Kingdom Animalia Order Amblypygi Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species | Class Arachnida Family Phrynidae Genus Phrynus | |
Similar Phrynus, Phrynus parvulus, Paraphrynus, Damon medius | ||
Guab phrynus longipes amblypygid
Phrynus longipes is a species of Amblypygid found in the Caribbean. They are nocturnal predators that hide during the day in small retreats, and are sit-and-wait predators at night. P. longipes can be found in subtropical and tropical forests, and caves within their range.
Contents
Appearance
The body of P. longipes can measure up to 19 millimetres (0.75 in) long, but its front legs can reach 250 millimetres (9.8 in) long. Like other Amblypygi, Phrynus longipes has eight pairs of legs with six used for walking and the first employed as sensory organs for detecting prey and navigating their environment. Its cephalothorax is wider than it is long and is outfitted with eight eyes. One pair of eyes is located in front and 3 more pairs on the sides. They produce no venom, but instead have arm-like pedipalps and a pair of smaller chelicerae.
Behavior
P. longipes use 3 pairs of ambulatory legs to move sideways as a crab would and 1 pair for sensory purposes. They capture prey using, arm-like pedipalps. P. longipes engage in aognistic contests over territories, where opponents use a series of displays to communicate their resource holding potential to wouldbe usurpers. Additionally, P. longipes is occasionally cannibalistic.
Reproduction
During courtship, the male and female P. longipes exhibiting ritualized displays in a stereotyped sequence. Males deposit a spermatophore the female retrieved to fertilize eggs. After a few weeks to months she exudes a brood sac containing from 40 to 90 eggs. Newly hatched offspring move to the mothers dorsal opisthosoma before molting once more into a free-living stage.