Phrynidae Explained

Phrynidae is a family of amblypygid arachnida arthropods also known as whip spiders and tailless whip scorpions. Phrynidae species are found in tropical and subtropical regions in North and South America. Some species are subterranean; all are nocturnal.^[1] At least some species of Phrynidae hold territories that they defend from other individuals.^[2]

Taxonomy

The following genera are recognised:^[3]

Phrynidae Blanchard, 1852

• Acanthophrynus Kraepelin, 1899 (1 species)
• †Britopygus Dunlop & Martill, 2002 (1 species; Crato Formation, Brazil, Early Cretaceous (Aptian))
• †Electrophrynus Petrunkevich, 1971 Chiapas amber, Mexico, Miocene (nomen dubium)^[4]
• Heterophrynus Pocock, 1894 (17 species)
• Paraphrynus Moreno, 1940 (18 species)
• Phrynus Lamarck, 1801 (28 species, Oligocene - Recent)

Notes and References

1. Chapin . KJ . Hebets . EA . 2016 . Behavioral ecology of amblypygids . Journal of Arachnology . 44 . 1 . 1–14.
2. Chapin KJ . Hill-Lindsay S . 2015 . Territoriality evidenced by asymmetric intruder-holder motivation in an amblypygid . . 122 . 110–115.
3. Book: Mark S. Harvey . 2003 . Catalogue of the smaller arachnid orders of the world: Amblypygi, Uropygi, Schizomida, Palpigradi, Ricinulei and Solifugae . . 978-0-643-06805-6 . Order Amblypygi . 3–58 .
4. Dunlop . Jason A. . Mrugalla . Boris . 2015 . Redescription of the Chiapas amber whip spider Electrophrynus mirus (Amblypygi) . The Journal of Arachnology . 43 . 2 . 220–223 . 0161-8202.