Insect or Invertebrates Identification - DONE

[Richprins]

Teacher!

[Klipspringer]

flagellum.jpg (136.04 KiB) Viewed 373 times

Only adult males have a flagellum.

Now it would be cool to know what the purpuse of these flagella is. You may guess

Your beautiful creature has many tarsal segments (more than 4), likely 7 on the hind leg which makes it family Solpugidae.

Maybe it is Zeria serraticornis which is recorded from the mountains in the area, Barberton etc. But that is a guess only. There are other species in the family also recorded.

[Richprins]

Yes, this one had a falgellum!

And it was on top of a mountain indeed!

We were walking on this road, with Barberton mountains in the background!

[Klipspringer]

So what does an adult male do with this flagellum. Note: In this family the flagellum is not movable.

[Richprins]

It pokes the womens!

[Klipspringer]

Probalbly not possible - there are no tendons or muscles attached

He uses the pedipalps to poke the lady or the chelicerae to bite her or to carry her around.

[Richprins]

Well it must have something to do with mating...

[Klipspringer]

The flagellum contains two canals, one with an external opening

[Lisbeth]

You are getting real technical here, you two

[Klipspringer]

There are some descriptions and illustrations available, mostly 100 years old or so, and some not in English
The species has changed name since then, but no more recent descriptions are available.

Hewitt: A short survey of the Solifugae of South Africa, Annals of the Transvaal Museum, Volume 7, 1919
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50361481


Kraepelin: Das Tierreich. 1899


Roewer: KLASSEN UND ORDNUNGEN DES TIERREICHS Fünfter Band 4. Abteilung 4. Buch. SOLIFUGA, PALPIGRADA. 1933
http://www.solpugid.com/Roewer1933b.pdf
The illustration of the flagellum in this book is the key and differentiates this one from sister species.

S. spiralicornis
Schaftende des Flagellum doppelt gebogen und mit der äußersten Spitze stark lateralwärts gekrümmt, Vorderbogen des Flagellum über dem
1. Vorderzahn vom unbeweglichen Finger aufsteigend; Gebiß und Flagellum (Abb. 294, d); Färbung rostgelb, Pleura jederseits der gelblichen
Tergite schmal geschwärzt, Malleoli weiß; Körperlänge 32-44 mm; Transvaal

S. serraticornis
Schaftende des Flagellum einfach gekrümmt und mit seiner äußersten Spitze nicht wesentlich lateralwärts gebogen (Abb.294,c1); Vorderbogen
des Flagellum über dem 2. Vorderzahn des unbeweglichen Fingers gelegen; Gebiß und Flagellum (Abb. 294, c); Färbung rostgelb, Tergite des Opisthosoma dunkelbraun wie die Pleura neben ihnen; Malleoli gelbweiß; Körperlänge bis 55 mm; Rhodesia, Portug. Ost-Afrika

S. strepsiceros
Schaftende des Flagellum mit Sägezähnchen besetzt. Schaft des Flagellum in Dorsalansicht schraubig gewunden (Abb.294,e1); beweglicher Finger medial mit 10-12 verdickten Borsten; Gebiß und Flagellum (Abb. 294, e); Färbung wie S. serraticornis; Körperlänge 23 mm; Delagoa-Bai, Transvaal.

It is Zeria strepsiceros.