NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORDS OF THE INTERTIDAL PSEUDOSCORPION PARAHYA SUBMERSA (PSEUDOSCORPIONES PARAHYIDAE)

2007·1.1 MB·English

by  Mark S Harvey

Recordsofthe WesternAustralianMuseum23:393-395 (2007).
New
distribution records of the intertidal pseudoscorpion
Parahya submersa (Pseudoscorpiones: Parahyidae)
MarkS.Harvey’,JulianneWaldock’,Roy Teale^andJenniWebber’
J.
’DepartmentofTerrestrialInvertebrates,WesternAustralianMuseum,LockedBag49,
WelshpoolDC,WesternAustralia6986,Australia
^BiotaEnvironmentalSciencesPtyLtd,POBox155,Leederville,WesternAustralia6903,Australia
’P.O.Box2280,HumptyDoo,NorthernTerritory0836,Australia
Abstract - The intertidal pseudoscorpion Parahya submersa (Bristowe) is
recorded from northern Australia for the first time, and new specimens are
recordedfromSingaporeandNewCaledonia.
INTRODUCTION FamilyParahyidaeHarvey
Intertidal pseudoscorpions are found in many
GenusParahyaBeier
parts of the world and some genera are totally or
mostly restricted to seashore habitats. Prominent Parahyasubmersa(Bristowe)
genera occurringin intertidal habitats are Garypus Figures1,2
L. Koch (Garypidae) (e.g. Lee, 1979), Halobisium
Chamberlin (Neobisiidae) (e.g. Schulte, 1976) and Obisium submersum Bristowe, 1931; 465, figs 3-6;
Paraliocbthonius Beier (Chthoniidae) (e.g. Vachon, RothandBrown,1976; 128.
1960; Muchmore, 1967, 1972; Muchmore, 1984; Parahya pacifica Beier, 1957: 15-16, figs 4b, 5
Mahnert, 1986). Other lesswidespread generasuch (synonymisedbyHarvey, 1991b:288).
as NannocheliferBeier (Cheliferidae) and Parahya
Beier (Parahyidae) also appear to be restricted to Parahya submersa (Bristowe): Harvey, 1991a: 315;
theintertidalzone.Themechanismsbywhichthese Harvey, 1991b:288-290, figs 1-12;Harvey, 1992:
small arachnids are able to survive in such figs 117-125;Judson, 1997:42.
inhospitable habitats are not fully known but their Microcreagrissp.:Bigot, 1992: 113.
ability to spin a silken chamber (Gabbutt, 1962,
1966; Weygoldt, 1969) may enable them to survive Material examined
prolongedperiodsofinundation. Australia: Northern Territory:1 $, PlaterBeach,
The genus Parahya is currently known from a west side of Darwin Harbour, 12°29.25'S,
singlespecies,P.submersa(Bristowe),recordedfrom 130°46.55'E, 21 April 1999, J.K. Webber (MAGNT
several locations within the Australasian region A951); Western Australia: 1 $, Bonaparte Archi-
ranging from Singapore through to theMicronesian pelago, Steep Head Island, 14°26'52"S, 125°59'44"E,
islands and New Caledonia. Harvey (1991b) intertidalzone,6September2002, M.S. Harvey, R.J.
redescribed P. submersa, originally named Obisium Teale (WAM T57298). New Caledonia: 3 d, 4 5, 3
submersumbyBristowe (1931) fromSingapore, and deutonymphs, 5 km SE. of Mou, 21°06’30"S,
treated Parahya pacifica Beier (1957) from the 165°27'30"E, littoral zone, 11 February 1993, M.S.
CarolineIslandsasajuniorsynonym.Thegenuswas Harvey, N.I. Platnick, R.J. Raven (WAM T62568).
latertransferredtoaseparatefamily,theParahyidae, Singapore: 1 3, Labrador Beach, 1°16'N, 103°48'E,
by Harvey (1992). Recent collecting of pseudo- under rock in littoral zone, 24 October 1992, J.M.
scorpionsfromlittoralhabitatsinnorthernAustralia Waldock (WAMT62566); 5 d, 8 9,1 deutonymph,
has revealed several specimens of P. submersa LabradorBeach,1°16'N, 103“48'E,underrocks,tidal
representingthefirstrecordsofthisspeciesfromthe zone,8March1994,J.M.Waldock(WAMT62567).
Australiancontinent.Wealsodocumentnewrecords
ofP. submersafrom Singaporeand NewCaledonia, Remarks
and present a distribution map showing known Parahyasubmersahasbeen recorded throughout
occurrencesofthespecies. the Australasian region including Singapore,
The specimens recorded below are lodged in the Sulawesi, the Caroline Islands and New Caledonia
Museumand ArtGalleryoftheNorthernTerritory, (Bristowe, 1931; Beier, 1957; Harvey, 1991b). The
Darwin (MAGNT) and the Western Australian new specimens listed above include material from
Museum,Perth(WAM). some oftheseregions includingthetype locality of
394 M.S.Harvey,J.Waldock,R.J.Teale,J.Webber
Obisium submersum, Singapore, and New
Caledonia.TheAustralianrecordsrepresentaslight
range extension, indicating that P. submersa has a
wider distribution in the Australasian region than
previously recognised. The record ofMicrocreagris
sp. from Recif Croissant, New Caledonia by Bigot
(1992) appears to be based upon the same
specimens identified by Harvey (1991b) as P.
submersa.
AH specimens of P. submersa reported to date
(Bristowe, 1931; Beier, 1957; Harvey, 1991b) are
fromlittoralhabitatssuggestingthatitisanobligate
littoral species. The following habitats have been
noted on locality labels accompanying specimens:
"beach, sea" and "beneath boulders on seaward
reef" (Caroline Islands); "dans la zone superieure
de Testran (zone a gros chiton)" and "levee
detritique de madrepores" (New Caledonia);
"underrocksonsand,halfwaydown littoralzone"
(Singapore);and "belowlogonmud ataroundmid-
tide level in mangrove" (Sulawesi). The new
records are from similar habitats. The specimens
from Steep Head Island, Western Australia, were
found on theundersideofrocks thatwereexposed
on the beach at low tide, but which were fully
covered at high tide. They occurred amongst
polychaete tubes and other intertidal marine
invertebrates, butno traceofa silken chamber was
observed. The specimens ran backwards quickly
whendisturbed.
Figure1 Parahya submersa (Bristowe), female from
Steep Head Island, Western Australia (WAM
T62566).
Figure2 MapofAustralasiashowingknowndistributionofParahyasubmersa(Bristowe).
IntertidalpseudoscorpionParahyasubmeisa 395
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Judson, M.L.I. (1997). Catalogue of the pseudoscorpion
MSH wishes to thank Norman Platnick and types (Arachnida: Chelonethi) intheNaturalHistory
Robert Raven for facilitating the trip to New Museum, London. Occasional Papers on Systematic
Caledonia, Gavin Dally for the loan of material Entomology11:1-54.
fromtheMAGNT, andRicHowwhofacilitated the Lee, V.F. (1979). The maritime pseudoscorpions of Baja
WtreipatroetghreatKefiumlbetorltewyoraengoinonymoofuWsesretfeerrneeAsufsotrratlhieai.r SCOacclicieafnsocrienosina1a,3l1:MPeiax-piivec,ro1s-(3o8Af.ratchhenidCaa:lifPosrenuidaosAcocrapdioenmiyda)o.f
commentsonadraftofthemanuscript.
Mahnert, V. (1986). Die Pseudoskorpione (Arachnida)
Kenyas. VIII. Chthoniidae. RevueSuissedeZoologie
92: 823-843.
REFERENCES
Muchmore, W.B. (1967). Two new species of the
Beier, M. (1957). Pseudoscorpionida. Insects of pseudoscorpion genus Faraliochthonius. Entomol-
Micronesia3; 1-64. ogicalNews78:155-162.
Bigot, L. (1992). Contribution a I'etude des peuplements Muchmore, W.B. (1972). The pseudoscorpion genus
littorauxetcotiersdelaNouvelle-Caledonie(Grande Paraliochthonius (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpionida,
Terre, He des Pins) et d'une ile Loyaute (Ouvea): Chthoniidae).EntomologicalNews83:248-256.
deuxieme inventaire desArthropodes. Annalesdela Muchmore, W.B. (1984). Pseudoscorpions from Florida
SocieteEntomologique deFrance, nouvelleseries28: and the Caribbean area. 13. New species of
113-123. Tyrannochthonius and Paraliochthonius from the
Bristowe, W.S. (1931). Notes on the biology of spiders. Bahamas, with discussion of the genera (Chthon-
IV. Further notes on aquatic spiders, with a iidae).FloridaEntomologist67:119-126.
descriptionofanewspeciesofpseudoscorpion from Roth, V.D. and Brown, W.L. (1976). Other intertidal air-
Singapore. AnnalsandMagazine ofNaturalHistory breathing arthropods. In Cheng, L. (ed.). Marine
(10)8:457-465. insects: 119-150. North-Holland Publishing Co.:
Gabbutt,P.D.(1962).'Nests'ofthemarinefalse-scorpion. AmsterdamandOxford.
Nature196:87-88. Schulte, G. (1976). Litoralzonierung von
Gabbutt, P.D. (1966). An investigation of the silken Pseudoskorpionen an der nordamerikanischen
chambers of the marine pseudoscorpion Neobisium Pazifikkiiste (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Neobis-
maritimum.JournalofZoology,London149:337-343. iidae, Garypidae). Entomologica Germanica 3: 119-
Harvey, M.S. (1991a). Catalogue of the Pseudo- 124.
scorpionida. Manchester University Press: Vachon,M. (1960).Surunenouvelleespecehalophilede
Manchester. Pseudoscorpions de I'Archipel de Madere:
Harvey,M.S. (1991b). NotesonthegeneraParahyaBeier Paraliochthoniushoestlandti(Fam. desChthoniidae).
andStenohyaBeier(Pseudoscorpionida:Neobisiidae). Bulletin du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle,
Bulletin oftheBritish ArachnologicalSociety8: 288- Paris(2)32:331-337.
292. Weygoldt, P. (1969). The biology ofpseudoscorpions.
Harvey, M.S. (1992). Thephylogeny and classificationof HarvardUniversityPress:Cambridge,Massachusetts.
the Pseudoscorpionida (Chelicerata: Arachnida).
InvertebrateTaxonomy6:1373-1435.
Manuscriptreceived10July2006;accepted30August2006