Charinus ruschii, Miranda, Gustavo S., Milleri-Pinto, Milena, Goncalves-Souza, Thiago, Giupponi, Alessandro Ponce de Leao & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2016

Miranda, Gustavo S., Milleri-Pinto, Milena, Goncalves-Souza, Thiago, Giupponi, Alessandro Ponce de Leao & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2016, A new species of Charinus Simon 1892 from Brazil, with notes on behavior (Amblypygi, Charinidae), ZooKeys 621, pp. 15-36 : 19-22

Taxon classification Animalia Amblypygi Charinidae

Charinus ruschii sp. n. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4

Diagnosis.

Charinus ruschii can be easily recognized by the sucker-like female gonopod, presence of three spines on the pedipalp tarsus, large size (carapace circa 80% wider than that of Charinus brasilianus and Charinus montanus ), small unique platelets of the sternum, similar size of the proximal segment of tarsus I compared to the other segments, and cheliceral claw with 10 teeth.

Type material.

Holotype: Brazil, Espírito Santo, Santa Teresa municipality [19°56'12.60"S 40°35'53.99"W], T. Gonçalves-Souza and M. Milleri-Pinto leg. (1 female, MNRJ 9235). Paratypes: same data as holotype, T. Gonçalves-Souza and Milena leg. (4 females, 1 juvenile, MNRJ 9237); same data as holotype, T. Gonçalves-Souza and Milena leg. (2 females, MNRJ 9235); Estação Biológica Santa Lúcia, v.2005, T. Gonçalves-Souza leg. (1 female, MNRJ 9272); Man. Livre Div. Santa Teresa, M. Milleri-Pinto and T. Gonçalves-Souza leg. (2 females, MNRJ 9303).

Etymology.

The species is named after the late agronomist and naturalist Augusto Ruschi (1916-1986), who played an important role in the investigation and conservation of the Atlantic Forest, and who was born in the city of the type locality of the new species. He was also involved in the creation of Estação Biológica Santa Lúcia (Biological Station Santa Lúcia, a forested reserve) where the new species was found. In 2016 is also the centenary of his birth.

Description.

Carapace (Fig. 1A): flattened, wider than long (1.4 times), slightly bent downwards below lateral eyes; thin median furrow reaching fovea starting from median eye tubercle. Anterior margin rounded, with 6 frontal setae. Frontal process large, triangular, not visible from above. Three pairs of shallow furrows on lateral side of carapace, and an oval fovea. 1st pair of furrows placed just behind the lateral boss; furrows not reaching the middle line. Median eyes and tubercle present. Lateral eyes well developed, 1 small setae behind each triad of eyes; lenses directed upwards and anteriorly.

Sternum (Fig. 1B): 4-segmented, all articles well sclerotized. Tritosternum with round basis, projecting anteriorly in a small blunt tubercle, surpassing the base of the pedipalp coxae, with 2 apical, 2 median and 2 basal setae, with smaller ones spread from the middle to the base. Middle piece (tetrasternum) in one convex piece, with pair of large setae in its apex, and several small ones at its base. Third piece (pentasternum) formed by 1 convex piece, smaller than middle piece, with 2 long setae at its top and several setae at its base. Sternites separated from each other by the length of the third piece. Metasternum paired in its anterior half, with an anterior setae in the membranous region followed by 2 to 3 setae in the sclerotized area, in a longitudinal row from the non-sclerotized to the sclerotized region; distal border with a small elevation bearing 6-8 large setae.

Abdomen (Fig. 1A): oblong, with almost indistinguishable punctuations. Ventral sacs not present.

Chelicera (Fig. 2A): cheliceral furrow with 4 internal (prolateral) teeth; first tooth (upper) bifid with proximal cusp much larger than distal cusp. Third tooth slightly thinner and shorter than second. Fourth tooth one third larger than the third. No tooth in the external row of the basal segment. Mesal face with several small setae. Claw with 10 denticles.

Pedipalp: Trochanter (Fig. 1G): large spiniform ventral apophysis, located in the posterior border of the trochanter, bearing 13 large setae, and with a blunt tip pointed forward; 2 subequal spines, one at about the center of the anterior row of setiferous tubercles, the other at the external border, above the apophysis, slightly curved inwards. Femur (Fig. 1F, G): 5 to 6 dorsal spines (I>II>III>IV>V>VI) with 2 prominent setiferous tubercles before first spine; 5 ventral spines (I>II>III>IV>V), with 1 small spine displaced from the main series, dorsal to spine 1; with 2 small setiferous tubercles before first spine. Patella (Fig. 1F, G): 6 dorsal spines (I>II>III>IV>V>VI); one setiferous tubercle distal to I (about one third the size of I); spine I with 3 large and several small setae in the first third; spine II with 3-4 large setae at basal third; spine III with 1 setae in its distal third. 4-5 ventral spines decreasing in size. Tibia (Fig. 1F, G): 2 dorsal spines, the basal 2/3 the size of the distal. One ventral spine at distal half, 2/3 the basal spine dorsal. Tarsus (Fig. 1D, E): 3 dorsal spines (present since early stages of development); 2 distal, subequal between each other and 1/5 the size of the article; the proximal spine small, circa of 1/3 the size of the other two, positioned close to the proximal spine and with long setae in its base. Cleaning organ about 1/2 of the article length. Claw (Fig. 1D, E): long, with an acute, curved tip.

Legs: all segments setose. Ventral corner of the prolateral face of femora II–IV projecting in a distinct spiniform process. Femur length: I>III>II>IV. Tibia I with 23 articles; distal segments with 2 small trichobothria, 1 on the dorsal and 1 on the lateral (mesal) side of the segment; 1 trichobothria in the second, third and fourth (from distal to proximal) segments, close to the distal border, all dorsally positioned; no trichobothria on other segments. Tarsus (basitarsus+distitarsus) I with 41 articles covered with large number of sensilla (Fig. 3 B–F). Tip of leg I with small modified claw, emerging from common base (Fig. 3F). Lateral claws smaller than middle claw. Segments covered with at least 2 sensilla types, the bristle sensilla (br) and the club sensilla (c; Figs 3C, D). The club sensilla are found in the first 3 or 4 segments of tarsus I, whereas the bristle sensilla are present in all segments of tarsus and tibia I, decreasing in number from the tip to the base of the segments.

Leg IV: Basitibia: divided into 4 pseudo-articles, with 1 trichobothrium on the first third of the last pseudo-segments (trichobothrium bt). Distitibia (Fig. 2B): 3 proximal and 15 distal trichobothria (total of 18); trichobothrium bc closer to sbf than to bf; sf and sc with 6 trichobothria. Basitibia-distitibia length DT>BT1>BT4>BT3>BT2. Tarsus: with well marked white ring in the distal part of first segment of distitarsus IV.

Color pattern

(alcohol preserved material). Chelicerae, pedipalps, carapace, and abdomen yellowish-brown; tibia and tarsus of legs lighter colored. Live animals grey.

Genitalia.

female gonopod (Fig. 3A): posterior margin of genital operculum straight, with several setae along its margin and on its surface. Gonopods sucker-like, with a broad base, a constriction in the middle of the short stalk, and a rounded opening of the atrium; stalk slightly curved inwards. Base soft and wrinkled.

Male.

not known.