Euscorpiops lii, Di & Qiao, 2020

Di, Zhiyong & Qiao, Sha, 2020, Euscorpiops lii sp. nov. and a key of the genus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 (Scorpiones, Scorpiopidae) from China, ZooKeys 968, pp. 71-83 : 71

Euscorpiops lii sp. nov. Figures 1-4 , 5-16 , 17-24 , 25-30 , Table 1

Type material.

Male holotype, China: Xizang, Longzi County ( Lhünzê County), Zhiyong Di, Kai Wang, Jia Xiang & Dezheng Meng leg, (Ar.-MHBU-XZLZ1901); 6 male and 13 female paratypes (including 1 male and 2 female immatures) (Ar.- MHBU-XZLZ1903-08, Ar.- MHBU-XZLZ1902, 09-20), same location data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Euscorpiops lii sp. nov. differs from all other species in the genus on the basis of the following combination of characters: yellow-brown colour, small size (length of adults less than 40.0 mm), 17 trichobothria on the external surface of pedipalp patella (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et) and six or seven (usually six) trichobothria on the ventral surface of pedipalp patella, chela with an average length/width ratio of 3.7 in males (3.6-3.8, six adults) and 3.3 in females (3.2-3.4, six adults), pedipalp chela fingers on adult males and females scalloped, and pectinal teeth count 4-6 with five or six in males (usually six) and 4-6 (usually five) in females, pectinal fulcra present.

Etymology.

Patronym in honour of Prof. Wenxin Li (Wuhan University), who greatly contributed to the research on scorpion toxins and genome.

Description of the holotype.

Coloration (Figs 1 , 2 ): Carapace, yellow-brown. Median and lateral ocular tubercles black-brown. Tergites and metasomal segments yellow-brown, while as metasoma with black-brown carinae; vesicle yellow, with a brown aculeus. Chelicerae yellow, with darker, yellow-brown fingers. Pedipalp yellow-brown, with black-brown carinae. Legs yellow. Sternum, yellow-brown. Genital operculum pectines, and sternites pale yellow.

Morphology. The integument is coarse for the carapace, tergites, metasomal segments, legs and pedipalps while the integument smooth for the coxapophysis, coxae, sternum, genital operculum, pectines, and sternites.

Prosoma (Figs 5 , 7 , 8 ): Carapace with sparse, fine granules; lateral furrow, broad; anterior median furrow, broad and deep; posterior median furrow, deep; margin behind lateral eyes with granules, other margins smooth. Median eyes situated anteriorly compared to centre of carapace; three pairs of lateral ocelli with posterior-most one the smallest. Median ocular tubercle, coarse with granules and a median furrow. Lateral ocular tubercle with some granules around lateral eyes.

Mesosoma: Tergites densely covered with fine granules; tergite II to tergite VI with a median carina; tergite VII with two pairs of lateral carinae with big granules. Pectinal teeth count 6/6, fulcra small (Fig. 9 ). Genital operculum subtriangular with genital papillae protruding (Fig. 9 ). Sternites smooth and shiny; segment VII with some big granules and four weak ventral carinae.

Metasoma: Segments II to V longer than wide; segments I to V with respectively 10-8-8-8-7 granular carinae; segment V with a pair of vestigial lateral carinae; all dorsal carinae crenulated, slightly stronger distally (Figs 11 , 15 ). Vesicle with sparse weak granules and few setae (Fig. 15 ).

Pedipalps: Femur with external, dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, ventrointernal, ventroexternal, and internal carinae with big granules; the integument with scattered granules dorsally and smooth ventrally (Fig. 17 ). Patella with big granules on the dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, ventrointernal, ventroexternal, and external carinae; two large spinoid granules present on the internal surface; the integument with scattered granules dorsally and ventrally (Figs 18-20 ). Trichobothrial pattern C, neobothriotaxic (Vachon, 1974); patella with 17 external trichobothria (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et), 6 (right) and 7 (left) ventral trichobothria (Figs 19 , 20 ). Chela with granules forming indistinct reticulated pattern, all carinae granular and coalesced except the dorsal secondary, dorsointernal, and ventromedian carinae vestigial; dorsointernal carina just with some sparse big granules, movable fingers and fixed fingers with scalloped margins, a pronounced lobe in the movable finger and a corresponding notch in the fixed fingers (Figs 13 , 25-27 ).

Legs: Trochanters with few setae. Femora dorsal surfaces with some small granules, externally with one granular carina, internally with two granular carinae. Patellae externally with one granular carina and internally with one dentate carina. Tibiae with few setae, without spurs. Basitarsi with few setae and some short spinules terminally and two lateral pedal spurs. Tarsi ventrally with a row of short and strong spinules. Tarsal ungues curved and hook-like.

Variation.

Morphology of both adult sexes are similar to holotype (Figs 3 , 4 ). Colouration of adult female is darker than males (Figs 1-4 ): Carapace, tergites, and metasoma dark yellow-brown; vesicle and legs yellow-brown, legs with yellow tarsi. Feature figures of adult females are provided (Figs 6 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 16 , 21-24 , 28-30 ). Chela with an average length/width ratio of 3.7 in males (3.6-3.8, six adults) and 3.3 in females (3.2-3.4, six adults). Pedipalp patella with six or seven (usually six) trichobothria on its ventral surface. Pectinal teeth count 4-6 with five or six in males (usually six) and 4-6 (usually five) in females. The adults have more pronounced lobes on the movable fingers of the chela and a more pronounced notch in the fixed finger compared with immature and juvenile individuals of both sexes. Measurements in Table 1 . Feature datasets in Table 2 .

Habitat.

Found under stones in mountain boscage in Longzi County [28°25'N, 92°57'E], 3104 m elevation.

Known distribution.

Known only from Longzi County, Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet), southwest China.

Relationships.

The new species appears to be related to the other species of the genus Euscorpiops from Xizang: E. asthenurus and E. kamengensis . These are also the geographically closest species, but these species can be readily distinguished on the basis of the following combination of characters: (i) 17 trichobothria on the external surface of pedipalp patella (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et) in E. lii sp. nov. (seven males and 13 females), 18 (5/2/2/4/5) in E. asthenurus (two males and one female) and 19 (5/2/2/5/5) in E. kamengensis (two females); (ii) six or seven (usually six) trichobothria on the ventral surface of the pedipalp patella in E. lii sp. nov., while there are eight or nine in E. asthenurus , and seven in E. kamengensis .

The following main features can be used to distinguish E. lii sp. nov. from the other more geographically distant species of the genus Euscorpiops occurring in Xizang, E. karschi and E. novaki : (i) length of adults less than 40.0 mm in E. lii sp. nov. (seven males and 13 females) while the length of adults more than 45.0 mm in E. karschi (one male and one female) and E. novaki (one male); (ii) the pedipalp patella with 18 (5/2/2/4/5) external trichobothria in E. karschi (one male and one female) and 19 (5/2/2/5/5) in E. novaki (one male); (iii) the pedipalp patella with eight or nine ventral trichobothria in E. karschi (one male and one female) and nine in E. novaki (one male); (iv) the pectinal teeth count 4-6 with five, six (usually six) in males and 4-6 (usually five) in females in E. lii sp. nov., 7-9 in E. karschi (7-8 in three females, 8-9 in two males) and eight in E. novaki (one male).

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Habitus of E. lii sp. nov. 1, 2 male holotype (Ar. - MHBU-XZLZ 1901), dorsal and ventral views 3, 4 female paratype (Ar. - MHBU-XZLZ 1902), dorsal and ventral views. Scale bars: 10.0 mm.

Figures 5 - 16. E. lii sp. nov. 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 male holotype (Ar. - MHBU-XZLZ 1901) 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 female paratype (Ar. - MHBU-XZLZ 1902) 5, 6 carapace 7, 8 eyes and nearby area 9, 10 genital operculum and pectines 11, 12 metasomal segment V, ventral surface 13, 14 dentate margin of movable finger, showing rows of granules 15, 16 metasomal segments III-V and telson, ventral surface. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figures 17 - 24. E. lii sp. nov. 17 - 20 male holotype (Ar. - MHBU-XZLZ 1901) 21 - 24 female paratype (Ar. - MHBU-XZLZ 1902) 17, 21 femur dorsal surface 18 - 20, 22 - 24 patella dorsal, external and ventral surfaces. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figures 25 - 30. E. lii sp. nov. 25 - 27 male holotype (Ar. - MHBU-XZLZ 1901), chela dorsal, external, and ventral surfaces 28 - 30 female paratype (Ar. - MHBU-XZLZ 1902), chela dorsal, internal and ventral surfaces. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.