Vaejovis prendinii Santibáñez-López & Francke, 2010

A, Contreras-Félix Gerardo & Oscar, Francke B., 2019, Taxonomic revision of the “ mexicanus ” group of the genus Vaejovis C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Zootaxa 4596 (1), pp. 1-100 : 58-60

Vaejovis prendinii Santibáñez-López & Francke, 2010

Figures 4 , 35b , 36b , 37b , 38b , 39b , 40b , 41b , 42

Vaejovis prendinii Santibáñez-López & Francke, 2010: 556 , 558, 561–563, Fig: 1, 16–22, 54.

Type material. Holotype male. MEXICO: Oaxaca, Distrito Ixtlan de Juarez, San Juan Atepec, Rio Grande (N 17.4°, W 96.566667°, elev. 1327 m). VII-3-2008. Cols.: O. Francke, C. Santibáñez and A. Quijano. (CNAN- T0378). Examined.

Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( CNAN-T0379 ) ; 1 ♀ ( AMNH), same data as holotype . 1♀ MEXICO: Oaxaca, Distrito Ixtlan de Juarez, San Juan Atepec, 2 km NW of San Juan Atepec, Rio Grande (N 17.416667°, W 96.55°, elev. 1849 m). VII-4-2008. Cols.: O. Francke, C. Santibáñez and A. Quijano. ( AMNH). Examined .

Other specimens examined. MEXICO: Oaxaca, Distrito Ixtlan de Juarez, San Juan Atepec . VII-2008. Col.: R. Reyes. 1 ♀ ( CNAN-SC3484 ) . MEXICO: Oaxaca, Distrito Ixtlan de Juarez ,. VI-2-1952. Without collector data. 1 ♂ ( CNAN-SC3483 ) .

Diagnosis. Adults 25 to 34 mm long (Fig: 42-a, b). Carapace (Fig: 35-b) shorter than metasomal segment V (Carapace L/MS-V 0.85±0.1 [0.97]), longer than femur (Carapace L/Femur L 1.17±0.05 [1.26]); anterior margin of carapace concave. Mesosomal tergite VII with a pair granular carinae starting on middle of segment and not reaching posterior margin. Pectinal teeth 19–20 [15–17]; sternite V on males with a small, bright, whitish patch on posterior margin; sternite VII with one pair of faint paramedian carinae, and 20–23 (22) [22] setae. Metasomal segment I wider than long, subquadrate in dorsal view (MSI L/ W 0.78 ±0.01 [0.69]), with ventral submedian carinae smooth to faint; intercarinal spaces on segments I–IV smooth; segment V conspicuously hirsute (MS-V L/ W 1.99 ±0.1 [1.91]; W/D 1.12±0.03 [1.09]). Vesicle (Fig: 36-b) rounded (L/ W 1.68 ±0.1 [1.47]) and broad (W/D 1.31±0.05 [1.18]); dorsal surface flat, posteromedially with a small whitish vesicular gland. Pedipalp femur (Fig: 37-b) and patella (Fig: 38-b) about three times longer than wide (Femur L/ W 2.93 ±0.1 [3.09]; Patella L/ W 2.92 ±0.3 [2.92]); patella dorsointernal carina strong, composed by well differentiated granules. Chela (Fig: 39, 40- b) rounded, as wide as deep (CM L/ W 1.74 ±0.06 [1.87]; W/D 0.95±0.05 [1]; CM L/FF 1.2±0.03 [1.07]) with dorsal retrolateral, dorsal prosubmedian, dorsal median and retrolateral median carinae weak, crenulated to smooth. Pedipalp chela fingers dentate margins slightly scalloped on males, straight on females.

Hemispermatophore (Fig: 41-b): Lamelliform (TL 2.8; LL 1.5; LW 0.5 mm), lamella simple, narrower at the level of the hooks, without distal crest; hooks present basally, lobe shaped.

Full morphometric variation is given in tables 13 and 14. Setae variation is given in tables 9–12.

Distribution. Mexico: Oaxaca. This species is only known from secondary vegetation near San Juan Atepec, Oaxaca ( Figure 4 ).

Natural history. Most specimens were collected at night with the aid of black lights; nothing else is known about this species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Known distribution of all the species of Vaejovis, included in the “mexicanus” group.

FIGURE 35. Comparison in shapes on carapace in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. nigrofemoratus; b—V. prendinii; c—V. pusillus; d—V. rossmani; e—V. santibagnezi sp. nov.; f—V. setosus; g—V. sierrae; h—V. smithi; i—V. sprousei; j—V. talpa sp. nov.; k—V. tapalpa sp. nov.; l—V. tenamaztlei; m—V. tesselatus; n—V. trespicos; o—V. zapoteca. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 36. Comparison of the different shapes in the caudal gland on species within the “mexicanus” group (each caudal gland, if present, is highlighted in red): a—V. nigrofemoratus; b—V. prendinii; c—V. pusillus; d—V. rossmani; e—V. santibagnezi sp. nov.; f—V. setosus; g—V. sierrae; h—V. smithi; i—V. sprousei; j—V. talpa sp. nov.; k—V. tapalpa sp. nov.; l—V. tenamaztlei; m—V. tesselatus; n—V. trespicos; o—V. zapoteca.

FIGURE 37. Comparison in shapes and trichobothrial patterns in the pedipalp femur, in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. nigrofemoratus; b—V. prendinii; c—V. pusillus; d—V. rossmani; e—V. santibagnezi sp. nov.; f—V. setosus; g—V. sierrae; h—V. smithi; i—V. sprousei; j—V. talpa sp. nov.; k—V. tapalpa sp. nov.; l—V. tenamaztlei; m—V. tesselatus; n—V. trespicos; o—V. zapoteca. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 38. Comparison in shapes and trichobothrial patterns in the pedipalp patella, in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. nigrofemoratus; b—V. prendinii; c—V. pusillus; d—V. rossmani; e—V. santibagnezi sp. nov.; f—V. setosus; g—V. sierrae; h—V. smithi; i—V. sprousei; j—V. talpa sp. nov.; k—V. tapalpa sp. nov.; l—V. tenamaztlei; m—V. tesselatus; n—V. trespicos; o—V. zapoteca. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 39. Comparison in shapes and trichobothrial patterns in the pedipalp chela of males in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. nigrofemoratus; b—V. prendinii; c—V. pusillus; d—V. rossmani; e—V. santibagnezi sp. nov.; f—V. setosus; g—V. sierrae; h—V. smithi; i—V. sprousei; j—V. talpa sp. nov.; k—V. tapalpa sp. nov.; l—V. tenamaztlei; m—V. tesselatus; n—V. trespicos; o—V. zapoteca. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 40. Comparison in the different shapes and trichobothrial patterns in the pedipalp chela of females, that selected species within “mexicanus” group present a—V. nigrofemoratus; b—V. prendinii; c—V. pusillus; d—V. rossmani; e—V. santibagnezi sp. nov.; f—V. setosus; g—V. sierrae; h—V. smithi; i—V. talpa sp. nov; j—V. tapalpa sp. nov; k—V. tenamaztlei; l—V. tesselatus; m—V. trespicos; n—V. zapoteca. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 41. Comparison on the shapes in the hemispermatophore in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. nigrofemoratus; b—V. prendinii; c—V. pusillus; d—V. rossmani; e—V. santibagnezi sp. nov.; f—V. setosus; g—V. sierrae; h—V. smithi; i—V. sprousei; j—V. talpa sp. nov.; k—V. tapalpa sp. nov.; l—V. tenamaztlei; m—V. tesselatus; n—V. trespicos; o—V. zapoteca. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 42. Habitus of Vaejovis prendinii holotype (♂): a—dorsal view; b—ventral view. Scale bar = 1 cm.