Scorpiops pseudomontanus Kovařík et Ahmed, 2009

Kovařík, František & Ahmed, Zubair, 2009, Three new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae) from Pakistan, Euscorpius 88 (88), pp. 1-11 : 3-6

Scorpiops pseudomontanus Kovařík et Ahmed , sp. n.

( Figs. 13–19, 21 , Table 1)

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan , Gilgit, lower Naltar; author´s collection ( FKCP).

TYPE MATERIAL. Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit, lower Naltar , 2009, 1 ♂ (holotype), 5 ♀, 6 juvs., leg. Zubair Ahmed; North-West Frontier Province, Upper Dir , 10 August 2009, 1 ♂, 2 ♀, 2 juvs. (paratypes, Figs. 13–18 ), leg. Yasin; Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bagh, 7 October 2009, 2 ♂, 8 ♀, 3 ♂ imm., 3♀ imm., 1 juv. (paratypes) .

ETYMOLOGY: Denotes affinity to Euscorpiops montanus (Karsch, 1879) .

DIAGNOSIS. Adults 50–60 mm long. Base color uniformly reddish brown, fingers black, legs and telson yellowish brown. Pectinal teeth number 6–9. External trichobothria on patella number 17 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et); ventral trichobothria on patella number 14–18. Both sexes have fingers of pedipalps flexed, but males have them more twisted then females ( Figs. 15 and 18 ).

DESCRIPTION: The adults are 50–60 mm long. Measurements of the carapace, telson, segments of the metasoma and segments of the pedipalps, and numbers of pectinal teeth are given in Table 1. The base color is uniformly reddish brown, fingers are black, legs and telson are yellow to yellowish brown. For habitus see Figs. 13–18.

MESOSOMA AND CARAPACE: The mesosoma bears several granules and primarily in the hind portion one median carina; the seventh segment is ventrally smooth, with four carinae. The entire carapace bears sparse minute granules and lacks carinae. There is a pronounced central depression in the anterior margin of the carapace. Pectinal teeth number 6–9.

METASOMA AND TELSON: The metasoma is smooth, with only sparse granules. The first segment bears 10 carinae, the second through fourth segments bear eight carinae, and the fifth segment bears seven carinae, all composed of granules some of which are pointed. The ventral carina of the fifth segment posteriorly forks to form the letter Y. The dorsolateral carinae of the third and fourth segments posteriorly terminate in a pronounced denticle. The telson is elongate and smooth.

PEDIPALPS: For position and distribution of trichobothria on the patella of pedipalps see Figs. 19 and 21 . External trichobothria on the patella number 17 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et) ( Fig. 19 ), and ventral trichobothria on the patella number 14–18 (8 with 14, 33 with 15, 10 with 16, 3 with 17, and 2 with 18) ( Fig. 21 ). The femur is granulated, has six granulose carinae, and the patella has five carinae with pronounced internal double tubercles. The entire manus dorsally bears rounded granules. The movable fingers bear straight double rows of granules with internal and external granules. The male has fingers of pedipalps strongly flexed, whereas in the female they are flexed only slightly.

AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish Scorpiops pseudomontanus sp. n. from all other species of the genus. They are recounted in the key below.

Scorpiops pseudomontanus sp. n. is most similar to Euscorpiops montanus (Karsch, 1879) , which it resembles morphologically as well as in the high number of ventral trichobothria on the patella of pedipalps ( Fig. 21 ). However, the new species differs in the position of trichobothrium Eb 3 on the external surface of chela between trichobothria Db and Dt, which is currently a generic-level character as this position of trichobothrium Eb 3 is found in all species of Scorpiops ( Fig. 2 ), whereas in the species of Euscorpiops this trichobothrium is situated between trichobothria Dt and Est (plate I, fig. 2 in Kovařík, 2009: 26).

In the genus Scorpiops an equally high number of ventral trichobothria on the patella of pedipalps is present only in S. demisi Kovařík, 2005 from India, which however differs from the new species in having 18 external trichobothria on the patella (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 5 et).

Figures

Figures 13–18: Scorpiops pseudomontanus Kovařík et Ahmed, sp. n. 13–15. Male paratype, dorsal and ventral view and chela external. 10–12. Female paratype, dorsal and ventral view and chela external.

Figures 19–26: 19 and 21. Scorpiops pseudomontanus Kovařík et Ahmed, sp. n., male paratype. 19. Patella external, 21. Patella ventral. 20, 22, 23–26. Scorpiops zubairahmedi Kovařík et Ahmed, sp. n., male paratype. 20. Patella external. 22. Patella ventral. 23–26. Dorsal and ventral view and chela external and ventral.

Figures 1–6: Scorpiops pakistanus Kovařík et Ahmed, sp. n., male paratype. 1. Chela dorsal. 2. Chela external. 3. Manus ventral. 4. Patella dorsal. 5. Patella external. 6. Patella ventral. The first capital letters denote trichobothria situated on the manus, and the first lower-case letters denote those situated on the fixed finger of pedipalp. Figs. 4 to 6 show the distribution of trichobothria on the patella of pedipalp. First letters: D, dorsal, E, external, I, internal, V, ventral. Second or second plus third letters: b, basal, sb, suprabasal, m, medial, st, subterminal, t, terminal, v, ventral. Numerals distinguish individual trichobothria of the same classification. Designation and description of trichobothria after Vachon (1974). Morphological terminology after Stahnke (1970).