Sarax israelensis (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 : 224-225

Sarax israelensis ( Miranda, Aharon, Gavish-Regev, Giupponi & Wizen, 2016) comb. nov.

Fig. 135 ; Table 9

Charinus israelensis Miranda et al., 2016a: 4–12 , figs 1–6.

Charinus israelensis – Torres et al. 2019: 15, 18. — Gainett et al. 2020: 4–7, 11–13, figs 1c, 3.

Diagnosis

This species may be separated from other species of Sarax in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia by the following combination of characters: 6–8 anterior setae on carapace; median eyes extremely reduced; median ocular tubercle absent; lateral eyes very reduced.

It differs from S. ioanniticus comb. nov. as follows: reduction of the median and lateral eyes; number of spines on the pedipalp, the femur with four dorsal spines and four ventral spines in S. israelensis comb. nov. compared with five dorsal spines and five ventral spines in S. ioanniticus comb. nov.; shape of the carapace, with anterior margin rounded in S. israelensis comb. nov. but projected anteriorly in S. ioanniticus comb. nov.; and the shape of the frontal process, which is acute in S. israelensis comb. nov. but rhomboid in S. ioanniticus comb. nov.

Etymology

The name refers to the country of the type locality ( Miranda et al. 2016).

Type material

Holotype ISRAEL • ♀; Susita , Lower Galil, Mimlach cave; 32°51′31.84″ N, 35°26′34.94″ E; 30 Mar. 2014; G. Wizen leg.; HUJ INV AMB 111A .

Paratypes ISRAEL • 1 ♀; Southern Golan , Susita; 32°51′31.8″ N, 35°26′34.9″ E; 30 Mar. 2014; G.Wizen leg.; HUJ INV AMB 111B • 2 ♀♀, 1 juv.; same locality as for preceding; 32°46′46.2″ N, 35°39′28.5″ E; 2 May 2013; G. Wizen leg.; HUJ INV AMB 109 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 13 Jul. 2013; G. Wizen leg.; HUJ INV AMB 110 .

Measurements

See Table 9.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality.

Natural history

This troglobitic species is restricted to a cave in a semi-arid region.

Remarks

This species is closely related to S. ioanniticus comb. nov., which overlaps its distribution. It was originally described in the genus Charinus and is hereby transferred to Sarax based on the phylogenetic analyses of Miranda et al. (2021). The morphological characters that support its placement in Sarax include the lateral eyes situated near the lateral margin of the carapace, the presence of a seta lateral to the lateral ocular triad, and the finger-like female gonopod. See Miranda et al. (2016a) for more details about S. israelensis comb. nov.

Figures

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