Tityus anasilviae Armas et Abud Antun, 2004

Teruel, Rolando, 2017, Some taxonomic corrections to the genus Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Hispaniola, Greater Antilles, Euscorpius 242, pp. 1-9 : 1-2

Tityus anasilviae Armas et Abud Antun, 2004

Figures 1 , 6

Type Data. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Cordillera Central [Central Range], Monseñor Nouel Province, Bonao Municipality, Blanco , Arroyón [= Los Guázaros], 700 m a.s.l., inside pillowcase in house, 8/September/2002, A. Abud, A. S. Reynoso, ♂ holotype ( IES: CZACC-3.3145, examined) .

Remarks. This species was described upon a single adult male by Armas & Abud Antun (2004) and accepted as valid by Teruel & Armas (2006). An adult female was described later by Armas & Abud Antun (2015), who stated that one of the main characters alleged as diagnostic for this taxon (dorsolateral carinae with terminal granule much stronger on metasomal segments II–IV), was absent in the new specimen and more samples were needed to define if this implied sexual dimorphism or just individual variation.

The direct comparison of the holotype of T. anasilviae to the types of Tityus ottenwalderi Armas, 1999 (the only other member of the "crassimanus" species-group known to occur in this mountain range) and abundant additional specimens revealed that both taxa are conspecific. Thus, the following synonymy is herein established: Tityus ottenwalderi Armas, 1999 = Tityus anasilviae Armas et Abud Antun, 2004 , new synonym.

The present study proved that all Hispaniolan members of the "crassimanus" species-group are so highly variable morphologically, that adults belonging to different size-classes can be easily mistaken as distinct species. The expression of sexual dimorphism follows the same rule as in other studied species of the genus, i.e., larger adults are the most strongly dimorphic and smaller ones are the least ( Fig. 1 ).

Moreover, the degree of attenuation of pedipalps and metasoma shows a clinal variation positively correlated to altitude: the most slender specimens (i.e., typical T. ottenwalderi ), come from mountains above 1,400 m, the most robust ones (i.e., typical T. anasilviae n. syn.) come from the slopes below 800 m, and inter- mediate individuals occur all across the intervening altitude zone ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1: Size-related morphological variability of adult Tityus ottenwalderi, exemplified by females: a) small specimen from El Río, La Vega Province (typical T. ottenwalderi); b) standard specimen from Pinar Quemado, La Vega Province (intermediate); c) large specimen from El Majagual, San Cristóbal Province (typical T. anasilviae n. syn.). Scale bar in millimeters.

Figure 6: Map of Hispaniola, showing the updated geographical distribution of all valid extant members of the "crassimanus" species-group: Tityus crassimanus (circles), Tityus ottenwalderi (squares) and Tityus sp. (triangles). New records depicted in white symbols, previous records in black.