New records of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 are given, the first south-american record in caves and the first to Goiás state in the Cerrado phytogeographical domain. Records of nine specimens (all females) in isolated regions from surface environment and deep zones in the cave suggest the status of troglophile (facultative cave-dwelling organisms) to this species. All specimens were found in places well preserved, without anthropization, differently from the observed to other records of the species in Brazil. Finally, we reinforce the need of replications on inventory studies of subterranean fauna

Alessandro Giupponi

Jonas Gallão

Maria Bichuette

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Gallão,Jonas

Bichuette,Maria

Giupponi,Alessandro

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First record of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Arachnida: Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) for caves in Brazil: evidence for a troglophile status of an exotic species

New records of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 are given, the first south-american record in caves and the first to Goiás state in the Cerrado phytogeographical domain. Records of nine specimens (all females) in isolated regions from surface environment and deep zones in the cave suggest the status of troglophile (facultative cave-dwelling organisms) to this species. All specimens were found in places well preserved, without anthropization, differently from the observed to other records of the species in Brazil. Finally, we reinforce the need of replications on inventory studies of subterranean fauna

Gallão, Jonas

Bichuette, Maria

Giupponi, Alessandro

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Check List the journal of biodiversity data10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Check List  |  www.biotaxa.org/cl Volume 11 | Number  1  | Article 15461First record of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Arachnida: Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) for caves in Brazil: evidence for a troglophile status of an exotic speciesJonas E. Gallão1, 2*, Maria E. Bichuette1 and Alessandro P. L. Giupponi3 1  Laboratório de Estudos Subterrâneos, Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Via Washington Luiz, km 235, PO Box 676, 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil2  Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Comparada, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo3  Laboratório de Referência Nacional em Vetores das Riquetsioses, LIRN-FIOCRUZ. Manguinhos, 21040-360, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil* Corresponding author. E-mail: jonasgallao@usp.brCheck List 11(1): 1546, January 2015 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/11.1.1546ISSN 1809-127X © 2015 Check List and AuthorsAbstract: New records of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 are given, the first south-american record in caves and the first to Goiás state in the Cerrado phytogeographical domain. Records of nine specimens (all females) in isolated regions from surface environment and deep zones in the cave suggest the status of troglophile (facultative cave-dwelling organisms) to this species. All specimens were found in places well preserved, without anthropization, differently from the observed to other records of the species in Brazil. Finally, we reinforce the need of replications on inventory studies of subterranean fauna.Key words: subterranean arachnids, limestone caves, Goiás state, biodiversityThe order Schizomida Petrunkevic, 1945 comprises 46 genera and 274 species, distributed in two families: Protoschizomidae and Hubbardiidae. The most widespread and speciose family is Hub-bardiidae, with 44 genera and 249 species (Harvey 2011). Among the so-called smaller arachnid orders, schizomids are the most di-verse (Harvey 2007). These arachnids are distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions (Tourinho and Kury 1999). There are 13 species of schizomids recorded in Brazil, distrib-uted in five genera mainly in Amazonian region (Armas 2010; Santos et al. 2013). Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922, is one of these species, originally described from Mexican and Caribbean regions and found in other countries, such as Nica-ragua, USA, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Virgin Islands. However, this species has been recorded  in other regions as well as in greenhouses in England, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, where S. portoricensis is considered an exotic species (Christophoryová et al. 2013; Zawierucha et al. 2013). In Brazil, S. portoricensis can be found in anthropized places in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia states, close to Atlantic Forest fragments or in its boundaries, in humid habitats and also in urban areas (Tourinho and Kury 1999; Santos et al. 2008; Kury et al. 2010). For central Brazil, we have records at Tocantins state, and, in this case, many individuals were recorded in very anthropized places, typical urban area (Kury et al. 2010). Considering the occurrence in subterranean environments, S. portoricensis has been recorded in Cuba, Belize, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Mexico (Reddell 1997). Our record represents the first one for caves in South America and the first one for Goiás state.We recorded the species within the limits of Terra Ronca State Park (46°10′–46°30′ S, 013°30′–013°50′ W), in São Domingos county, Goiás state, central Brazil (Figure 1). The region lies in the Cer-rado phytogeographical domain (the savannah-like vegetation) interspersed by fragments of dry vegetation (Caatinga). The cli-mate is characterized by a tropical semi-humid with four to five dry months per year (Nimer 1989). São Domingos is a carbonate karst area with continuous limestone outcrops and huge cave systems, reaching 30 km of development (linear measurements). After three collecting occasions, we recorded S. portoricensis in a single cave from São Domingos karst, the Terra Ronca II cave, part of a huge cave system named Terra Ronca-Malhada (Fig-ure 2). Terra Ronca II cave has more than 7 km of extension, crossed by a subterranean river and many bank rivers with available micro-habits for fauna establishment. Specimens were collected in the twilight (crepuscular light) and aphotic (permanent darkness) zones, in sectors isolated from the epigean (=superficial) environment. The collections were car-ried out in the beginning of the rainy season (October 2012). We found the specimens in humid bank rivers, under small rocks with soil composed by sand, silt and vegetal debris, in an extremely humid environment (relative air humidity > 80%). In total, nine individuals (all females) were collected through visual inspection and fixed in ethanol 70%. Specimens were examined under stereoscope and verified in relation to the diagnosis of the species. Reference material was consulted. Illustrations (photography) were taken with a FujiFilm X10 attached to a Leica MZ16 stereoscope (Figure 3a and 3b) and Olympus BX40 microscope (Figure 3c).Material examined: Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlain, 1922. Brazil; Goias; Terra Ronca II cave, MNRJ 4270, 6♀; LES 4517, 3♀; leg. M. E. Bichuette, J. E. Gallão, under rocks.Other examined material: Brazil; Rio de Janeiro; Praia Vermelha, MNRJ 7063, 4♀; MNRJ 7064, 1♀; MNRJ 7065, 4♀; MZUSP 11990, 4♀; leg. A. B. Kury by sifting leaf litter. 1111546January 2015NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONGallão et al.  |  Stenochrus portoricencis in Brazilian caves Check List  |  www.biotaxa.org/cl Volume 11 | Number 1 | Article 15462such a preserved habitat, which suggests the need for more careful collections searching for these tiny arachnids. Indeed, we emphasize the necessity of more replications in the col-lections, since we recorded this population after the third occasion visiting the Terra Ronca II cave.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe wish to thank Camile Sorbo Fernandes, Tamires Zepon, Luíza Bertelli Simões and our field guide, Ramiro Hilário, for helping in field work. Grupo Bambuí de Pesquisas Espe-leológicas (GBPE) allowed the use of Terra Ronca-Malhada cave system map; Camile S. Fernandes edited Figure 3a; Diego M. von Schimonsky provied the map of cave location. MEB thanks the financial support of Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, process number 22.952262°,   –43.160867°  alt. 2–15 m. Standard abbreviations cited are: UFSCar (Universi-dade Federal de São Carlos); MNRJ (Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro); LES (Laboratório de Estudos Subterrâneos).New record: This record represents the first one for Goiás state, Brazilian caves and occurrence in transitional vegeta-tion (Cerrado–Caatinga transition). Considering the records in caves and epigean environment around the world, the large distance from the cave entrance and also the high abundance, S. portoricensis must be considered a troglophile, a faculta-tive cave-dwelling, at least for the São Domingos karst area. Indeed, the specimens were recorded in a very preserved cave, without any apparent impact, such as deforesting or pollu-tion of soil and watercourses and without touristic activity. This is the first occasion that this exotic species is recorded in Figure 1. Location of Terra Ronca II cave, São Domingos karst area, central Brazil, new distribution of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922. Yellow star indicates the Terra Ronca-Malhada cave system. Figure 2. Map of  Terra Ronca- Malhada cave system with Terra Ronca II cave.  Red arrow indicates where the specimens were recorded. Map authority: Grupo Bambuí de Pesquisas Espeleológicas (GBPE).Gallão et al.  |  Stenochrus portoricencis in Brazilian caves Check List  |  www.biotaxa.org/cl Volume 11 | Number 1 | Article 154632010/08459-4) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (CNPq, process number 3037152011-1). All collec-tions were made respecting state laws (permit for scientific research in protected area SEMARH #063/2012) and federal laws (SISBIO #28992-1). We also thank to PPGERN/UFSCar for the infrastructure to execute part of this work.LITERATURE CITEDArmas, L.F. de.  2010. Schizomida de Sudamerica (Chelicerata: Arach-nida). Boletin de la Sociedad Entomologica Aragonesa 46: 203–234.Christophoryová, J., A. Šestáková, M. Krumpál and P. Fenďa. 2013. First record of a schizomid, Stenochrus portoricensis (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae), in Slovakia. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 45: 25-29 (doi: 10.5431/aramit4506).Harvey, M.S. 2007. The smaller arachnid orders: diversity, descrip-tions and distributions from Linnaeus to the present (1758 to 2007). Zootaxa 1668: 363–380.Harvey, M.S. 2011. Smaller arachnid orders catalogue (SAOCat) database, in: Bisby F.A., Y.R. Roskov, T.M. Orrell, D. Nicolson, L.E. Paglinawan, N. Bailly, P.M. Kirk, T. Bourgoin, G. Baillargeon and D. Ouvrard (eds.). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist. Digital resource at http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2011/. Accessed on 10 September 2013.Kury, A.B., A. Chagas-Jr, A.P.L. Giupponi and A.P. Gonzalez. 2010. Amblypygi, Opiliones, Schizomida, Scorpiones and Chilopoda, Tocantins, Brazil. Check List 6(4): 564–571 (http://www.checklist.org.br/getpdf?SL056-10).Nimer, E. 1989. Climatologia do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: SUPREN. 421 pp.Rowland, J.M and J.R. Reddell. 1997. A review of the cavernicole schizomida (arachnida) of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize; pp. 79–102, in: J.R. Reddell (ed.).  Studies on the Caves and Cave Fauna of the Yucatan Peninsula. Austin: Association For Mexican Cave Studies / The Speleo Press.Santos, A.J., S.C. Dias, A.D. Brescovit and P.A. Santos. 2008. The arachnid order Schizomida in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: a new species of Rowlandius and new records of Stenochrus portoricensis (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae). Zootaxa 850: 53–60.Santos, A.J., R.L. Ferreira and B.A. Buzzato. 2013. Two new cave-dwell-ing species of the Short-tailed Whipscorpion genus Rowlandius (Arachnida: Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) from northeastern Bra-zil, with comments on male dimorphism. PLoS ONE 8(5): 1–12 (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063616).Tourinho, A.L.M. and A.B. Kury. 1999. The southernmost record of Schizomida in South America, first records of Schizomida for Rio de Janeiro and of Stenochrus Chamberlin, 1922 for Brazil (Arachnida, Schizomida, Hubbardiidae). Boletim do Museu Nacional 405: 1–6 (http://www.museunacional.ufrj.br/mndi/Aracnologia/aracno-pdfs/Zool405.pdf).Zawierucha, K., P. Szymkowiak, M. Dabert and M.S. Harvey. 2013. First record of the schizomid Stenochrus portoricensis (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) in Poland, with DNA barcode data. Turkish Journal of Zoology 37: 357–361 (doi: 10.3906/zoo-1210-9).Authors’ contribution statement: JEG, MEB and APLG identify the specimens and elaborated the text; JEG and MEB collected the specimens and described the habitat; APLG photographed the specimen.Received: July 2014Accepted: December 2014Editorial responsibility: Cibele BragagnoloFigure 3. Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (MNRJ 4270, female). A: habitus, lateral view, scale bars: 0.5 mm. B: Habitus, dorsal view, scale bars: 0.5 mm. C: Spermatheca, scale bars: 0.02 mm.

New records of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 are given, the first south-american record in caves and the first to Goiás state in the Cerrado phytogeographical domain. Records of nine specimens (all females) in isolated regions from surface environment and deep zones in the cave suggest the status of troglophile (facultative cave-dwelling organisms) to this species. All specimens were found in places well preserved, without anthropization, differently from the observed to other records of the species in Brazil. Finally, we reinforce the need of replications on inventory studies of subterranean fauna.</jats:p

First record of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Arachnida: Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) for caves in Brazil: evidence for a troglophile status of an exotic species

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