Language: English
Whip spiders (Amblypygi) are weird and spectacular animals. They are characterized by a flat body, a narrow constriction between pro- and opisthosoma and raptorial, in some species extremely long pedipalps. This monograph revises the amblypygid genera Phrynichus and Euprhrynichus. Fourteen species of Phrynichus and two species of Euphrynichus could be distinguished. They occur from Central and East Africa to North-East Africa and Arabia to the Oriental Region. The most reliable features to distinguish them are the genitalia, especially those of females. Most species are easily distinguished with the exception of those that belong to the P. deflersi group; they may even just represent the same species.
The goal of this study is to describe the characteristics of each of the species to aid in identifying the easily, which is a requirement for any ecological study of whip spiders and to present data that may help in better understanding the the evolution and biogeography of this widely distributed genus. The main focus of Revision of the Species of Phrynichus Karsch, 1879 and Euphyrynichus Weygoldt, 1995 is on the species occuring in Africa.
1. Introduction 1
2. Material and Methods 2
3. The Species Concept 2
4. Characters used 3
5. Phrynichus Karsch, 1879 4
5.1 Diagnosis 4
5.2 Key to the genera Phrynichus and Euphrynichus 5
5.3 Key to the Phrynichus species groups 5
5.3.1 The Phrynichus deflersi species group 5
5.3.1.1 Key to the Phrynichus deflersi species group 6
5.3.1.2 Phrynichus deflersi (Simon, 1887) 6
5.3.1.3 Phrynichus gaucheri n. sp. 9
5.3.1.4 Phrynichus jayakari Pocock, 1894 11
5.3.1.5 Phrynichus madagascariensis n. sp. 13
5.3.1.6 Phrynichus spinitarsus n. sp. 14
5.3.2 The Phrynichus ceylonicus complex 17
5.3.2.1 Key to the Phrynichus ceylonicus complex 17
5.3.2.2 Phrynichus brevispinatus n. sp. 17
5.3.2.3 Phrynichus ceylonicus (C. L. Koch, 1843) 19
Contents
5.3.2.4 Phrynichus exoptthalmus Whittick, 1940 22
5.3.2.5 Phrynichus longespina (Simon, 1936) 29
5.3.2.6 Phrynichus nigrimanus (Koch, 1848) 31
5.3.2.7 Phrynichus orientalis n. sp. 34
5.3.2.8 Phrynichus phipsoni Pocock, 1894 38
5.3.2.9 Phrynichus pusillus Pocock, 1894 41
5.3.2.10 Phrynichus scaber (Gervais, 1844) 42
5.4 Euphrynichus Weygoldt, 1995 45
5.4.1 Key to the species of Euphrynichus 45
5.4.2 Euphrynichus alluaudi (Simon, 1936) 45
5.4.3 Euphrynichus bacillifer (Gerstaecker, 1873) 48
6. Problematical names and synonyms 53
7. Discussion 54
7.1 Taxonomic analysis 55
7.1.1 The problem 55
7.1.2 Characters 55
7.1.3 Results 59
7.1.4 Biogeography 59
8. Conclusions 61
9. Acknowledgements 63
10. References 63