tr3≥Tr4. Dorsal oblique series of nine setal tubercles. The dorsomedial area without spines but with three tubercles ( Fig. 11E ). Femur: Ventral face with four major spines, with four tubercles between FII–FIII, seven between FIII–FV, and 11 more distally than FV, FIV is absent. Spine lengths: FI>FII>FIII>FV ( Fig. 12A ). Dorsal face with five major spines, with four tubercles between F3–F4, five between F4–F5, and 11 more distally than F5. F1 and F2 share the same base and are clearly separated from F3. Spine lengths: F3>F4>F1=F2>F5 ( Fig. 12B ). Patella: Ventral face with four major spines, PVI and PIII are absent, six tubercles more proximally than PV, four between PV–PIV, six between PIV–PII, five between PII–PI, PI wider than the other spines. Spine lengths: PII>PIV>PV>PI ( Fig. 12C ). Dorsal face with six major spines, P7 is absent, with six tubercles more proximally than P6 and five between P6 and P5. Spine lengths: P5=P4>P3>P6>P1>P2 ( Fig. 12D ). Tibia: Ventral face with two major spines, five very small tubercles more distally than TII. Spine lengths: TII>TI ( Fig. 12E ). Dorsal face with two major spines, six very small tubercles more distally than T2. Spine lengths: T2>T1 ( Fig. 12F ). Tarsus-metatarsus: Internal face with the secondary line of dorsomedial bristles complete, the suture between the tarsus and the apotele is not visible. Legs. Femora brown. Femora lengths: I>II>III>IV ( Table 4). Leg I: Tibia with 55 segments and tarsus with 97 segments in the right leg; in left leg, tibia with 26 segments and tarsus is broken. Leg IV: Basitibia with three segments.

Basitibia-distitibia lengths: BT1>DT>BT3>BT2. Basitarsus shorter than the telotarsus. Tarsus tetramerous.

Female genitalia. Genital operculum pentagonal, reaching the second segment of the opisthosoma, seminal receptacles with a rectangular shape, separated at the medial portion, dorsal surface sclerotized at the proximal region and with an additional sclerotized layer around the base of the sclerite of the gonopod, basal region with orange coloration, medial and distal portion white. Sclerites of the gonopod with claw-like shape, basal portion with some transversal grooves, distal portion a little curved, with rounded apex, sclerites placed parallel, longer than the width of the seminal receptacle, sclerites cover almost the total length of the seminal receptacle ( Fig. 13D ).

Variation. Variation in measures and segments of the basitibia IV, tibia I and tarsus I, are provided in Table 4.

Sternum. The number of setae over all segments of the sternum was variable. Pedipalp. Trochanter: line of setal tubercles vary between seven and nine. Femur: Ventral and Dorsal face: number of tubercles between the spines is variable; tubercles can be more conspicuous and, in some cases, can look as small spines. Patella . Ventral face: can be present a very small spine PVI, number of tubercles is variable. Dorsal face: number and size of the tubercles are variable. Tibia. Ventral and Dorsal face: tubercles between spines can be more conspicuous. Legs. In leg I, the number of segments of the tibia vary between 26 and 65 and tarsus vary between 97 and 103. The relative sizes of the femora II, III and IV is variable. ( Table 4).

Male. Observed Males have a similar size than the female ( Table 4), Spination pattern same as females. Genital operculum has an oval posterior margin, expanded to the third segment of the opisthosoma.

Male genitalia. (MZUSP 74571): LaM with similar size to Pi. LoL 1 longer than LoL 2, LoL 1 is wider, densely covered with minute projections, placed close together with the base not visible; LoL 2 is wrinkled and does not present projections. In dorsal view, the LoD are elongated, wide, rounded and cover LoL1 and LoL 2 ( Fig. 13A, B, C ).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Male genital: Heterophrynus cheiracanthus. (MZUSP 15859):A. ventral view. B. Detail of ornamentation of LoL 1 and LoL 2. C. Dorsal view. Fi = fistula; LaM = lamina medialis; LoD = lobus dorsalis; LoL 1= lobus lateralis primus; LoL 2 = lobus lateralis secundus; Pi = processus internus of gonopod. D. Female genital (MZUSP 9459), black arrow indicates the sclerotized area of the seminal receptacle.

FIGURE 11. Heterophrynus elaphus. Female (MZUSP 74571): A. Carapace. B. Sternum. C. Dorsal opisthosoma. D. Chelicera, mesal view. E. Trochanter (Tr). F. Chelicera, ectal view.

FIGURE 12. Heterophrynus elaphus. Female (MZUSP 74571): A. Ventral femur (Fv). B. Dorsal femur (Fd). C. Ventral patella (Pv). D. Dorsal patella (Pd). E. Ventral tibia (Tv). F. Dorsal tibia (Td).

FIGURE 13. Male genital: Heterophrynus elaphus. (MZUSP 74571): A. ventral view. B. Detail of ornamentation of LoL 1 and LoL 2. C. Dorsal view. Fi = fistula; LaM = lamina medialis; LoD = lobus dorsalis; LoL 1= lobus lateralis primus; LoL 2 = lobus lateralis secundus; Pi = processus internus of gonopod. D. Female genital (MZUSP 74571), white arrow indicates the sclerotized area of the seminal receptacle,), black arrow indicates an extra sclerite at the base of gonopod.

FIGURE 22. Distribution map. Heterophrynus alces: purple circle. Heterophrynus armiger: green circle. Heterophrynus cheiracanthus: blue circle. Heterophrynus elaphus: orange circle. Heterophrynus awa sp. nov.: gray circle. Heterophrynus origamii sp. nov.: red circle.