Sarax seychellarum ( Kraepelin, 1898 ) Miranda & Giupponi & Prendini & Scharff, 2021

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 : 227-229

Sarax seychellarum ( Kraepelin, 1898) comb. nov.

Figs 135 , 145–147 ; Table 9

Charinus seychellarum Kraepelin, 1898: 3 .

Charinus seychellarum – Kraepelin 1899: 250. — Börner 1904: 5, fig. 10, 41d, 86, 93–94. — Arldt 1908: 441. — Gravely 1911: 36, fig. 2a; 1915b: 442. — Hirst 1913: 34. — Mello-Leitão 1931: 54. — Werner 1935: 471, figs 28, 68c. — Fage & Simon 1936: 300. — Fage 1954: 182. — Weidner 1959: 142. — Lawrence 1969: 86. — Weygoldt 1972b: 123, fig. 22d, 1999b: 49–52, 59–61, figs 1–5; 1999c: 107, figs 11–12; 2000a: 24, 99, figs 45–46, 213–217. — Benoit 1979: 458–459. — Moritz & Fischer 1980: 139. — Delle Cave 1986: fig. II. — Harvey 2001: 691; 2003: 7.

Non Charinus seychellarum – Fage 1939: 154–155, fig. 1a–d (misidentification, see Charinus africanus and Charinus fagei ).

Diagnosis

This species may be separated from all other Amblypygi by the following combination of characters: slender female gonopod, considered absent in the literature ( Fig. 146A, C–D ); secondary sexual dimorphism, with male pedipalp segments longer than females; pedipalp patella with long ventral spine between spine 1 and distal margin ( Fig. 145F ).

Etymology

Although unspecified, the species name is evidently an adjective referring to the Seychelles, where the species occurs.

Type material

Syntypes SEYCHELLES • 1 ♀, 2 juv.; ZMB 15745-A-E; ZMH .

Additional material

SEYCHELLES • 1 ♂, “ lectotypus ”; Insel Silhoueten [Silhouette Island]; Brauer leg.; 5 Aug. 1896; [see Remarks]; ZMH • 3 ♀♀, 1 juv.; Long Island , Percy Staden Trust Expedition; Jul. 1904; BMNH 1905.1.473–480 • 8 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, 8 juv.; S. and P. Weygoldt leg.; 5–10 Sep. 1997; SMNS • 1 ♂; S. and P. Weygoldt leg.; 15 Sep. 1997; AMCC [ LP 1494 ] • 1 ♂; Praslin , Vallée de Mai; 18 Jul. 2008; L. Monod leg.; coco de mer forest, under stones; AMCC [ LP 9074 ] • 2 ♀♀; Mahé , Morne Seychellois National Park , Mare aux Cachons walking trail; 04°37′42.8″ S, 55°24′51.4″ E; 340 m a.s.l.; 15 Jul. 2008; L. Monod leg.; rainforest with lot of granitic boulders, in rock crevices; AMCC [ LP 9075 ] .

Redescription

CARAPACE. Frontal process large, triangular, not visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 146C ). Median eyes and median ocular tubercle well developed ( Fig. 146A ); median eyes situated anteriorly; without seta posterior to median eyes. Lateral eyes well developed, with seta situated on tubercle of lateral ocular triad, between posterior eyes (indistinct in syntype male labeled as lectotype); lateral eyes well separated from carapace margin; lenses directed anteriorly and dorsally.

STERNUM. Tritosternum projected anteriorly with typical setation ( Fig. 146B ). Metasternum with subtle white suture medially, with pair of setae near posterior margin.

OPISTHOSOMA. Ventral sacs absent.

GENITALIA. Female genital operculum with posterior margin straight ( Fig. 146A–C ). Female gonopod with slender soft cuticle with folded apex directed anteriorly ( Fig. 146A, C–D ); gonopod sclerotized basally (for details, see Weygoldt 1999b). Male gonopod and spermatophore described by Weygoldt (1999b); margin of third sternite bent ventrally posteromedially.

CHELICERAE. Retrolateral surface of basal segment with projection opposite to bifid tooth; claw with eight teeth; retrolateral row of setae from base to near apex of claw.

PEDIPALPS. Coxae dorsally with round carina; five setae close to each other on margin of dorsal carina; without seta inside round protuberance. Femur with 3–5 dorsal spines in primary series ( Fig. 145E ); three prominent setiferous tubercles proximal to spine 1; secondary series with four spines, first spine situated between 2 and 3, other three spines distal to 3; four ventral spines in primary series ( Fig. 145F ); secondary series with three small spines distal to spine 4 of primary series. Patella with four dorsal spines in primary series ( Fig. 145E ); two small, subequal spines, forming secondary series, proximally; invagination below dorsal spine 3 of primary series extending to curve at distal margin of tibia; secondary series with five spines, first spine between spines 2 and 3, last four spines distal to spine 3; three ventral spines; large spine between spine I and distal margin. Tibia with two dorsal spines, proximal spine two-thirds length of distal spine; ventral spine in distal half, two-thirds length of proximal dorsal spine. Tarsus with two small, slightly curved dorsal spines ( Fig. 145D ); 26–27 setae in ventral row of cleaning brush.

LEGS. Tibia of leg I with 21 articles; tarsus I with 37 articles; tarsal organ close to tarsal claw base ( Fig. 147A–B ); rod sensilla with five setae in shallow groove ( Fig. 147A, C–D ). Leg IV basitibia with four pseudo-articles, trichobothrium near proximal margin of distalmost pseudo-article; distitibia trichobothrium bc situated equidistant between bf and sbf; sf and sc series each with five trichobothria.

Measurements

See Table 9.

Distribution

Endemic to the Seychelles.

Natural history

Collected under stones and in rock crevices in granitic boulders, in rainforest.

Remarks

The ZMH collection contains a vial with four protonymphs and four larger specimens, none of which appear to be adult, as they are much smaller ( Table 9). Kraepelin (1898) did not designate any types, hence all specimens mentioned in the original description are syntypes. One specimen is labelled “ lectotype ” but this was not published, hence this vial is considered a syntype.

Almost all species of Charinus , Sarax and Weygoldtia exhibit some sort of projection (cushion-like, sucker-like, finger-like or plunger-like) of the female gonopod. Sarax seychellarum comb. nov. is unique in exhibiting a flat layer of cuticle without any projection. Weygoldt (1999b: 52) considered S. seychellarum comb. nov. to “not carry anything resembling gonopods” because he was unsure how to homologize the thin layer of cuticle to the gonopod projections of other charinids.

This species was originally described in the genus Charinus and is hereby transferred to Sarax based on the phylogenetic analyses of Miranda et al. (2021). As suggested by Weygoldt (1999b) and confirmed by Miranda et al. (2021), the presence of ventral sacs and ventral sac covers are not synapomorphic for Sarax and their absence in some species may be a secondary loss, as in the species of Charinus transferred to Sarax .

Figures

Fig. 135. Map plotting known distributions of species of Sarax Simon, 1892 in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

Fig. 145. Sarax seychellarum (Kraepelin, 1898) comb. nov. (AMCC [LP 9075]), general morphology, ♀. A. Carapace, 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 = 0.1 mm; D = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 146. Sarax seychellarum (Kraepelin, 1898) comb. nov. (AMCC [LP 9075]), female gonopod and genital operculum. A. Gonopod, dorsal view. B. Posterior margin of genital operculum, ventral view. C. Gonopods, posterior view. D. Sinistral side of gonopod. E. Glandular opening on margin of genital operculum.

Fig. 147. Sarax seychellarum (Kraepelin, 1898) comb. nov. (AMCC [LP 9075]), antenniform leg I, ♂. A. Apex of distal article of tarsus showing modified claw, rod sensilla and tarsal organ. B. Close-up of claw and tarsal organ. C. Apex of tarsus showing rod sensilla and olfactory setae, lateral view. D. Rod sensilla and olfactory setae.