Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775)

Lourenço, Wilson R., 2009, Scorpions collected in the island of Espiritu Santo (Vanuatu) and description of a new species of Lychas C. L. Koch, 1845 (Arachnida, Scorpiones, Buthidae), Zoosystema 31 (3), pp. 731-740 : 732

Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775)

( Fig. 1 )

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Vanuatu. Espiritu Santo Island, Camp Perouse, L. Albenga, 11.XI.2006, 1 ♀ (dry specimen). — Bill’s cave, under stone, 151.7514°S, 166.95854°E, 25.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 1 ♀. — Latautei, in forest, 512 m, 151.9596°S, 166.68676°E, 11.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 1 juvenile. — Mangrove Palikoulo, 154.9780°S, 167.25135°E, 28.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 3 juveniles. — Matantas Reserve, in forest, 151.6906°S, 166.94731°E, 24.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 2 ♀♀. — Pénaoru, Soustéo, in forest, 149.6448°S, 166.63662°E, 14.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 6 ♀♀, 1 juvenile, brood with 5 juveniles. — West road, 155.5676°S, 166.96789°E, 10 m, 30.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 2 ♀♀. — Tasmate Village, Mamasa River, 152.1629°S, 166.66442°E, under stone, 8.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 1 female. — Idem, 10.XI.2006, local children, 10 ♀♀. — Wonakum, near River Pélapa, in forest, 60 m, 151.7161°S, 166.66528°E, 10.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 5 ♀♀. — Wurahawo, in forest soil, 66 m, 152.1124°S, 166.67564°E, 9.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 2 juveniles. — Wurahawo, in forest, under stones, 112 m, 152.1087°S, 166.67939°E, 9.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 2 ♀♀, 1 juvenile.— In forest, 400 m, 151.95839°S, 166.68536°E, 11.XI.2006, C. Rollard, 3 ♀♀, 1 juvenile.

REMARK

Considering that a total of 31 females were collected but no males, most certainly this population is also parthenogenetic. This phenomenon has already been observed for other populations of Liocheles australasiae , in distinct islands of the Pacific zone. For details see Lourenço (2008).

Figures

FIG. 1. — Habitus of Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775), ♂ (from Lourenço 1985). Scale bar: 1 cm.