Charinus reddelli Miranda, Giupponi & Wizen, 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 : 36-37

Charinus reddelli Miranda, Giupponi & Wizen, 2016

Fig. 12 ; Table 1

Charinus reddelli Miranda et al., 2016b: 550–554, figs 1b–c, e–f, 2c–h, 3b, d, 4b, d, 5c–f, h, 6b–c, e–f, h, 7b–c, 8.

Diagnosis

This species may be separated from other Caribbean and Central American Charinus by means of the following combination of characters: median eyes and ocular tubercle absent; cheliceral claw with four teeth, bifid tooth of basal cheliceral segment with dorsal and ventral cusps of equal size; leg tibia I with 23 articles; tarsus I with 41 articles; first article of tarsus 1.4–1.9 times as long as second article.

Etymology

Patronym honoring Dr James R. Reddel ( Miranda et al. 2016b).

Type material

Holotype BELIZE • ♀; Armenia, Cayo District, Karst Cave, Waterfall Cave (Actun Lubul Ha); 17°06′31″ N, 88°43′51″ W; 30 Aug. 2014; G. Wizen leg.; HUJ INV AMB 115 .

Paratypes BELIZE • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; HUJ INV AMB 116 • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; MNRJ 9305 • 1 ♀; Footprint Cave ; 17°07′39″ N, 88°43′56″ W; 7 Sep. 2014; P. Naskrecki and G. Wizen leg.; HUJ INV AMB 112 • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; HUJ INV AMB 113 • 2 juv. ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; HUJ INV AMB 11 .

Measurements

See Table 1 .

Distribution

Known from the Footprint Cave and the Waterfall Cave (Actun Lubul Ha) in Belize.

Natural history

The species inhabits karst caves located in the valley of the Caves Branch River in central Belize. At the Footprint Cave, the most frequently encountered prey items were nymphs of Mayagryllus apterus Desutter-Grandcolas & Hubbell, 1993 ( Orthoptera : Gryllidae Laicharting, 1781 ) and Belicenochrus peckorum Armas & Víquez, 2010 ( Schizomida : Hubbardiidae Cook, 1899 ). The Waterfall Cave has an abundance of insects ( M. apterus , cockroaches) and other arthropods (isopods, spiders, soft ticks). An egg sac contained 4– 10 eggs measuring 1.5–1.64 mm in diameter and, at 25°C, egg development took ca 150 days. The hatching praenymphae measured 2.2–2.5 mm and spent 14 days on the mother’s back before molting into protonymphae measuring 2.8 mm in length.

Remarks

Further details of the description and comparison with other species of the genus, habitat and behavior may be found in Miranda et al. (2016b).

Figures

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