Amblypygi, Arachnida, Arthropoda, Animalia
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Range
Phrynus laevifrons is known from locations ranging from Nicaragua to Panama and from the type locality in South America (Mullinex 1975).
Identification
The genus Paraphrynus is distinct from Phrynus in that there are two spines in between the two longest spines on the dorsal surface of the pedipalpal tibia.
Natural History
In Costa Rica, Paraphrynus laevifrons has been previously collected mainly in Guanacaste Province. At La Selva, I have only been able to find 8 individuals of this species. All of the individuals were collected from at least 3 meters below ground either in wells or in dug-out pits that are part of the ongoing Carbono Project.
I have had little luck at keeping these individuals alive in captivity and thus, their natural history is still mostly unknown. They are presumably living in burrows in the ground throughout the forest.
Literature Cited
Mullinex, C. 1975. Revision of Paraphrynus Moreno (Amblypygida: Phrynidae) for North America and the Antilles. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences 166:1-80.
Page author:
Eileen Hebets, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721. ehebets@u.arizona.edu
Web page assistance:
John T. Longino, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505 USA.longinoj@evergreen.edu