A new species of whip spider, Weygoldtia hainanensis sp. nov., from Hainan, China (Arachnida: Amblypygi: Charinidae)

Abstract

To date, only one species of whip spider has been recorded in China. Here, we describe a new species, Weygoldtia hainanensis sp. nov., from Hainan, China. The new species is morphologically similar to W. davidovi (Fage, 1946) and W. consonensis Miranda et al. 2021, but can be distinguished with a combination of the following characters: 26 segments in tibia I, 6-7 teeth on chelicerae, distitibia IV trichobothria sc and sf series each with 10-11 trichobothria. To validate our morphological inferences and support the erection of W. hainanensis sp. nov. as a new species, we sequenced the COI gene region for two individuals and performed molecular phylogenetic analyses. The inferred phylogenetic trees placed the new species within Weygoldtia and highlighted the evolutionary distinction between W. hainanensis sp. nov. and currently described whip spiders. The type specimens are deposited in the Museum of Biology, East China Normal University (ECNU).