Revision of the species of Phrynichus Karsch, 1879 and Euphrynichus Weygoldt, 1995 (Chelicerata, Amblypygi)

Whip spiders (Amblypygi) are weird and spectacular animals. They are characterized by a flat body, a narrow constriction between pro- and opisthosoma and raptorial, in some species extremely long pedipalps. This monograph revises the amblypygid genera Phrynichus and Euprhrynichus. Fourteen species of Phrynichus and two species of Euphrynichus could be distinguished. They occur from Central and East Africa to North-East Africa and Arabia to the Oriental Region. The most reliable features to distinguish them are the genitalia, especially those of females. Most species are easily distinguished with the exception of those that belong to the P. deflersi group; they may even just represent the same species. The goal of this study is to describe the characteristics of each of the species to aid in identifying the easily, which is a requirement for any ecological study of whip spiders and to present data that may help in better understanding the the evolution and biogeography of this widely distributed genus. The main focus of this paper is on the species occuring in Africa.