''Phrynus marginemaculatus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

amblypygi Amblypygi is an ancient order of arachnid chelicerate arthropods also known as African cave-dwelling spiders, whip spiders and tailless whip scorpions (not to be confused with whip scorpions or vinegaroons that belong to the related order Thelyph ...

d found in southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

, and

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

. They are nocturnal predators that hide during the day in small retreats.

Appearance

The body of ''P. marginemaculatus'' can measure up to long, but its front legs can reach long. It has eight legs, of which six are used for walking and the first two are employed as sensory organs for detecting prey and navigating their environment. Its

cephalothorax The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...

is wider than it is long and is outfitted with eight eyes. One pair of eyes is located in front and three more pairs are found on the sides. They produce no venom, but instead have pinching

pedipalp Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") an ...

s and a pair of smaller chelicerae.

Behavior

''P. marginemaculatus'' use three pairs of ambulatory legs to move sideways as a

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all th ...

would and one pair for sensory purposes. They capture prey using, arm-like pedipalps. ''P. marginemaculatus'' engage in agonistic interactions, where opponents use a series of displays.

Reproduction

To reproduce, the male and female ''P. marginemaculatus'' by exhibiting ritualized displays in a stereotyped sequence. Males deposit a

spermatophore A spermatophore or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass containing spermatozoa created by males of various animal species, especially salamanders and arthropods, and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during reproduction. Spermatophore ...

which the female retrieves to fertilize eggs. After a few weeks to months, she exudes a brood sac containing from 12 to 20 eggs. These develop over a three-month period, and after hatching the female will then carry the first instars on her back for about ten days until they molt. About two years are needed for the young to reach adulthood, with adult life expectancy around another two to three years.

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20120829192507/http://www.thewildclassroom.com/biomes/speciesprofile/species/amblypigid.html {{Taxonbar, from=Q3381781 Amblypygi Arachnids of North America Animals described in 1841