Tityus melici Lourenço, 2003

Tityus melici Lourenço, 2003: 109 –115, figs.1–10, 13, table 1. Holotype ♂ and 7Ψ and 4 juvenile paratypes from Serra da Jurema region, Bahia, Brazil (MNRJ). Lourenço, 2006: 61.

Tityus serrulatus: Lourenço & Cloudsley-Thompson, 1999: 154 –158, figs. 1–6 (only the males from close to Jequitinhonha river, Irapé, Minas Gerais, Brazil, not examined, should be in FUNED or MNHN, not localized, misidentification).

Material examined. Brazil, Minas Gerais: Minas Novas, 613m, 17º15’S 42º36’W, (Usina Hidrelétrica Irapé), III/1989, R. U. Feio leg., 3 Ψ and 8 juveniles, (IBSP 5044); Botumirim, 963m, 16º52’S 43º1’W, (Usina Hidrelétrica Irapé), R. U. Feio leg., 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ and 23 juveniles (IBSP 5045).

Comments. This species was described from the Southern region of the State of Bahia in the Southern range of the C aatinga vegetal formation. Tityus melici has almost all the diagnostic characters of the species of the T. stigmurus complex except the presence of posterior spinoid granules on the dorsal carinae of metasomal segments II and IV, though without doubt this species is related with this complex. Lourenço & Cloudsley-Thompson (1999) described a sexual population of T. serrulatus and pointed out as the main characteristic of the males the absence of modified granules as spines on the posterior region of the dorsal lateral carinae of metasomal segments III and IV, also longer and slender pedipalps (Fig. 20 A) and larger pectines. These are the diagnostic characteristics for T. melici Lourenço, 2003 (Fig. 19 C–D). Other previously unidentified specimens were also located in FUNED (Fig. 19 A–B). After examining the material of FUNED, the types of T. melici and original description of Lourenço & Cloudsley-Thompson (1999) it was possible to conclude that all the specimens discussed in this paragraph are T. melici . This was also corroborated by the rediscovery of the male of T. serrulatus by the present authors.

Diagnosis. Male. This species differ from the others of the complex by color pattern on tergites and carapace, uniformly brownish without spots, except from T. kuryi and T. serrulatus . Tityus melici can be distinguished from Tityus kury by absence of blackish spots on palps, legs, lateral faces and Vsm carinae of all metasomal segments (Fig. 19 A–D), lack of transversal blackish spots on posterior margin of sternites, the spinoid granules are absent or reduced on the dorsal lateral carinae of metasomal segments III and IV. It also differs from T. serrulatus by the lack of posterior spinoid granules on the dorsal carinae of metasomal segments III and IV (if present they are smaller; see variation of T. melici), pedipalps ( T. melici: length femur=9.8; tibia=10.1; chela=16.5; fig. 20A–B) and metasomal segments ( T. melici width I=4.6; II=4.7; III=5.1; IV=4.8) that are slender and color pattern of the carapace and tergites, which are uniformly brownish without spots (Fig. 19 A; C), whereas T. serrulatus has two pairs of posterior spinoid granules on the dorsal carinae of metasomal segment III and three pairs on metasomal segment IV, pedipalps ( T. serrulatus: length femur=8.2; tibia=8.3; chela=14.5) and metasomal segments ( T. serrulatus width I=6.3; II=6.3; III=6.3; IV=6.0; V=5.1) which are stouter and the color pattern of the carapace and tegites, which has dark brown spots (Fig. 11 A).

Female. See Lourenço (2003).

Variations. The specimens of State Minas Gerais have a more yellowish pattern of coloration on the tergites (Fig. 19 A–B) when compared with the type specimens described by Lourenço (2003), which are brownish (Fig. 19 C–D). Female specimens collected at Minas Novas, State of Minas Gerais presented one/two posterior spinoid granules on metasomal segment III, and two/three on metasomal segment IV. These granules are reduced when compared with other members of the complex.

Total length 77.0 71.8 73.7 64.5 65.8 60.3 55.6 57.1 63.8 68.1

Carapace

length 8.1 7.6 8.1 7.2 7.5 6.6 6.3 6.3 6.6 7.1

anterior width 4.5 4.1 4.0 3.6 3.7 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.7

posterior width 8.5 8.5 7.8 7.6 7.8 7.0 6.8 6.5 7.0 7.3

Metasoma

segment I

length 6.1 6.0 6.2 4.7 4.5 5.1 3.7 4.3 6.0 5.6

Width 6.3 4.7 5.8 4.3 4.2 4.8 3.3 3.6 5.0 4.2

segment II

Length 8.0 6.8 8.1 5.3 5.6 6.0 4.6 5.1 6.6 6.1

width 6.3 4.7 6.0 4.1 4.2 5.0 3.3 3.6 5.0 4.2

segment III

length 8.7 7.1 8.6 6.0 6.2 6.8 5.2 5.5 7.1 6.5

width 6.3 4.7 6.0 4.1 4.3 5.0 3.3 3.6 4.8 4.1

segment IV

length 9.8 7.5 9.5 7.0 7.0 7.5 5.8 6.2 7.7 6.8

width 6.0 4.7 5.8 4.1 4.3 4.7 3.5 3.6 4.7 4.3

segment V

length 9.6 7.8 9.1 7.8 7.7 7.5 6.6 7.1 7.2 7.6

width 5.1 4.5 4.8 3.7 4.0 4.1 3.2 3.5 4.1 4.0

Vesicle

length 7.0 6.8 7.0 6.7 6.8 6.3 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.3

depth 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.6 1.6

Pedipalp

Femur

length 8.2 7.0 7.6 6.6 6.6 6.3 5.7 6.2 6.5 7.0

width 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.7 2.0

Tibia

length 8.3 7.3 8.2 7.1 7.3 7.1 6.3 6.6 7.2 7.7

width 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.6 ......to be continued)) Holotype 3394) 3395 Paratype IBSP 4502) (ƅ (IBSP 4502 oe) 5045 5044) 1000) 2166)) 1602) 4724

(

IBSP

aba ƅ

IBSP

aba (oe martinpaechi martinpaechi

IBSP

( melici ƅ. ( melici IBSP oe kuryi

MZUFBA

(oe

MZUFBA

( kuryi oe ( kuryi

MZUFBA

oe (IBSP kuryi oe

. T T.. T T. T. T. T T.. T T.

......to be continued

Distribution. Brazil, Bahia (Serra da Jurema region); Minas Gerais (Vale do Jequitinhonha area) (Fig. 10).