Cazierius neibae Kovařík et Teruel, 2014

Kovařík, František & Teruel, Rolando, 2014, Three new scorpion species from the Dominican Republic, Greater Antilles (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Scorpionidae), Euscorpius 187, pp. 1-27 : 16-25

Cazierius neibae Kovařík et Teruel , sp. n.

( Figures 51–86; Table 4) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:943ED4

07-4086-4D5F-A68A-0E84AB3DCF33

TYPE LOCALITY AND HOLOTYPE DEPOSITORY. Dominican Republic, Bahoruco Province, Neiba Municipality, Sierra de Neiba, Apolinar Perdomo , Segundo Paso , 18°32' 10"N 71°24'20"W, 150 m a. s. l., RTOC.

TYPE MATERIAL. Dominican Republic, Bahoruco Province, Neiba Municipality, Sierra de Neiba, Apolinar Perdomo , Segundo Paso , 18°32'10"N 71°24'20"W, 150 m a. s. l., 9. III.2014, leg. R. Teruel, F. Kovařík et P. Kindl, 1♂ holotype ( Figs. 51–52, 56–62, 79, RTOC) 1♀ ( Fig. 81, FKCP) 1 juvenile ♀ paratype ( Fig. 80, RTOC); Independencia Province, Postrer Río Municipality, Sierra de Neiba, Guayabal , Los Bolos , 18°37'17.5"N 71°38'39.4"W, 1,076 m a. s. l., 9. III.2014, leg. P. Kindl, R. Teruel et F. Kovařík, 1♀ paratype ( Figs. 53–55, 63– 78, 82, FKCP) .

ETYMOLOGY. The selected name is a Latinized noun in apposition, taken from the name of the mountain range where this species occur.

DIAGNOSIS. Adult size moderately small (male 22 mm, females 27–33 mm) for the genus. Coloration dark olivaceous brown, very densely spotted with blackish brown all over the body and appendages except ventrally on prosoma and mesosoma. Carapace glossy, with many coarse granules scattered and large, irregular patches of minute and dense granulation laterally (male) or glossy, with several coarse granules scattered (females and juveniles). Tergites minutely and densely granulose, with many coarse granules scattered (males) or glossy, with some coarse granules scattered (females and juveniles). Metasoma robust (segments I–III wider than long) and sparsely hirsute, with 10-10-10-10-5 complete to essentially complete carinae of large and isolated granules (much stronger in male); intercarinal tegument glossy, with coarse granules scattered; segment V with ventral transverse carina perfectly arched. Pedipalp chelae very short, robust and sparsely hirsute; intercarinal tegument strongly reticulate dorsoexternally and with many coarse granules internally (males) or vestigially reticulate dorsoexternally and with a few coarse granules internally (females); fingers short and densely hirsute (male) or somewhat longer and moderately hirsute (females). Pectinal tooth count 7/ 7 in males, 6–7 (mode 7) in females. Legs smooth and glossy; modal formula of telotarsal spiniform setae 3/3: 5/5: 6/6: 6/6.

DESCRIPTION (adult male holotype). Coloration ( Figs. 51–52, 79) base dark olivaceous brown, very densely spotted with blackish brown all over the body and appendages except on the ventral region, which is essentially immaculate. Chelicera manus moderately reticulate with blackish brown all over, denser distally; fingers moderately infuscate. Pedipalp femur with all carinae deeply infuscate, dorsal and internal surfaces almost entirely blackish, external surface moderately reticulate with blackish brown, ventral surface bicolor along midline: external half blackish, internal half pale; patella with all carinae deeply infuscate and moderately reticulate with blackish brown on all surfaces except ventral, which possesses only sparse spots; chela with all carinae deeply infuscate, hand densely reticulate with blackish brown on all surfaces, fingers blackish with slightly paler tips. Carapace symmetrically and densely spotted with blackish brown (most spots are interconnected), with anterior margin deeply infuscate; tergites very densely spotted and reticulated with blackish brown; venter essentially immaculate except on sternite VII, which has lateral areas moderately infuscate. Legs very densely spotted on all surfaces, less so internally; coxa and trochanter essentially immaculate. Metasoma with all carinae deeply infuscate and densely spotted with blackish brown; lateral and ventral surfaces of all segments with spots confluent in an entirely blackish patch that covers the distal half of all segments; dorsal surface with a large arrowhead-shaped blackish spot on I–IV, and with two parallel blackish stripes on V. Telson vesicle almost entirely infuscate, with four pale stripes corresponding to longitudinal furrows.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 61). With dentition typical for the genus, all teeth sharp and slender. Tegument smooth and shiny. Fingers long, slender, evenly curved, and conspicuously unequal (movable much longer).

CARAPACE ( Fig. 61). Somewhat wider than long, subtriangular. Anterior margin narrow, bilobed, with 2–3 long macrosetae plus several small microsetae on each frontal lobe; median notch U-shaped, moderately deep. Tegument glossy, with many moderately coarse granules scattered all over; laterally with large, irregular patches of minute and dense granulation. Carinae: indistinct or absent. Furrows: lateral oculars, central median, posterior median and posterior marginal narrow and moderately deep, fused; posterior laterals narrow and moderately deep; other furrows indistinct or absent. Median eyes separated by slightly more than one ocular diameter, ocular tubercle raised and elongate; three pairs of lateral eyes, smaller than median eyes.

MESOSOMA ( Figs. 60 and 62). Tergites without distinct carinae; tegument minutely and densely granulose, with many coarse granules scattered all over, denser and coarser posteriorly. Sternum type 2, markedly pentagonal, somewhat wider than long. Genital operculum with valves subtriangular and completely divided medially; genital papillae large and acute, largely protruding from posterior margin. Pectines extending beyond coxa-trochanter joint of leg IV, sparsely hirsute; tooth count 7/7, fulcra large; basal plate rectangular and much wider than long, anterior margin deeply notched, posterior margin essentially straight. Sternites III–VI smooth a glossy, with medium-sized, slit-like spiracles; VII finely granulose, with two pairs of subequal, subcrenate to subgranulose carinae.

METASOMA AND TELSON ( Figs. 57–59). Metasoma short, robust and sparsely hirsute; segments I–III wider than long, IV–V longer than wide; all segments wider than deep. Intercarinal tegument glossy, with coarse granules scattered on all surfaces except ventrally. Segments I–IV with ten complete carinae, V with five: dorsolaterals strongly serratocrenulate to dentate on I–IV, absent from V; lateral supramedians strongly subcrenate to dentate on I–V; lateral inframedians strongly subcrenate to subgranulose on I–IV, absent from V; ventrolaterals strongly serratocrenulate to dentate, complete on I–III, poorly defined on distal part of IV, irregular, distally divergent and absent from distal third of V, where they are replaced by the perfectly arched, strongly crenate ventral transverse carina which has a median opening; ventral submedians strongly crenulate on I–II, irregularly granulose on III, very poorly defined on IV, and absent from V; ventromedian carina strong and composed of a double row of closely alternate conical granules which traverses the ventral transverse carina and become irregular. Segment V with anal arc strongly crenate; laterodistal lobes straight and bluntly triangular. Telson with vesicle oval and somewhat depressed, tegument glossy and with some weak granules scattered which become stronger and sharper on ventrobasal ridge, and with four smooth, shallow, longitudinal furrows, subaculear tubercle large, conical, weakly granulose and covered by 14 translucent macrosetae only (white microsetae absent); aculeus broken and lost almost its entire length.

LEGS. Tegument acarinate, smooth and glossy. Telotarsi with lateral margins essentially straight; spiniform setae formula 3/3: 5/5: 6/6: 6/6–7.

PEDIPALPS ( Fig. 56). Orthobothriotaxic C. Femur short, deeper than wide, and vertically curved (dorsal and internal surfaces very convex, external surface flat, ventral surface concave); all carinae indistinct or absent except irregularly granulose dorsointernal; tegument glossy, smooth on all surfaces except dorsointernal, which is coarsely granulose. Patella short, deeper than wide, and with all surfaces convex; all carinae indistinct or absent except irregularly subcostate dorsointernal and vestigially granulose ventrointernal; tegument glossy and smooth on all surfaces except internal, which is very finely and densely granulose. Chela very short and robust (2.40 times longer than wide), somewhat deeper than wide and sparsely hirsute; hand subquadrate in dorsal view (external and internal surfaces essentially parallel) and rounded in cross-section, with all carinae indistinct to absent except strongly subcostate to subgranulose ventroexternal and moderately to weakly subcostate ventrointernal (which are parallel and define a rectangular, flat ventral surface), tegument glossy but strongly reticulate dorsoexternally and with many coarse granules internally; fingers short and thick (movable 1.29 times longer than underhand), strongly curved, and densely hirsute, without basal lobe/notch combination and with a single principal row of denticles flanked by abundant external and internal accessory denticles partially merged with the principal row, tip of fixed finger internally with 2–3 coarse, weak granules irregularly arranged.

FEMALE ( Figs. 53–55, 63–78, 81–82; Tab. 4). Similar to the male, but sexual dimorphism is evident by: 1) size larger; 2) genital operculum with valves paraboloid, completely fused by a medial membrane, and without genital papillae; 3) carapace without minutely granulose patches and with coarse granules weaker and fewer; 4) tergites glossy, only with several coarse granules scattered which are weaker and fewer; 5) pectines smaller and narrower; 6) pedipalps with femur and patella slightly broader, but with hand narrower and oval in shape, and fingers longer; 7) pedipalp chelae with reticulate sculpture much weaker; 8) metasoma more robust and with all carinae conspicuously weaker.

VARIATION. The two adults from the type locality belong to the same size-class and, as usual for a typical Cazierius , the male holotype is slightly smaller than the female paratype. Also, both specimens are about 25% smaller than the adult female from Los Bolos ( Tab. 4). A positive correlation between size and altitude in vertically widespread scorpions (i. e., size increases with altitude or vice versa) has already been found in other members of this genus (Teruel & Cala, 2006). We suspect this is also the case for C. neibae sp. n., but the sample available is too small to gather how many sizeclasses are represented.

Apart from this and despite the ecological difference between Segundo Paso and Los Bolos, the adult females from both localities are identical in coloration, tegument sculpture and carination, pectinal tooth count (7/7), telotarsal spiniform setae formula (3/3: 5/5: 6/6: 6/6), and diagnostically relevant morphometric proportions ( Figs. 81–82; Tab. 4).

The juvenile female from type locality ( Fig. 80) differs from the adult in the same characters in common to all Diplocentrinae scorpions: base color much lighter (pale grayish), with the dark pattern more contrasting, as well as pedipalps and metasoma more slender and with weaker carinae; it also has a slightly lower pectinal tooth count of 7/6.

AFFINITIES. After the generic reassignment made by Teruel (2005), only two other Hispaniolan species remained allocated in this genus: Cazierius cicero (Armas et Marcano, 1987) and C. politus (Pocock, 1898) ; the former is apparently widespread but disjunct in two main areas isolated by the Cordillera Central mountain range, while the latter is endemic from the southeast coast including Saona Island ( Fig. 86). Two characters that are very conspicuous even to unaided eye make very easy to separate C. neibae sp. n. from both: the very dark, essentially blackish overall coloration, and the coarse granulation scattered over carapace and tergites. Apart from this, a supplementary comparison is detailed as follows:

Regardless that C. politus could actually represent a complex of cryptic species, as currently diagnosed it can be distinguished also by the female chelae less robust, with tegument completely devoid of reticulate sculpture. Further, it shows a slight but consistent tendency to be larger (males 24–30 mm, females 26–36 mm) and have higher pectinal tooth count in males (7–9, mode 8).

On the other hand, the only taxonomic information published on C. cicero remains its very poor original description (just a six-sentence diagnostic paragraph and a measurements table, without any illustrations), but based upon our examination of the holotype and additional specimens it can be further distinguished by the female carapace and tergites with irregular patches of minute and dense granulation, especially on lateral areas, and female chelae with tegument completely devoid of reticulate sculpture and with dorsoexternal carinae distinct as smooth edges.

DISTRIBUTION ( Fig. 86). This scorpion is known only from the southern watershed and slopes of the Sierra de Neiba, in southwestern Dominican Republic. It has been collected in two nearby localities, separated by some 25 km air distance, but at very different altitudes. Taking into account the proximity of the Haitian border, C. neibae sp. n. is very likely to occur also in this country.

ECOLOGICAL NOTES. This species lives under limestone rocks on clay-gypsum soil, but apart from this common factor, the two known localities are markedly dissimilar in other conditions such as altitude, vegetation, and scorpion fauna. At type locality it lives in the transition zone from dry submontane semicaducifolious forest through lowland desert scrub, at an elevation of 150 m a. s. l. ( Figs. 83–84). Other scorpions found here are all buthids: Centruroides bani (mostly under barks, but also in the ground), C. nitidus (only under barks of standing trees, shrubs and fence posts), Microtityus paucidentatus and M. solegladi Armas & Teruel, 2012 (both exclusively under rocks).

The single specimen from Los Bolos was detected under a large rock surrounded by the tall grass of the roadside, at the edge of a coffee plantation with remains of the original humid montane evergreen forest, at an altitude of 1,076 m a. s. l. ( Fig. 85). Other scorpions that coexist here are the buthids Microtityus virginiae Armas, 1999 (exclusively under rocks), and Tityus neibae Armas, 1999 (mostly in the ground, but also onto the vegetation).

REMARKS. On the basis of color pattern, pectinal tooth count, morphometric proportions, carination and sculpture of carapace, tergites, metasoma and pedipalp chelae, Cazierius neibae sp. n. is more similar to the eastern Cuban endemics C. paradoxus Teruel et Díaz, 2004 and C. parvus Armas, 1984 , than to its other Hispaniolan congeners. Another case of such similar relationship was highlighted by Teruel (2005) on the southern Hispaniolan endemic Heteronebo monticola ( Armas, 1999) , which is morphologically closer to a northeastern Cuban endemic H. nibujon Armas, 1984 than to the remaining Hispaniolan species.

COMPARATIVE MATERIAL EXAMINED.