Rhopalurus pintoi kourouensis, Lourenço, 2008

Lourenço, Wilson R., 2008, The geographic pattern of distribution of the genus Rhopalurus Thorell, 1876 in the Guayana-Amazon region (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Euscorpius 73 (73), pp. 1-14 : 9-12

Rhopalurus pintoi kourouensis ssp. n.

( Figs. 10–17 )

Male holotype: French Guiana region of Kourou, taches forestières de la piste Dejrad , VIII/1975 (M. Boulard & P. Pompanon). Deposited in the Muséum national d´Histoire naturelle, Paris (RS-8631) .

Etymology: The subspecific name makes reference to Kourou region in French Guiana.

Diagnosis: Large scorpion in relation to the species of the genus, with 89.7 mm in total length. Very dark coloration, uniformly blackish. Pectinal tooth count 24– 25; fixed and movable fingers of pedipalps with 9–10 rows of granules.

Relationships: This subspecies is clearly related to R. pintoi . It is distinguished, however, by a darker general coloration almost entirely blackish and a smaller number of pectinal teeth, 24–25. Teruel & Tietz (2008) indicate 27 to 30 for the male of R. pintoi with a mean of 28.33.

Description based on male holotype. Measurements in Table 1.

Coloration. Uniformly blackish. Prosoma: carapace blackish. Mesosoma: blackish. Metasoma: segments I to V blackish. Vesicle: very dark reddish to blackish. Venter dark reddish to blackish. Chelicerae dark reddish with a blackish thread; fingers dark. Pedipalps: blackish; fingers reddish. Legs dark reddish, intensely spotted with blackish.

Morphology. Carapace strongly granular; anterior margin with a median concavity. Anterior median and posterior median carinae strong. All furrows moderately deep. Median ocular tubercle distinctly anterior to the center of the carapace. Eyes separated by more than one ocular diameter. Three pairs of lateral eyes. Sternum triangular. Mesosoma: tergites strongly granular. Median carina strong in all tergites. Tergite VII pentacarinate. Venter: genital operculum divided longitudinally forming two semi-triangular plates. Pectines: pectinal tooth count 24–25. Sternites smooth with elongate spiracles; VII with four carinae and some lateral granulations. Metasoma: segments I and II with 10 carinae; III and IV with 8 carinae; V with 5 carinae; inframedian carinae complete on II. Telson weakly granular, with a long and strongly curved aculeus. Dorsal surface smooth; ventral surface granular; subaculear tooth absent. Cheliceral dentition characteristic of the family Buthidae ; ventral aspect of both fingers and manus with dense, long setae ( Vachon, 1963). Pedipalps: femur pentacarinate; patella with 7 carinae; chela with 9 carinae; internal face of patella with spinoid granules; all faces moderately to weakly granular. A very intense chetotaxy can be observed in all segments. Fixed and movable fingers with 9-10 oblique rows of granules. Internal and external accessory granules strongly marked. Trichobothriotaxy: orthobothriotaxy A-α (Vachon, 1974, 1975). Legs: tarsus ventrally with numerous short fine setae.

Ecology: The type specimen of the new subspecies was collected in the Coastal savannahs of the Guianas near Kourou ( Sarmiento, 1984), in a zone where some forested spots (taches forestières) could be observed. In the case of R. pintoi, Teruel & Tietz (2008) stated that the specimens they studied were collected “inside a small relict patch of primary forest enclaved inside surrounding hilly grasslands…” It is important to notice that inside the Cerrados or Savannah formations of South America several vegetation gradients can be observed. According to Eiten (1978), “within the Cerrado province a small percentage of the uplands (terrain not effected by water accumulation in valleys) is covered with mesophytic forest. These are small scattered areas of more fertile latosol…” Also in a few places, “upland mesophytic forest may intergrade to Cerradão, the arboreal forest or woodland form of Cerrado.” Consequently, one should not associate the R. pintoi or R. pintoi kourouensis ssp. n. to real forest formations.

Figures

Figures 10–13: Rhopalurus pintoi kourouensis ssp. n. 10. Chela, dorso-external aspect, showing trichobothria and very intense setation. 11. Chela, idem, represented without setation. 12–13. Patella and femur, dorsal aspect. Again an important setation can be observed.

Figures 14–17: Rhopalurus pintoi kourouensis ssp. n. 14. Carapace. 15. Metasoma and telson, lateral aspect. 16–17. Metasoma and telson, dorsal and ventral aspects.