Charinus taboa Vasconcelos, Giupponi & Ferreira, 2016

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 : 134

Charinus taboa Vasconcelos, Giupponi & Ferreira, 2016

Fig. 43 ; Table 4

Charinus taboa Vasconcelos et al., 2016: 37–46 , figs 1–23.

Charinus taboa – Miranda et al. 2016c: 29.

Diagnosis

Based on Vasconcelos et al. (2016), this species may be separated from other Charinus in eastern South America by means of the following combination of characters: median eyes reduced, with depressed median ocular tubercle; lateral eyes reduced, pale; tritosternum slightly forked anteriorly; female gonopod sucker-like, with irregular opening and margins with small fold; male gonopod with pairs of PI and LoL1 emerging from each side of Fi with narrow prolongations, and pairs of LoD and LoL2 claw-shaped, emerging from interior of upper part of Fi; pedipalps sexually dimorphic; pedipalp femur with four or (usually) five dorsal spines and five (usually) or six ventral spines; pedipalp patella with six (usually) or seven dorsal spines and four ventral spines; leg IV distitibia sc and sf series each with five trichobothria.

Etymology

Noun in apposition referring to the name of the cave in which most of the specimens were collected ( Vasconcelos et al. 2016).

Type material

Holotype BRAZIL • ♂; Minas Gerais, Sete Lagoas , Taboa Cave ; 19°28′29.68″ S, 44°19′41.31″ W; 15 Sep. 2005; R.L. Ferreira leg.; MNRJ 9091 .

Paratypes BRAZIL • 1 ♀, 1 juv.; same collection data as for holotype; MNRJ 9092 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 4019 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 4020 [not examined] • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 4021 [not examined] • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 4022 [not examined] • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 4023 [not examined] • 1 juv. ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 4024 [not examined] • 1 juv. ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ISLA 4030 [not examined] • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Minas Gerais, Sete Lagoas, BR-24 Cave; 19°27′59.89″ S, 44°19′48.47″ W; 22 Jun. 2015; F. Bondezan leg.; CAVAISC ARAC 7 • 1 ♀; Minas Gerais, Sete Lagoas, BR-24 Cave; 18 Dec. 2015; F. Bondezan leg.; CAVAISC ARAC 8 .

Measurements

See Table 4 .

Distribution

Known only from the type localites.

Natural history

Specimens of C. taboa were found in two of the ten caves ( Taboa Cave and BR-24 Cave) surveyed in the Bambui speleological group, near the city of Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The caves are located less than 500 m apart and likely connected by meso-caverns ( Vasconcelos et al. 2016). About fifteen adults and ten juveniles were observed in Taboa Cave , all in the inner part, near a large watercourse. Adults were mainly found on the walls and ceiling of the cave, whereas juveniles were often under rocks. Specimens of C. taboa were only found in the deepest part of the BR-24 Cave. Six specimens were found during the dry season and only one during the rainy season. Potential prey species observed in the cave included moths and crickets. One specimen was observed preying on a noctuid moth during the day. The external native vegetation and rock outcrops surrounding these caves are severely degraded or in some cases completely destroyed by human activites, such as mining.

Figures

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