Scorpiops luridus Zhu, Lourenço et Qi, 2005

Qi, Jian-Xin, Zhu, Ming-Sheng & Lourenço, Wilson R., 2005, Eight new species of the genera Scorpiops Peters, Euscorpiops Vachon, and Chaerilus Simon (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae, Chaerilidae) from Tibet and Yunnan, China, Euscorpius 32 (32), pp. 1-40 : 2-6

Scorpiops luridus Zhu, Lourenço et Qi , sp. n.

( Figs. 1–15 )

Diagnosis. In accordance with the grouping of species proposed by Kovařík (2000a) for the genus Scorpiops , the new species, which has nine trichobothria on the ventral surface of the patella, has to be placed in the Scorpiops leptochirus group. The new species differs from other members of the group in having larger size and yellow color, and a pair of small median eyes, which are even slightly smaller than the lateral eyes ( Fig. 13 ).

Comments: Scorpiops luridus sp. n. can be distinguished from other Scorpiops species, and in particular from Scorpiops petersii Pocock, 1893 , the most geographically close species of the genus, by the following features: (a) entire carapace surface is densely covered with fine compact granules; (b) the ventral patella of pedipalps is armed with 9 trichobothria; (c) sternite V of mesosoma is granular, with one pair of well-expressed carinae and one pair of carinal traces; (d) tergites are densely covered with very fine granules and a few scattered large granules.

Material: 1♂ holotype, Tibet, Lang district (29°02' N, E. 93°08' E), 2 August 2002, Ming-Sheng Zhu leg. (Deposited in MHBU). Paratypes : 2 ♀, same data as holotype (One is deposited in MHBU, the other in MNHN) .

Etymology: The specific name refers to the pale color of tergites.

Description (based on male holotype):

Coloration: Basically yellow. Carapace is mahogany, with some black coloration near the eyes. Tergites are from sandy beige to brown. Metasomal segments are sandy beige and paler than tergites; vesicle is yellow, with the end of the aculeus dark mahogany. Pedipalps are dark mahogany except for black margin and carinae. The carinae of patella are black or dark mahogany, and the fingers are mahogany. Chelicerae is yellow, with fingers pale brown. Legs are yellowish. Venter and sternites are yellowish.

Morphology: Carapace surface is densely covered with fine compact granules, lateral furrow broad and flat, posterior median furrow well-expressed. Three pairs of lateral eyes, median eyes are small and almost smaller than lateral eyes, anterior to the center of the carapace. Sternum is pentagonal, longer than wide. Tergites are acarinate, smooth and shiny, with sparse small punctuations except for segment VII which has four carinae. Pectinal tooth count 10-10, fulcra absent. Sternites are smooth and shiny, segment VII with four very weak carinae. Metasoma segments II to V are longer than wide; segment V is clearly longer than others, and more than two times longer than the segment II; segments I to V have 10-10-10-8-7 carinae; all the carinae of segments I-IV have pointed serration, only ventral carinae with finely obtuse serration; all carinae of segment V with pointed serration. Vesicle with scattered smooth granules.

Pedipalps are crenulate; tegument is weakly granular; femur with dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, ventrointernal and ventroexternal carinae, all of which are serrated; patella with an interior carina irregularly granulated, the external carina with smooth and irregular granules, two spinoid granules present on the internal aspect, the interoventral spinoid granule being much larger than the interodorsal one; tegument punctated. Chela bears dorsal marginal, external secondary, and ventral internal carinae, with moderately to strongly smooth granulation; all carinae well developed. Fingers are short, shorter than manus. The cutting edge of the finger bears two rows of fine granules. Trichobothriotaxy type C (Vachon, 1974). Chela exhibits four ventral trichobothria; patella with 17 external and nine ventral trichobothria.

Female paratype. Coloration and morphology are very similar to that of the male holotype. Some of the segments are slightly bulkier than that of the male. Pectinal tooth count 8-8.

Measurements (male holotype /female paratype). Total length, 86.72/75.12. Carapace: length, 11.73/10.20; anterior width, 4.97/4.08; posterior width, 10.58/9.18. Metasomal segment I: length, 4.34/4.08; width, 4.46/4.08. Metasomal segment V: length, 12.75/9.56; width, 3.19/2.68; depth, 3.32/2.81. Vesicle: width, 4.59/3.95; depth, 4.59/3.83. Pedipalp: femur length, 10.20/8.93, width, 3.83/3.70; patella length, 9.56/8.29, width, 4.46/4.08; chela length, 11.99/10.20, width, 7.27/6.38, depth, 5.74/4.59; movable finger length, 11.48/9.82.

Figures

Figure. 1: Scorpiops luridus sp. n., male holotype, habitus. Total length 86.72 mm.

Figures 2–6: Scorpiops luridus sp. n., male holotype. 2–5. Chela dorsoexternal, external, ventral and internal aspects. 6 same as 5, female paratype. Scale = 3 mm.

Figures 7–15: Scorpiops luridus sp. n., male holotype. 7. Femur dorsal aspect. 8–10. Patella dorsal, external and ventral aspects. 11-12. Chelicera, ventral and dorsal aspects. 13. Lateral ocular region, in detail, dorsal aspect. 14. Sternum, genital operculum and pectines. 15. Dentate margin of the pedipalp chela movable finger. Scales = 1 mm.