Please cite this article in press as: de Miranda, G.S., et al., Review of Trichodamon Mello-Leitão 1935 and phylogenetic placement of the
genus in Phrynichidae (Arachnida, Amblypygi). Zool. Anz. (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2018.02.006
ARTICLE IN PRESS
G Model
JCZ-25546; No. of Pages 23
Zoologischer Anzeiger xxx (2018) xxx–xxx
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Zoologischer Anzeiger
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jcz
Review of Trichodamon Mello-Leitão 1935 and phylogenetic
placement of the genus in Phrynichidae (Arachnida, Amblypygi)
Gustavo Silva de Miranda
a,b,c,∗
, Adriano Brilhante Kury
a
,
Alessandro Ponce de Leão Giupponi
a,d
a
Laboratório de Aracnologia, Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista s/n, São Cristóvão, Rio de
Janeiro-RJ, CEP 20940-040, Brazil
b
Entomology Department, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th St. & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
c
Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark (Zoological Museum), University of Copenhagen,
Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
d
Servic ¸ o de Referência Nacional em Vetores das Riquetsioses (LIRN), Colec ¸ ão de Artrópodes Vetores Ápteros de Importância em Saúde das Comunidades
(CAVAISC), IOC-FIOCRUZ, Manguinhos, 21040360, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:
Received 18 October 2017
Received in revised form 27 February 2018
Accepted 28 February 2018
Available online xxx
Keywords:
Whip spider
Neotropics
Amblypygi systematics
Phylogeny
Taxonomy
a b s t r a c t
Amblypygi Thorell, 1883 has five families, of which Phrynichidae is one of the most diverse and with a
wide geographic distribution. The genera of this family inhabit mostly Africa, India and Southeast Asia,
with one genus known from the Neotropics, Trichodamon Mello-Leitão, 1935. Trichodamon has two valid
species, T. princeps Mello-Leitão, 1935 and T. froesi Mello-Leitão, 1940 which are found in Brazil, in the
states of Bahia, Goiás, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Norte. The boundaries of the species are not
well established and the characters classically used in the group are poorly defined. The relationship of
Trichodamon to the other genera in the family is also subject to debate. Some phylogenetic hypotheses
propose Trichodamon as sister to Eurphynichus Weygoldt, 1995 and Phrynichus Karsch, 1879, in the sub-
family Phrynichinae. Others suggest Trichodamon in Damoninae, sister to Damon and Phrynichodamon
Weygoldt, 1996. The present work has the aim to characterize Trichodamon species, update the species
distribution and ascertain the phylogenetic position of the genus in Phrynichidae using morphologi-
cal characters. Our results show that the diagnostic characters of Trichodamon species, i.e. number of
spines on the pedipalp, shape of the frontal process, number of teeth on the chelicerae, male and female
shape of gonopods, are highly variable. A gradual colour variation from the northern to the southern
areas of the distribution is also present. In face of the high variability, the synonymy of Trichodamon
froesi (syn. jun.) with T. princeps is suggested. The cladistic analysis recovered Trichodamon as sister to
Phrynichus + Euphrynichus in the subfamily Phrynichinae supported by eight characters, one exclusive to
the group (dorsal spines on pedipalp patella positioned on the apex of the article forming the phrynich
hand). In Damoninae, Phrynichodamon Weygoldt, 1996 was found as sister to Damon, forming the tribe
Damonini, a group supported by the number of ventral spines on pedipalp femur; Musicodamon was
recovered as sister to Damonini, forming the subfamily Damoninae, and the clade can be recognized
by the presence of sclerotization on the apex of the claw-like projection of the female gonopod. The
unranked taxon Euphrynichida Weygoldt, 2000 (Phrynichinae + Damoninae) was recovered with good
support and is identified by the rectangular shape of the female gonopod and by the presence of one
spine on the proximal series on pedipalp femur.
© 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00
2. Material and methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00
This article is part of a special issue entitled “In honor of Peter Weygoldt”, published in the Journal Zoologischer Anzeiger 273, 2018.
∗
Corresponding author at: Entomology Department, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th St. & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20560,
USA.
E-mail address: smiranda.gustavo@gmail.com (G.S. de Miranda).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2018.02.006
0044-5231/© 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.