Neogrosphus Lourenço, 1995

Lowe, Graeme & Kovařík, František, 2019, Review of Grosphus Simon 1880 with description of Teruelius gen n a new buthid genus from Madagascar (Scorpiones Buthidae), Euscorpius 281, pp. 1-128 : 12

Genus Neogrosphus Lourenço, 1995

( Figs. 25–39 , 69–70 , 87 , 106–121, 606–619 , Tabs. 1–4 )

Neogrosphus Lourenço, 1995a: 100–101 ; Lourenço, 1996a: 444, 447; Lourenço, 1996b: 16; Kovařík, 1998: 115; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 187; Lourenço, 2003a: 577; Soleglad & Fet, 2003b: 88; Fet et al., 2005: 3, 22, 26; Prendini & Wheeler, 2005: 481; Lourenço et al., 2006b: 266; Dupré, 2007: 7, 13, 17; Kovařík, 2009: 22; Loria & Prendini, 2014: 25; Lourenço et al., 2015: 769, fig. 2, 6; Loria & Prendini, 2018: 184.

DIAGNOSIS. A member of the ‘ Grosphus ’ group differentiated as follows: small-sized scorpions, adults ca. 24–30 mm in length; pedipalp finger granule rows 8–9 ( Fig. 612–613, 616 ), movable finger with no more than 3 external subdistal granules; femur trichobothrium d 2 located on dorsal, carinal or internal surface; chela manus with petite trichobothrium Eb 3 usually well separated from Eb 2, by more than half the distance between Eb 1 and Eb 2 ( Figs. 25–27 ); manus trichobothrium V 2 strongly displaced internally relative to V 1 ; higher pectinal tooth counts: ♂ 27– 31, ♀ 27–29 ( Figs. 28–31 ); basal pectinal tooth of females wide, oval, only slightly longer than other teeth ( Fig. 614 ); hemispermatophore capsule short, posterior lobe rounded, without lanceolate extension ( Fig. 70 ); sternites with moderately narrow spiracles ( Figs. 610, 614 ); metasoma I with ventromedian carinae moderate, finely granulate; telson with elongate vesicle, without subaculear tubercle; legs with ventral surface of telotarsus densely setose, with> 20 long, filiform setae ( Figs. 618–619 ); telotarsus with dorsal terminal process very small; cuticle with strong UV fluorescence.

SUBORDINATE TAXA.

Neogrosphus andrafiabe Lourenço, Wilmé & Waeber, 2015

Neogrosphus blanci Lourenço, 1996

Neogrosphus griveaudi ( Vachon, 1969)

REMARKS. Neogrosphus shares some primitive characters with Grosphus , and some derived characters with Teruelius gen. n. (summarized in Table 4 ). One interpretation of this is that Neogrosphus is descended from an intermediate stage in the evolution of Teruelius gen. n. from a Grosphus - like ancestor. Other characters, such as small size, internal displacement of V 2, reduced dorsal terminal process of telotarsus and elongated telson appear to be autapomorphies for the genus.

Figures

Figures 21–27. Positions of trichobothria Eb, Eb and petite Eb on manus of pedipalp chela in Grosphus, Neogrosphus and Teruelius gen. 1 2 3 n. Figures 21–24. External views of pedipalp chela, shown under UV fluorescence to highlight trichobothrial areolae. G. hirtus ♂ (21), G. madagascariensis ♀ (22), T. limbatus ♂ (23), T. ankarafantsika ♀ (24). Positions of Eb 1, Eb 2 and Eb 3 and lines joining them shown as white overlays. Scale bars: 2 mm. Figures 25–26. Horizontal histograms comparing ratios, R = d(Eb, Eb)/ d(Eb, Eb), of Eb -Eb distance, to Eb - 123 2 3 1 2 2 3 1 Eb distance, in males (25), and females (26) of Grosphus, Neogrosphus and Teruelius gen. n. Error bars indicate ranges (minimum, maximum), 2 histogram bars mid-range values. Figure 27. Scatter plot of male vs. female ratios R. Ratio is larger in males if points fall above the diagonal 123 (gray) line, larger in females if they fall below it.

Figures 28–29. Variation in pectinal tooth count (PTC) in Grosphus, Neogrosphus and Teruelius gen. n. Horizontal histograms comparing PTC in males (28), and females (29) of Grosphus, Neogrosphus and Teruelius gen. n. Error bars indicate ranges (minimum, maximum), bars mid-range values.

Figures 30–35. Variation in pectinal tooth count (PTC) in Grosphus, Neogrosphus and Teruelius gen. n. Figures 30–31. Logarithmic scatter plots showing scaling of PTC vs. carapace length in males (30), and females (31) of Grosphus, Neogrosphus and Teruelius gen. n. Color lines are least squares linear regression fits of scaling trends for the different genera. Figures 32–33. Logarithmic scatter plots showing scaling of PTC vs. carapace length in Figs. 30–31 superposed upon overall scaling trends for a larger sample of male (32) and female (33) buthids including both α and β trichobothrial configurations (gray symbols; 1055♂, 1046♀). Dark lines: least squares linear regression fits of scaling trends for larger sample of buthids. Figures 34–35. Logarithmic scatter plots showing scaling of PTC vs. carapace length in Figs. 30–31 superposed upon overall scaling trends for a larger sample of male (34) and female (35) α-buthids restricted to α trichobothrial configurations (gray symbols; 445♂, 371♀). Dark lines: least squares linear regression fits of scaling trends for α-buthids. Numbers: slopes of regression lines (= allometric exponents). Purple symbols and lines: outgroup Pseudolychas.

Figures 36–39. Comparative biometrics of female basal pectinal tooth and hemispermatophore trunk of Grosphus, Neogrosphus and Teruelius gen. n. Figures 36–37. Logarithmic scatter plots showing scaling of length of female basal pectinal tooth vs. carapace length (36), and hemispermatophore trunk length vs. carapace length (37). Color lines: least squares linear regression fits of scaling trends for the different genera. Figures 38–39. Logarithmic scatter plots of female basal pectinal tooth length vs. hemispermatophore trunk length (38), and the ratio of basal pectinal tooth length/ hemispermatophore trunk length (%) vs. hemispermatophore trunk length, showing fraction of trunk spanned by the female tooth (39). Female basal pectinal tooth length measured as chord length, from more proximal corner (along comb axis) at base of tooth, to more distal corner (along comb axis) at tip of tooth. Trunk length measured from proximal edge of basal lobe to pedicel (foot). Color lines: least squares linear regression fits of scaling trends for the different genera.

Figures 52–70. Hemispermatophores and capsule regions of Grosphus and Neogrosphus. Multi-panel figures show: whole hemispermatophore; whole hemispermatophore and capsule with flagellum; capsule region in convex (and/ or convex compressed), anterior and posterior views (panels in left to right sequence). Right hemispermatophores unless indicated as mirrored left images. Figure 52. G. madagascariensis, whole hemispermatophore (scale bar: 2 mm), capsule and flagellum (scale bar: 1 mm). Figure 53. G. madagascariensis, capsule, Sc1197, Andasibe, GLPC, FKCP. Scale bar: 500 μm. Figure 54. G. madagascariensis, capsule, Anjiro, G. halleuxi nr topotype, GLPC. Scale bar: 500 μm. Figure 55. G. madagascariensis, capsule, Mandena- Fort Dauphin, G. mandena paratype, MHNG.Scale bar: 500 μm.Figure 56. G. madagascariensis, capsule, Madagascar, det. Vachon, MHNG. Scale bar: 500 μm. Figure 57. G. madagascariensis, capsule, Andasibe, GLPC, FKCP. Scale bar: 500 μm. Figure 58. G. goudoti, whole hemispermatophore. Scale bar: 2 mm. Figure 59. G. goudoti, capsule, Forêt de Bobankota, holotype, MHNG. Scale bar: 500 μm. Figure 60. G. hirtus, whole hemispermatophore (scale bar: 2 mm), capsule and flagellum (scale bar: 1 mm), Antsiranana, Ramena vill., mirrored left, GLPC, FKCP. Figure 61. G. hirtus, capsule, Mahajamba River, GLPC, FKCP. Scale bar: 500 μm. Figures 62–65. G. hirtus, capsules in convex view.Antsiranana, Ramena vill., mirrored left, GLPC, FKCP (62), Jardin Botanique, MHNG (63), Ranohira-Llakaka, ZMUH, mirrored left (64), Forêt de Vohitaly, MHNG (65). Scale bars: 500 μm. Figure 66. G. hirtus, capsule, Forest Station Ampijoroa, G. garciai holotype, MHNG. Scale bar: 500 μm. Figure 67. G. voahangyae, whole hemispermatophore. Scale bar: 2 mm. Figure 68. G. voahangyae, capsule, Analamy Forest, FMNH. Scale bar: 500 μm. Figure 69. N. griveaudi, whole hemispermatophore (flagellum truncated). Scale bar: 2 mm. Figure 70. N. griveaudi, capsule, mirrored left, Tsimanampetsotsa National Park, GLPC, FKCP.

Figures 86–89. Hemispermatophores and capsule regions of Grosphus and Neogrosphus. Cross stereoscopic convex views. Scale bars: 500 μm. Figure 86. G. madagascariensis, Sc1197, Andasibe, GLPC, FKCP. Figure 87. N. griveaudi, mirrored left, Tsimanampetsotsa National Park, GLPC, FKCP. Figure 88. G. goudoti, Forêt de Bobankota, holotype, MHNG. Figure 89. G. voahangyae, Analamy Forest, FMNH.

Figures 606–609. Neogrosphus griveaudi. Habitus. Male (606–607) and female (608–609), dorsal (606, 608) and ventral (607, 609) views. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 610–619. Neogrosphus griveaudi, male (610–613, 617–619) and female (614–616). Figures 610, 614. Sternopectinal region. Figures 611, 615. Carapace and tergites I–III. Figure 612. Pedipalp chela, movable finger dentate margin. Figures 613, 616. Pedipalp chela in dorsal views. Figure 617. Metasoma V and telson lateral view. Figures 618–619. Right leg III (618) and leg IV (619), tibia, basitarsus and telotarsus, retrolateral views.