Scorpiops grosseri, Kovařík, 2020

Kovařík, František, 2020, Nine new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae) from China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, Euscorpius 302, pp. 1-43 : 6

Scorpiops grosseri sp. n.

( Figures 23–48 , 240 , Table 1) http://zoobank.org / urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A35EF8E9-

3C89-4CF7-99C1-4444D41C7C06

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. India, Himachal Pradesh State, Shimla District, Narkanda , 31.26°N 77.45°E, 2646 m a. s. l. ; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL. India, Himachal Pradesh State, Shimla District, Narkanda , 31.26°N 77.45°E, 2646 m a. s. l., 3-5 May 2016, 1♀ (holotype), leg. W. Grosser , FKCP.

ETYMOLOGY. The species epithet is a patronym honoring a Czech entomologist Walter Grosser, the collector of types of the new species.

DIAGNOSIS (♀). Total length 59 mm long. Base color uniformly reddish brown to black, telson and legs yellow to yellowish brown. Pectinal teeth number 4–5 in female, fulcra absent; a pecten forms one compact unit with an incomplete furrow between places for marginal and middle lamellae. Patella of pedipalp with 17 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et) external and 7 ventral trichobothria. Chela of pedipalp with 4 ventral trichobothria located on ventral surface. Chelal trichobothrium Eb 3 is located in proximal half of external surface between trichobothria Dt and Db. Fingers of pedipalps flexed in female. Chela length to width ratio 2.66 in female. Pedipalp movable finger with 34–36 IAD, which form a second row, parallel to MD (60–65 in number); there are also 4 ID and 8 OD present. Tarsomere II of legs with 4–6 stout median ventral spines in a row and two other parallel spines. Telson bulbous and finely granulate, length to depth ratio 2.65 in female; annular ring present.

DESCRIPTION (♀). Total length of female holotype 59 mm, male unknown. The habitus is shown in Figs. 23–24 . For position and distribution of trichobothria of pedipalps see Figs. 29–34 and 36 . Fingers of pedipalps are flexed in the female ( Fig. 30 ). Coloration ( Figs.23–24 ).The base color is uniformly reddish brown to black. The telson and legs yellow to yellowish brown. Chelicerae are reddish black and reticulate.

Carapace and mesosoma ( Figs. 40–43 ). The entire carapace is covered with large and minute granules; carinae are absent. The anterior margin of the carapace is markedly depressed, convex in the middle. The carapace bears three lateral eyes. The mesosoma is granulated, with one median carina. Tergite VII is pentacarinate. The sternites are smooth with two parallel furrows except sternite VII, which bears four sparsely granulate carinae. Pectinal teeth number 4–5 in female, fulcra are absent. A pecten forms one compact unit with an incomplete furrow between places for marginal and middle lamellae.

Metasoma and telson ( Figs. 25–28 ). The metasoma is very sparsely hirsute and granulated, with relatively large granules. Metasomal segment I with 10 carinae, II–IV with 8 carinae, and V with 5 carinae. The median lateral carinae of metasoma V are indicated by isolated granules that may coalesce into carinae. The dorsolateral carinae of segments III and IV granulate with rounded granules, which are not posteriorly terminated with a pronounced tooth. The telson is bulbous and finely granulate, with annular ring present.

Pedipalps ( Figs. 29–39 ). The pedipalps are very sparsely hirsute. The patella bears 17 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et) external trichobothria and 7 ventral trichobothria. The chela bears 4 ventral trichobothria located on the ventral surface. The femur and patella are granulated. The femur has 5 granulose carinae and the patella has 5 complete carinae with dorsal and ventral patellar spurs present. The manus dorsally bears granules, which are in the central area replaced by large granules forming a longitudinal irregular incomplete carina. The external surface of the chela is covered by minute and larger sparse granules, which form another complete median carina. The movable fingers with 34–36 IAD, which form a second row, parallel to MD (60–65 in number); there are also 4 ID and 8 OD present.

Legs ( Figs. 44–48 ). The tibia and tarsomeres of legs with several setae not arranged into bristlecombs on dorsal surfaces but with rows of spines on dorsolateral and ventrolateral surface. Tarsomere II of legs I–IV with 4–6 stout median ventral spines in a row and two other parallel spines. The femur bears 3–4 and patella, 4–5 incomplete carinae; both femur and patella are finely granulated.

Measurements. See Table 1.

AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish S. grosseri sp. n. from all other species of the genus. The combination of five characters (chelal trichobothrium Eb 3 located in proximal half of external surface between trichobothria Dt and Db; total length over 50 mm; fingers of pedipalps flexed in female; pedipalp movable finger with 34–36 IAD; and chela length to width ratio 2.6 in female) is unique in the entire genus Scorpiops .

DISTRIBUTION. India, Himachal Pradesh State ( Fig. 240 ).

Figures

Figure 240. Map of distribution of nine new species described here and Scorpiops vonwicki Birula, 1913.

Figures 23–28. Scorpiops grosseri sp. n., female holotype. Dorsal (23) and ventral (24) views. Telson lateral (25). Metasoma and telson lateral (26), ventral (27), and dorsal (28) views. Scale bars: 10 mm (23–24, 26–28).

Figures 29–39. Scorpiops grosseri sp. n., female holotype, pedipalp segments. Chela dorsal (29), external (30) and ventral (31) views. Patella dorsal (32), external (33) and ventral (34) views. Femur and trochanter dorsal (35), internal (36), and ventral (37) views. Movable finger dentition under white light (38) and UV fluorescence (39). Trichobothrial pattern is indicated by white circles.

Figures 40–48. Scorpiops grosseri sp. n., female holotype. Carapace and tergites I–III (40), anterior margin of carapace and chelicerae (41), pectine (42), posterior coxosternal area and sternites III–V (43). Left legs I–IV, retrolateral aspect (44–47 respectively) and leg III dorsal view (48).