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Taxonomic History (provided by Barry Bolton, 2017)

Overview:

A cryptic inhabitant of wet forest, in leaf litter and rotten wood on the forest floor, from Guatemala to Costa Rica.

Distribution:

(based on species list records)
Neotropical Region: Alajuela, Alta Verapaz, Americas, Cartago, Central America, Chiriquí, Comayagua, Costa Caribe Norte, Costa Rica, Darién, Guatemala, Heredia, Honduras, Jinotega, Limón, Matagalpa, Mexico, Nicaragua, Oaxaca, Olancho, Panama, Puntarenas, San José

Distribution Notes:

Guatemala to Costa Rica.

Biology:

This species occurs in mature wet forest across a broad range of elevations, from near sea level to nearly 1700 m elevation. All known collections are from Winkler or Berlese samples of sifted leaf litter and rotten wood. At low-elevation sites it is always low density, occurring in < 1% of quantitative miniWinkler samples. At two mid-elevation sites it occurred at higher densities: 9% at a 1500 m site on the Barva Transect in Costa Rica, and 18% at 1120 m in Parque Nacional Azul Meambar in Honduras.

Identification:

Masticatory margin of mandible with double row of teeth, outer series of lower triangular teeth, inner row of 3 long, spiniform teeth; erect setae on face strongly spatulate; basal lobe of scape strongly developed, SLI 21–25; HW 0.57–0.66. Similar to E. gravis, E. hunhau.

Comments:

Xibalba was the Mayan underworld or "place of fear."

Specimen Habitat Summary

Found most commonly in these habitats: 28 times found in montane wet forest, 21 times found in ridgetop cloud forest, 11 times found in cloud forest, 6 times found in mature wet forest, 6 times found in lowland rainforest, 6 times found in moist forest, 3 times found in tropical rainforest, with big trees, probably primary, 2 times found in wet forest, 3 times found in cloud forest edge, near dairy farm pasture, some big trees in rocky areas, probably disturbed primary or old second growth, on a steep slope, 3 times found in cloud forest, probably old second growth, matrix of dense bamboo and more open forest, ...

Found most commonly in these microhabitats: 78 times ex sifted leaf litter, 14 times Hojarasca, 4 times Hojarasca, en bosque paralelo al sendero gradiente fuerte y al lado de paredon, 1 times sifted litter, 2 times Hojarasca, mature forest, dropping, 1 times ex log buttress, 1 times Hojarasca, mature forest, level, 1 times ex sifted leaf litter on ground, 1 times Entre M/15y M/16, 1 times combined specimens of all flight intercept pan traps.

Collected most commonly using these methods: 46 times MiniWinkler, 21 times MaxiWinkler, 15 times Winkler, 19 times Mini Winkler, 2 times Berlese, 1 times flight intercept trap.

Elevations: collected from 50 - 1670 meters, 1066 meters average

Type specimens: holotype Eurhopalothrix xibalba Longino 2013: inb0003665110; Paratype: fmnhins0000105087; paratype Eurhopalothrix xibalba Longino 2013: inb0003665287, inb0003665317, inb0003665331, inb0003665349, inb0003665382, inb0003665389, inb0003667971, inb0003668071

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