Heteroscorpion kraepelini, Lourenço, Wilson R. & Goodman, Steven M., 2006

Lourenço, Wilson R. & Goodman, Steven M., 2006, Description of a new species of Heteroscorpion Birula, 1903 (Scorpiones, Heteroscorpionidae) from the Montagne des Français in extreme northern Madagascar, Zootaxa 1269, pp. 31-41 : 33-37

Heteroscorpion kraepelini sp. n. ( Figs. 1–7 )

Type material. Holotype: 1 male, Madagascar, Province d’Antsiranana, Montagne des Français, tropical dry forest, I/ III/2000 (F. Glaw & M. Vences leg.).

Depository: Holotype in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. No paratype. Etymology: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Karl Kraepelin from Hamburg, Germany, who described the first species of Heteroscorpion and proposed the familygroup name Heteroscorpionidae .

Diagnosis. Scorpion of moderate size, with adult male reaching 100 mm in total length. Coloration, basically brownish to reddish­brown, including the legs, although the tip of pedipalp fingers and chelicera are paler than the body and approaching reddishyellow. Body and pedipalps covered with a moderate setation. Trichobothriotaxy of type C, neobothriotaxic majorante (+); patella with 20 external trichobothria, and 13/15 ventral trichobothria; chela (chela + fixed finger) with 11/12 ventral trichobothria. Hemispermatophore not observed.

Relationships: Heteroscorpion kraepelini can be distinguished from other species in the genus Heteroscorpion , and in particular from H. opisthacanthoides and H. goodmani by the following characters: (i) a paler reddish­brown to reddish­yellow coloration over the body and appendages, with the legs, the tip of pedipalp finger and chelicera paler than the body; (ii) a smaller overall adult size, with distinct morphometric values (see Table 1 ); and (iii) a distinct trichobothrial pattern; patella with 13–15 ventral and 20 external trichobothria; chela with 11–12 ventral trichobothria (see also comparative table after the desciption). Internal trichobothria of both femur and patella very much displaced to the internal surface.

Description. Based on male holotype. Measurements in Table 1 .

Coloration. Body basically brownish to reddish­brown. Prosoma: carapace reddishbrown, with some blackish coloration near the eyes. Mesosoma: tergites reddish­brown; sternites III to VI reddish with conspicuous yellow spots; sternite VII darker than the others. Coxapophysis and sternum reddish­yellow; genital operculum and pectines pale yellow. Metasoma: all segments reddish to reddish­brown; dorsal and ventral carinae darker; vesicle reddish­brown; aculeus yellowish at the base and dark reddish at the tip. Chelicerae reddish­yellow with variegated dark spots; fingers reddish­brown with reddishyellow teeth. Pedipalps: femur, patella, and chela reddish­brown with the tip of the fingers reddish yellow. Legs reddish­yellow with tarsi yellowish.

Morphology. Carapace ( Fig. 3 ) with a rough tegument and moderate to strong granules; anterior margin with a strongly pronounced concavity; carinae practically absent; posterior furrows strongly pronounced; median ocular tubercle anterior to the center of the carapace; two pairs of moderate to small lateral eyes; the first lateral eye almost twice the size of the second eye. Sternum ( Fig. 1 ) pentagonal, slightly wider than long. Mesosoma: tergites almost acarinate with only a very weak median carina and some weak granulations; tergite VII with a more intense granulation. Venter ( Fig. 1 ): genital operculum formed by two semi­oval plates; genital papillae not protruded, therefore not observable. Pectines: pectinal tooth count 15–17; fulcra conspicuous. Sternites almost smooth with some minute granulations on the lateral edges; presence of two longitudinal parallel furrows on III to VI; spiracles linear and conspicuous; and sternite VII with two vestigial carinae. Metasoma ( Fig. 4 ) with all segments flattened laterally; dorsal carinae with minute spinoid granules on segments I and II; spinoid granulation becomes more strongly marked on segments IV to V; ventromedian and ventrolateral carinae vestigial on segments I to III, spiniform on IV and intensely spinoid on V; ventral surface of segment V with a strong spinoid granulation; all intercarinal surfaces sparsely granular to smooth. Telson weakly elongated with strongly marked spinoid granules on ventral and lateral surfaces; aculeus proportionally very short and strongly curved; and a notable covering of setae on ventral and lateral faces. Cheliceral dentition ( Fig. 2 ) characteristic of the Scorpionoidea ( Vachon 1963); movable finger with one subdistal and one median tooth almost of the same size and a basal tooth reduced. Pedipalps ( Figs. 5, 6 ) with moderate granulation; femur with dorsal external, dorsal internal, ventral external and ventral internal carinae, all complete; patella with dorsal internal, dorsal, dorsal lateral, external, ventral lateral and ventral internal carinae complete, and a very strong double apophysis on the internal aspect; chela with dorsal axial, dorsal accessory, median, dorsal external, ventral external and ventral internal carinae; weak to moderate; dentate margin on fingers with numerous granules not forming discrete rows on their basal two­thirds, and forming two vestigial parallel series of granules distally; presence of a few stronger accessory granules. Trichobothriotaxy of type C; neobothiotaxic ( Vachon 1974); patella with 13/14 ventral and 20 external trichobothria; chela with 11/12 ventral trichobothria. Body and pedipalps covered with a moderate setation. Legs: tarsi of legs III and IV with three prolateral and three retrolateral spines.

H. opisthacanthoides H. goodmani H . magnus H . raselimanana H.kraepelini sp. n.

Metasomal segment V: Geographic distribution. Only known from the type locality.

The following characters can distinguish the four species of the genus Heteroscorpion :

Color Adult total length Trichobothrial pattern H. kraepelini sp. n. Reddish­ brown 100 mm Patella with 13/15 ventral and

20 external.

Chela with 11/12 ventral.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Heteroscorpion kraepelini sp. n., male holotype. 1. Venter, showing coxapophysis, sternum, genital operculum and pectines. 2. Chelicera, dorsal aspect. 3. Carapace. 4. Metasomal segments I to V and telson, lateral aspect. 5 – 6. Pedipalp in dorsal and ventral aspects, showing trichobothrial pattern. 7. Patella, external aspect, showing trichobothria.

Tables

TABLE 1. Comparative morphometric values (in mm) of the species of Heteroscorpion.

M	F	M	F	M	F	F	M
Total length 142.0	110.0	115.0	63.0	187.2	144.0	73.1	101.7
Carapace
­ length 14.1	14.0	10.2	11.4	15.6	19.4	10.4	10.3
­ anterior 8.6 width	8.9	6.2	7.0	9.8	11.6	6.3	6.1
­ posterior 14.2 width	14.1	9.3	10.0	16.2	19.6	10.1	10.4
Metasomal segment I:
­ length 15.6	7.0	10.0	5.4	21.1	10.7	5.5	9.8
­ width 3.8	4.2	2.3	3.1	3.1	4.2	2.9	2.9