Charinus muchmorei Armas & Teruel, 1997

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 : 34-35

Charinus muchmorei Armas & Teruel, 1997

Fig. 12 ; Table 1

Charinus muchmorei Armas & Teruel, 1997: 43–46 , figs 1–6.

Charinides sp. – Muchmore 1993: 32. — Ávila Calvo & Armas 1997: 31.

Charinus muchmorei – Harvey 2003: 6. — Armas 2004: 39; 2006b: 228, figs 6, 10a–b; 2010: 58, 60. — Teruel & Questel 2015: 46–47. — Teruel 2016: 10. — Miranda et al. 2016b: 555, 557. — Teruel & Coulis 2017: 35.

Diagnosis

This species may be separated from other Caribbean and Central American Charinus by means of the following combination of characters: small size; median eyes and median ocular tubercle absent; female gonopod cushion-like; secondary sexual dimorphism absent.

The female gonopod of C. muchmorei resembles that of C. vulgaris , with a projection at the apex of the external fold covering the atrial opening, but the two species differ in the count of articles on tibia of leg I, 21 in C. vulgaris and 23 in C. muchmorei .

Etymology

Patronym honoring Dr W.B. Muchmore ( Armas & Teruel 1997).

Type material

Holotype US VIRGIN ISLANDS • 1 ♂; Cinnamon Bay N.T., St John ; [18°21′10.11″ N, 64°45′22.89″ W]; 6 Jun. 1980; W.B. Muchmore leg.; base of kipok; FSCA WM 5958 .

Paratypes US VIRGIN ISLANDS • 1 ♀ juv., 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; FSCA WM 5958 • 1 ♂; same locality as for holotype; 4–6 Jun. 1980; W.B. Muchmore leg.; litter at base of trees; FSCA WM 5930 • 2 ♀♀; Cinnamon Bay-Centerline Trail ; FSCA [not examined] • 2 juv.; Fredenkstal (probably Frederiksted); FSCA WM 6810 [not examined] • 1 ♀; St John Island ; FSCA [not examined] • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Lameshur Bay ; Gray; 18°19′17.69″ N, 64°43′33.12″ W; FSCA [not examined] • 1 ♀; Trunk Bay ; 18°21′07.81″ N, 64°46′06.59″ W; FSCA WM 5934 [not examined] • 1 ♂; Coral Bay ; 18°20′52.83″ N, 64°42′47.49″ W; FSCA WM 6165 [not examined] • 1 ♂, 2 juv.; Coral Bay ; 10 Oct. 1979; W.B. Muchmore leg.; ground litter; FSCA WM 5821 • 2 ♀♀; Colabash Boom ; 18°19′39.84″ N, 64°42′11.49″ W; 16 Oct. 1980; W.B. Muchmore leg.; under rocks; FSCA WM 5961 .

Supplementary 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; pair of setae in place of median ocular tubercle; lateral eyes well developed, 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, each segment divided (forming pairs) with seta 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 long setae posteromedially and smaller setae near margin; posterior margin convex; gonopod cushion-like, unsclerotized basally; apex pointed and projected. Male gonopod markedly sclerotized at apex of fistula and base of lateral lobe.

CHELICERAE. Small flat tooth on retrolateral surface of basal segment, opposite to bifid tooth; retrolateral surface of claw with two patches of setae, one small, basal, another small, medial; claw with six teeth; row of seven setae on prolateral surface of basal segment; bifid tooth on basal segment with dorsal cusp larger than ventral cusp.

PEDIPALPS. Coxal dorsal carina with three setae on anterior margin and without seta encircled by round carina. Femur with three dorsal spines and four ventral spines; two prominent setiferous tubercles between dorsal spine 1 and proximal margin; setiferous tubercle between ventral spine 1 and proximal margin. Patella with three dorsal spines in primary series; prominent setiferous tubercle between spine I and distal margin, one fifth 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 I and distal margin. Tarsus with two dorsal spines, proximal spine one-third length of distal spine; cleaning organ with 27 or 28 setae in ventral row of setae.

LEGS. Tibia of leg I with 22 or 23 articles, tarsus I with 37–39 articles; length of first tarsal article equal to sum of lengths of subsequent three or four 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 bf than to sbf; sc and sf series each with five trichobothria.

Measurements

See Table 1 .

Distribution

Known only from St John, US Virgin Islands.

Natural history

Found under rocks, in ground litter, and at base of trees.

Figures

Fig. 12. Map plotting known distributions of species of Charinus Simon, 1892 in the Caribbean and Central America.