Hadogenes soutpansbergensis, PRENDINI, 2006

PRENDINI, LORENZO, 2006, New South African Flat Rock Scorpions (Liochelidae: Hadogenes), American Museum Novitates 3502 (1), pp. 1-32 : 23-30

Hadogenes soutpansbergensis , new species

TYPE MATERIAL: SOUTH AFRICA: Limpopo Province: Soutpansberg District: Holotype? ( AMNH), Vancoller’s Pass, Soutpansberg [Farm Waterpoort 695, 228559S 298379E], xii.1990 – i.1991, L. Prendini and K.M.A. Prendini, in deep rock crevice. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 1/ ( AMNH); same data, except ‘‘ i.1996, L. Prendini and J. Laing’ ’, 1 juv.? ( AMNH); same data, except ‘‘ iii.2003, I. Engelbrecht and B. Watkins, removed from rock crevices at night, located with UV detection’’, 1? 4/ 1 subad.? 2 subad. / ( AMNH), 1 subad. / ( AMCC 139000 ) .

DIAGNOSIS: Hadogenes soutpansbergensis is placed in the bicolor group on account of the shape of metasomal segment I, which is wider than it is high posteriorly. It appears to be more closely related to H. newlandsi than to the other three species in the bicolor group. Adult males of both species exhibit dense granulation on the telson and lateral surfaces of metasomal segment V. This character occurs in only a few other Hadogenes species (e.g., H. granulatus Purcell, 1901 and H. minor Purcell, 1899 ), and is potentially synapomorphic for H. newlandsi , H. soutpansbergensis and H. granulatus . Hadogenes minor does not appear to be closely related to these species and is presumed to have acquired this state independently.

Unlike the other the three species in the bicolor group, the pedipalp chela of H. soutpansbergensis and H. newlandsi lacks a pronounced lobe, distal to the notch in fixed finger, and the metasoma of the adult male is relatively longer (more than 55% of the total length). Hadogenes soutpansbergensis and H. newlandsi are further distinguished from H. longimanus and H. polytrichobothrius by the presence of only two trichobothria on the internal surface of the pedipalp chela. Both H. longimanus and H. polytrichobothrius exhibit five or more internal trichobothria on the chela.

Hadogenes soutpansbergensis is distinguished from H. newlandsi by its longer metasoma in the adult male, longer, narrower, flatter pedipalps, and higher trichobothrial counts.

ETYMOLOGY: The species name refers to the Soutpansberg mountain range, where the species is probably endemic.

DESCRIPTION: Measurements and counts in the following description are recorded from 2? and 5/ (table 4).

Color: Uniformly dark in color, with pedipalps, legs, sternites, and telson only slightly paler than the rest ( figs. 24–27 ). Carapace, chelicerae, tergites, and metasoma, Sepia 219; pedipalps and legs (dorsal surface), Maroon 31; legs (ventral surface), pectines, genital operculum, sternites, and telson, Warm Sepia 221A.

Carapace: As for H. polytrichobothrius , except median notch in anterior margin weakly developed, and frontal lobes almost entirely granular ( figs. 28, 29 ).

Chelicerae: As for H. polytrichobothrius .

Pedipalps: As for H. polytrichobothrius , but differing in the following respects. Femur width 35.5% (33–38%) of length (table 5). Patella ventroexternal carina granular to costate granular ( fig. 37 ). Patella width 53.5% (51–56%) of length. Chela with weak, round­ ed lobe on movable finger and correspondingly shallow notch in fixed finger; fixed finger additionally with small, rounded lobe proximal to notch, but without pronounced, conical lobe distally ( figs. 38, 39 ); dorsal and ventrointernal intercarinal surfaces finely granular, reticulate in?, becoming smooth, reticulate in /. Chela height 49.5% (47– 52%) of width; chela width 51% (49–53%) of length along ventroexternal carina in?, and 57.5% (57–58%) in /; length movable finger 97% (95–99%) of length along ventroexternal carina.

Trichobothria: Neobothriotaxic major, type C ( figs. 34–41 ; table 5), with the following segment totals: femur, 3 (1 d; 1 i; 1 e), patella, 80–106 (2 d; 1 i; 26–36 v; 51–67 e) and chela, 79–95 (69–85 manus; 10 fixed finger, including 2 i). Total number of trichobothria per pedipalp, 162–204. Only femoral trichobothria, trichobothria in the d and i series of the patella, and trichobothria in the D, d, e and i series of the chela are stable in number and distribution. External and ventral trichobothria of the chela and patella are numerically and distributionally too variable for diagnostic purposes.

Mesosoma: As for H. polytrichobothrius , except as follows. Post­tergites of? covered with very fine and even granulation, imparting matt appearance to all surfaces, except median carina and submedian depressions, which are smooth; post­tergites of / smooth and shiny, becoming finely granular laterally. Sternite VII length equal (100%) to width in?, 83% (76–90%) in / (table 5; figs. 32, 33 ).

Pectines: As for H. polytrichobothrius ( figs. 30, 31 ), except pectinal teeth (left/ right): 20/20–21 (?), 16–17/16–17 (/).

Sternum: As for H. polytrichobothrius .

Genital operculum: As for H. polytrichobothrius .

Legs: As for H. polytrichobothrius .

Metasoma and telson: As for H. polytrichobothrius , except as follows. Dorsosubmedian carinae costate to costate granular on segments II–V (/), costate granular on segments II–IV, becoming granular on V (?), II–IV each terminating distally with small spiniform granule. Metasomal segment V, lateral surfaces, and telson densely granular in?, smooth to sparsely granular in / ( figs. 42, 43 ).

In addition, metasomal segments of adult? longer than in H. polytrichobothrius , with morphometric differences as follows. Metasomal segment I posterior height 92.5% (87– 98%) of width (table 5). Metasomal segments I–V progressively increasing in length, and decreasing in width, segment V width 66% (56–76%) of segment I width. Metasoma slender, width percentage of length for segment I, 24.5% (23–26%) in?, 36.5% (34–39%) in /; for II, 12% (11–13%) in?, 21.5% (19–24%) in /; for III, 10.5% (10– 11%) in?, 21% (18–24%) in /; for IV, 9% in?, 17% (15–19%) in /; and for V, 10% (9–11%) in?, 16.5% (15–18%) in /. Telson vesicle width 122% (111–133%) of metasomal segment V width; distinctly elongated in?, oval in /, with flattened dorsal surface and rounded ventral surface, height 34.5% (32–37%) of length. Aculeus short, 14.5% (10–19%) of vesicle length, and sharply curved. Total length of metasoma 168.5% (148–190%) of combined length of prosoma and mesosoma in?, but approximately equal (97–104%) to combined length of prosoma and mesosoma in /.

Hemispermatophore: Doubled hook near base of distal lamella; distal crest truncate ( figs. 44, 45 ).

Geographic variation: No significant variation.

Ontogenetic variation: As for H. polytrichobothrius .

Sexual dimorphism: As for H. polytrichobothrius , except in this species no lobe is present distal to the notch in the fixed finger of the pedipalp chela, and the lobe on the movable finger and notch in the fixed finger are slightly less developed in the adult male and than in the adult female ( figs. 38, 39 ). In addition, the pedipalp chelae are more granular in the adult male, and the metasoma is considerably more elongated, with segment V and telson granular ( fig. 43 ).

DISTRIBUTION: Hadogenes soutpansbergensis is probably endemic to the Soutpansberg mountain range in the Soutpansberg District, Limpopo Province, South Africa ( fig. 1 ). It is currently known only from a single locality, Vancoller’s Pass, a deep gorge incised in the northern slopes of the Soutpansberg by the Sand River, a tributary of the Limpopo River. The species is expected to be more widespread in the Soutpansberg, however, particularly on the mesic southern slopes of the mountain range. The xeric northern slopes, which have been better surveyed for scorpions, are dominated by the larger Hadogenes troglodytes (Peters, 1861) and the two species are unlikely to occur in sympatry. The occurrence of H. soutpansbergensis at Vancoller’s Pass is presumed to be an extension through the mountain range associated with the Sand River. Uroplectes flavoviridis Peters, 1861 , otherwise observed only on the southern side of the Soutpansberg, is also found there.

The only known locality record of H. soutpansbergensis occurs at an altitude between 700–800 m, in the Soutpansberg Arid Mountain Bushveld vegetation zone ( Van Rooyen and Bredenkamp, 1998b) of the Savanna biome ( Rutherford and Westfall, 1994; Low and Rebelo, 1998).

This species inhabits a moderately arid region, where annual rainfall varies from 300 mm on the hot, dry northern slopes of the Soutpansberg, to more than 500 mm on the higher plateaux. Most rainfall is received in the summer (December to May). Temperatures vary between 38C and 448C, with an average of 238C ( Van Rooyen and Bredenkamp, 1998b).

ECOLOGY: Hadogenes soutpansbergensis is an obligate lithophile ( Prendini, 2001b). This species inhabits very deep cracks and crevices in weathered sandstone outcrops, often on sheer cliff faces. One specimen was collected about 2 m above ground level in a crack in a tree trunk (I. Engelbrecht, personal commun.). The distributional range of H. soutpansbergensis is allopatric with that of its closest relatives, H. newlandsi , which inhabits scattered inselbergs south of the Soutpansberg, and H. bicolor , which occurs along the Drakensberg escarpment, southeast of the Soutpansberg ( Prendini, 2001a). Hadogenes soutpansbergensis has not been collected in sympatry with H. troglodytes , which is very common in drier habitats along the northern slopes of the Soutpansberg (e.g., at Farm

(AMNH). 42. Lateral aspect, /. 43. Lateral aspect,?. Scale bar 5 10 mm.

Rochdale 700), and north of the mountain range.

At Vancoller’s Pass, H. soutpansbergensis has been collected in sympatry with several other scorpion species: the buthids, Hottentotta trilineatus (Peters, 1861) , Parabuthus transvaalicus , Uroplectes planimanus (Karsch, 1879) , U. flavoviridis , and U. vittatus (Thorell, 1876) ; the liochelid, Opisthacanthus asper (Peters, 1861) ; and the scorpionid, Opistophthalmus lawrencei Newlands, 1969 . Uroplectes vittatus and O. asper are strictly corticolous, whereas H. trilineatus , U. planimanus , and O. lawrencei prefer flatter rocky areas.

CONSERVATION STATUS: Unlike many other species of Hadogenes , H. soutpansbergensis does not appear to be threatened by habitat destruction. This species is presently known from only a single locality, but may be widespread on the southern slopes of the Soutpansberg, a region of low agricultural potential where there are several provincial and private nature reserves. The following protected areas should be surveyed for the presence of H. soutpansbergensis , which is suspected to occur there: Happy Rest Nature Reserve, Lesheba Wilderness Area, Medike Private Nature Reserve. Until more data become available on the distribution, ecology and abundance of Hadogenes soutpansbergensis , this species is assigned to the Data Deficient category of the IUCN Red List.

Figures

Figs. 24–27. Hadogenes soutpansbergensis n.sp., habitus of? and / paratypes (AMNH). 24. Dorsal aspect,?. 25. Ventral aspect,?. 26. Dorsal aspect, /. 27. Ventral aspect, /. Scale bars 5 10 mm.

Figs. 28–33. Hadogenes soutpansbergensis n.sp., carapace, pectines, and sternites of? and / paratypes (AMNH). 28. Carapace,?. 29. Carapace, /. 30. Pectines and basal piece,?. 31. Pectines and basal piece, /. 32. Sternite VII,?. 33. Sternite VII, /. Scale bars 5 5 mm.

Figs. 34–37. Hadogenes soutpansbergensis n.sp., carinae, trichobothria, and macrosetae on dextral pedipalpal segments of paratype / (AMNH). 34. Femur, dorsal aspect. 35. Patella, dorsal aspect. 36. Patella, external aspect. 37. Patella, ventral aspect. Scale bar 5 5 mm.

Figs. 38–41. Hadogenes soutpansbergensis n.sp., carinae, trichobothria, and macrosetae on dextral pedipalpal segments of holotype? and paratype / (AMNH). 38. Chela, dorsal aspect,?. 39. Chela, dorsal aspect, /. 40. Chela, external aspect, /. 41. Chela, ventrointernal aspect, /. Scale bar 5 5 mm.

Figs. 42–43. Hadogenes soutpansbergensis n.sp., metasoma and telson of? and / paratypes

Figs. 44–45. Hadogenes soutpansbergensis n.sp., hemispermatophore of paratype? (AMNH). 44. Ectal aspect. 45. Ental aspect. Scale bar 5 1 mm.

Fig. 1. Map showing the known distribution of species in the bicolor group of Hadogenes: H. bicolor Purcell, 1899 (square), H. longimanus Prendini, 2001 (cross), H. newlandsi Prendini, 2001 (star), H. polytrichobothrius n.sp. (triangle) and H. soutpansbergensis n.sp. (circle). Contour interval, 500 m.