Heterometrus sejnai, Kovařík, 2004

Kovařík, František, 2004, A review of the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828, with descriptions of seven new species (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae), Euscorpius 15 (15), pp. 1-60 : 38-40

Heterometrus sejnai sp. n.

( Fig. 26 )

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Thailand, Thaleban n. p., Satun ; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL. Thailand, Thaleban n. p., Satun, X.1998, leg. V. Šejna, 1♂ (holotype), 1♀ (allotype – still alive) 3ims. (paratypes – still-alive offspring of the allotype), FKCP .

ETYMOLOGY: Named after Vladimír Šejna, who collected the types.

DIAGNOSIS. Adult male holotype 78 mm long. Other adults 95–117 mm long. Base color of adults uniformly reddish black with telson reddish brown; metasoma may be lighter colored than body. Pectinal teeth number 13– 14 in both sexes. No noticeable sexual dimorphism in proportions of pedipalps. Chela lobiform, its length to width ratio ca. 2.2 in adults of both sexes. Dorsal surface of manus tuberculate, without carinae. Patella of pedipalp without pronounced internal tubercle. Carapace either entirely granulate or disc smooth. Telson hirsute, bulbous, vesicle as long as aculeus.

DESCRIPTION: The adult male holotype and female allotype are 78 mm long. Measurements of the carapace, telson, segments of the metasoma and segments of the pedipalps, and numbers of pectinal teeth are given in Table 1. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism in the proportions of pedipalps.

COLORATION: The base color of adults is uniformly reddish black, only the telson is reddish brown and the metasoma may be lighter colored than the body. Sternites are brown and pectens are yellow.

MESOSOMA AND CARAPACE: The mesosoma lacks carinae. Both the mesosoma and carapace are slightly granulated. Sternites are smooth, without granules. Pectinal teeth number 13–14 in both sexes.

METASOMA AND TELSON: The metasoma is generally smooth, hirsute, and without granules. The first to fourth segments bear eight carinae of which the ventral are smooth and the dorsal consist of conspicuous but sparse pointed granules. The fifth segment bears five carinae, with two additional carinae present only in its anterior half. All carinae on this segment consist of pointed granules. The telson is bulbous, hirsute, dorsally without granules and ventrally with four rows of granules; the vesicle is as long as the aculeus.

PEDIPALPS: The femur has three granulose carinae with spaces between them smooth, but the dorsal surface may bear several granules. The patella is smooth, dorsally and externally slightly tuberculate, with four smooth carinae and several pointed granules on the internal surface in place of two additional carinae, none of which forms a conspicuous internal tubercle characteristic of other species. The dorsal surface of the manus is tuberculate, without carinae. The chela is slightly lobiform and strongly hirsute, and its internal surface is smooth, with two carinae. The movable fingers bear six straight double rows of granules.

LEGS: The legs bear solitary long and short setae. The third and fourth leg spine formula is 3:4.

AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish H. sejnai sp. n. from all other species of the genus. They are recounted in the key below. H. sejnai sp. n. is close to H. cyaneus but its smaller size causes some morphological differences. The two species also differ in geographic distribution.

Figures

Figure 26: Heterometrus sejnai, sp. nov., dorsal view, male holotype.