Systematic revision of the whip spider family Paracharontidae (Arachnida: Amblypygi) with description of a new troglobitic genus and species from Colombia

Title Variants

Alternative: Systematics of Paracharontidae

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 4000

By

Moreno-González, Jairo A. , author

Gutiérrez, Miguel , author
Prendini, Lorenzo , author

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY, American Museum of Natural History, [2023]

Notes

Caption title.

"July 28, 2023."

The ancient, enigmatic whip spider family Paracharontidae Weygoldt, 1996, representing the basalmost lineage of the arachnid order Amblypygi Thorell, 1883, is revised. The monotypic West African genus Paracharon Hansen, 1921, from Guinea Bissau, is redescribed, based on a reexamination and reinterpretation of the newly designated lectotype. A new troglobitic whip spider, Jorottui ipuanai, gen. et sp. nov., is described from a cave system in the upper basin of the Camarones River in the La Guajira Department of northeastern Colombia. This new taxon is the second extant representative of Paracharontidae and the first outside Africa. It is unambiguously assigned to the family based on several characters shared with Paracharon caecus Hansen, 1921, notably a projection of the anterior carapace margin, the tritosternum not projecting anteriorly, similar pedipalp spination, a reduced number of trichobothria on the tibia of leg IV, and cushionlike female gonopods. A detailed examination confirmed the absence of ocelli in both genera and the presence of three (Paracharon) vs. four (Jorottui, gen. nov.) prolateral teeth on the basal segment of the chelicera, the dorsalmost tooth bicuspid in both genera. The male gonopods of Paracharontidae are described for the first time. Paracharonopsis cambayensis Engel and Grimaldi, 2014, is removed from Paracharontidae and placed incertae sedis in Euamblypygi Weygoldt, 1996; amended, comparative diagnoses are presented for Paracharontidae and Paracharon; and previous interpretations of various diagnostic characters for Paracharontidae are discussed.

Subjects

Amblypygi , Arachnida , Classification , Colombia , Jorottui ipuanai

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no. 4000 2023

Language

English

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1206/4000.1
OCLC: 1387600217