Vaejovis grahami Ayrey et Soleglad, 2014

Ayrey, Richard F. & Soleglad, Michael E., 2014, New species of Vaejovis from the Santa Rita Mountains, southern Arizona (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Euscorpius 183, pp. 1-13 : 5-12

Vaejovis grahami Ayrey et Soleglad , sp. nov.

Figures 1–12, 14; Tables 1–2 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7B3B67

2F-1130-4E42-9B92- B80115 D122B2

Diagnosis: Small scorpion, 21–27 mm in length, color medium to dark brown, lighter on the legs and telson with underlying mottling on carapace, mesosoma, and pedipalps. Pectinal teeth 15–16 in male and 12–14 in female. Pedipalp movable finger with 6 ID denticles and fixed finger with 5 ID. Carapace is shorter than length of fifth metasomal segment, in a ratio of 0.88 for females, 0.80 to 0.82 for males. Ventral surface of tarsomere II with single median row of spinules terminating distally with one spinule pair. Hemispermatophore with short bifurcated lamellar hook emanating from the dorsal trough, modest distal crest on lamina terminus, and slightly sclerotized mating plug with smooth barb.

Distribution: Known only from the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona, USA. See map in Fig. 15 for type locality.

Etymology: This species is named in honor of Matthew R. Graham for his contributions to scorpion systematics and biogeography. Matt was the first to recognize the importance of the isolated mountain ranges of southern Arizona and New Mexico which formed insular “sky island” habitats for scorpion species.

Type material: Holotype female, Madera Canyon , Santa Rita Mountains, Pima County, Arizona, USA, 12 May 2013. leg. R. F. Ayrey, specimen #RA896, deposited in USNM . Paratype female, same locality, 22 June 2009, leg. R . F. Ayrey, specimen #RA897 ( RFA) . Paratype male, same locality, 3 October 2010, R . F. Ayrey, specimen #RA898 ( USNM) . Paratype fe-male, Mount Hopkins , Santa Rita Mountains, Pima County, Arizona, USA, 02 August 2010, leg. R . F. Ayrey, specimen #RA900 ( RFA) .

FEMALE. Description based on holotype female except where noted. See Table 1 for measurements of holotype female, and two female and male paratypes.

COLORATION. Color is medium to dark brown, lighter on the legs, telson orange with dark brown stripe

medially on ventral surface. Underlying mottling on the carapace, mesosoma, pedipalps, and legs.

CARAPACE ( Fig. 2). Anterior margin of carapace with a conspicuous wide emargination. Carapace moderately granular occurring primarily in the mottled areas. Three lateral eyes on each side, the most proximal the smallest. Ratio of median eyes position from anterior edge/ carapace length 0.327; carapace length/width at median eyes 1.359.

MESOSOMA. Tergites moderately granular on proximal half with vestigial median carina on Tergites I– VI. Tergite VII with strong median and lateral carina. Sternites III– VI smooth. Sternite VII rough surface with weak ventral lateral carinae on middle third. Stigma small and ovoid with median side rotated 35 degrees from posterior sternite margin.

STERNUM. Sternum conforms to type 2, lateral lobes and apex subtly defined. Sclerite is wider than long.

GENITAL OPERCULUM. Sclerites separated on posterior one-third. See comparison to male below.

PECTINES. With three anterior lamellae, 9/8 middle lamellae, and 13/12 teeth. Sensorial areas present on all teeth and fulcra are present.

METASOMA ( Fig. 7). Segments I–IV: dorsal and dorsolateral carinae strong and serrate with distal denticle of I–IV enlarged and spinoid. Lateral carinae strong and serrate on I, present on posterior 3/4 of II, posterior 1/2 of III, and obsolete on IV. Ventrolateral carinae strong and serrate, ventromedian moderately granular on I and crenulate to serrate on II–IV. Segment V: Dorsolateral carinae strong and irregularly granulate. Lateral carinae granular on basal 3/5. Ventrolateral and ventromedian carinae serrate. Dorsal intercarinal spaces irregularly granular.

TELSON ( Fig. 8). Smooth with several setae on ventral surface. Subaculear tubercle present but small. LAS present with 4–6 serrations.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 9, paratype male). Dorsal edge of movable cheliceral finger with two subdistal (sd) denticles. Ventral edge is smooth, with well-developed serrula on distal half.

PEDIPALP ( Figs. 3–6, 11). Femur. Dorsointernal and dorsoexternal carinae serrated, and ventrointernal crenulated, ventroexternal rounded. Dorsal and ventral surfaces very rough, internal surface with scattered granules, and external with line of serrated granules. Patella. Dorsointernal carina serrated, ventrointernal crenulated, dorsoexternal and ventroexternal carinae granulated. Dorsal patellar ( DPS) and ventral patellar ( VPS) spurs formed with a pointed granule, DPS c carina well developed with approximately 16 serrated granules. Chela. Digital (D1) carina weak, irregularly granulate, subdigital (D2) represented with a single rounded granule, dorsosecondary (D3) rounded with slight median granules, dorsomarginal (D4) rounded with scattered granules, dorsointernal (D5) rounded and irregularly granulated, ventroexternal ( V1 ) and ventromedian ( V2 ) carinae rounded and smooth, ventrointernal ( V3 ) rounded with minor granulation, and external (E) carina weak to obsolete. Chelal finger median denticle ( MD) rows in straight line. Fixed finger median denticles ( MD) divided into 6 groups by 5 outer ( OD) denticles, and 5 ID denticles are found on the inner edge. Movable finger with 6 MD groups, 5 OD denticles and 6 ID denticles. Trichobothrial pattern type C orthobothriotaxic (see Figure 11). Chelal ib and it trichobothria located at fixed finger’s base, considerably proximal of sixth ID denticle; Dt on chela is proximal of palm midpoint; dt and dst are proximal to et and distal of est; patellar v 3 is located on external surface and positioned distally of et 3 .

LEGS ( Fig. 10, female paratype). Ventral surface of tarsomere II with single median row of spinules terminating distally with one spinule pair.

HEMISPERMATOPHORE ( Fig. 12, paratype male). The left hemispermatophore is 3.69 mm in length with the lamina and trunk 1.98 each. The hemispermatophore is lightly sclerotized with a somewhat centrally wide lamella that tapers slightly at its terminus. A modest distal crest is present on the inner distal aspect of the lamella, which is also visible from the ventral surface. The lamellar hook is sclerotized, relatively short, emanating from the dorsal trough, and is widely bifurcated. The lamellar hook is short, exhibiting a 0.264 ratio of its length to the lamellar length. The trough difference (i.e., the vertical distance between the ventral and dorsal troughs) also indicates the hook’s shortness when compared to the lamellar hook length, a ratio of 0.543. The truncal flexure is visible on the external aspect of the trunk/lamella juncture. A small slightly sclerotized mating plug was located on the ventral surface. Its stock is somewhat short and thick, and the barb’s edge is smooth.

Variability between male and female. Pectinal teeth are longer and more angled in the male than in the female, the basal tooth is located closer to the pectinal base. Pectinal tooth counts range 15–16 for the male and 12–14 for the female. The genital operculum is larger and longer in the male, the sclerites disconnected for most of their length, genital papillae protruding proximally. The metasomal segments are slightly thinner in the male, mean value differences of length to width ratios ranging from 2.9 % to 12.2 % (based on two males and females).

Variability in meristic data. Variability of pectinal tooth counts 12/13 [n=1], 13/12 [n=1], x/13 [n=1], 13/13 [n=6] and 14/14 [n=1], with a mean of 13.00 [n=19], standard deviation 0.47 for females and 14/15 [n=1], 15/15 [n=1], and 15/16 [n=1], with a mean of 15.00 [n=6], standard deviation 0.63 for males. There was no variability of fixed finger ID denticle count noted in V. grahami [n=25], while variability is usually seen in other species of Vaejovis ( Ayrey, 2012, 2013b; Ayrey & Webber, 2013).

Type Locality Description. The type specimens were found, using a blacklight at night in Madera Canyon, Santa Rita Mountains, Pima County, Arizona (N31.71339°, W110.87296°) at an elevation of 1665 m asl. and Mount Hopkins Santa Rita Mountains, Pima County, Arizona (N31.67455°, W110.88337°) at an elevation of 2082 m asl. The vegetation type is mesic Ponderosa Pine and mixed evergreen oak woodland, see Figure 5. Uroctonites huachuca and Pseudouroctonus apacheanus were found syntopically with V. grahami during 12 field trips to the Santa Rita Mountains.

Behavior and reproduction. This species is found, in Madera Canyon, from approximately 50 m higher in elevation than the highest elevation where Centruroides sculpturatus and Hoffmannius spinigerus are found in that canyon. The authors presume predation from these species is the limiting factor establishing the lowest elevation for this species. Birth and postpartum behavior are as described in Ayrey (2013a).

Comparison of Species

Map in Fig. 15 shows the type localities of the 16 currently described species of Vaejovis from Arizona, western New Mexico and Sonora, Mexico. Comparisons are made to all species with emphasis on V. vorhiesi Stahnke and V. deboerae Ayrey according to recent DNA comparisons ( Bryson et al., 2013).

Vaejovis jonesi , V. lapidicola , V. paysonensis , V. bigelowi , V. trinityae , and V. crumpi all exhibit 7 inner denticles (ID) on the chela movable finger, not 6 which is found on most southern Arizona “vorhiesi” group

scorpions, including Vaejovis Santa Rita. Based on recent DNA analysis, V. grahami has been isolated from the above species for 15.37 to 14.31 million years, excluding V. bigelowi for which DNA data is unavailable.

Vaejovis bandido : differs from V. grahami by 6 important morphometric ratios (see Table 2). Based on recent DNA analysis, V. bandido has been isolated from V. grahami for 16.26 million years. It is also widely allopatric with V. grahami .

Vaejovis brysoni : differs from V. grahami by metasomal segment 1 L/W ratio (see Table 2). Although total length is the same, males differ by having a longer carapace and metasoma, and by all 12 important morphometric ratios used in table 2. This is the only southern Arizona species for which there is no DNA data available at this time.

Vaejovis cashi : differs from V. grahami by 9 important morphometric ratios (see Table 2). Based on recent DNA analysis, V. cashi has been isolated from V. grahami for 16.26 million years. It is also widely allopatric with V. grahami .

Vaejovis electrum : differs from V. grahami by 8 important morphometric ratios (see Table 2). V. electrum has been isolated from V. grahami for 16.26 million years. It is also widely allopatric with V. grahami .

Vaejovis feti : differs from V. grahami by having a lower pectinal tooth count and 7 important morphometric ratios (see Table 2). Based on recent DNA

analysis, V. feti has been isolated from V. grahami for 16.26 million years. It is also widely allopatric with V. grahami .

Vaejovis halli : differs from V. grahami by 6 important morphometric ratios (see Table 2). Based on recent DNA analysis, V.halli has been isolated from V. grahami for 15.37 million years. It is also widely allopatric with V. grahami .

Vaejovis tenuipalpu s: has 6 ID denticles on both the fixed and movable fingers while V. grahami usually has 6 ID denticles on the movable finger and 5 on the fixed finger. V. tenuipalpus is also larger and differs from V. grahami by 11 important morphometric ratios (see Table 2). Based on recent DNA analysis, V. grahami has been isolated from V. tenuipalpus for 11.61 million years. V. tenuipalpus is also widely allopatric with V. grahami .

Vaejovis deboerae : differs from V. grahami by being larger and by 5 important morphometric ratios (see Table 2). Based on recent DNA analysis, V. deboerae has been isolated from V. grahami for 7.34 million years.

Vaejovis vorhiesi : differs from V. grahami by 8 important morphometric ratios (see Table 2). Based on recent DNA analysis, V.vorhiesi has been isolated from V. grahami for 5.45 million years.