Scorpiops Peters, 1861

Kovařík, František, 2005, Three new species of the genera Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 and Scorpiops Peters, 1861 from Asia (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae, Scorpiopinae), Euscorpius 27 (27), pp. 1-10 : 8

Scorpiops Peters, 1861

( Figs. 9, 12 , 17–18 , Table 1)

Scorpiops Peters, 1861: 510 ; Kraepelin, 1899: 179 (in part); Vachon, 1980: 143 (in part); Tikader & Bastawade, 1983: 403 (in part); Stockwell, 1989: 120 (unpublished); Sissom, 1990: 114 (in part); Kovařík, 1998: 142 (in part); Fet, 2000: 491 (in part); Kovařík, 2000: 162 (in part); Kovařík, 2001: 85 (in part); Soleglad & Sissom, 2001: 93.

Scorpiops (Euscorpiops) Vachon, 1980: 155 (in part).

Euscorpiops : Kovařík, 1998: 141 (in part); Lourenço, 1998: 246 (in part); Fet, 2000: 488 (in part).

Type species: Scorpiops hardwickei (Gervais, 1843)

DIAGNOSIS. Ventral edge of cheliceral movable finger with 5–7 denticles. Three pairs of lateral eyes and 17–19 external trichobothria on patella of pedipalps. Ventral surface of patella bears 6–15 trichobothria. Ventral surface of manus bears 3 or 4 trichobothria, of which V 4, if not absent, is always situated on ventral aspect of chela. Trichobothrium Eb 3 on external surface of chela is located between trichobothria Db and Dt.

Scorpiops demisi sp. n.

( Figs. 9, 12 , 17–18 , Table 1)

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. India, Himachal Pradesh, Kasumpti env., 5000 ft.; author´s collection (FKCP).

TYPE MATERIAL. India, Himachal Pradesh, Kasumpti env., 5000 ft, 1988, 1♀ (holotype), leg. P. Rojek , FKCP. No other material .

ETYMOLOGY: Named after René Demis, my friend and insect breeder.

DIAGNOSIS. Adult female holotype 41 mm long. Base color uniformly reddish brown, fingers black, legs and telson yellowish brown. Pectinal teeth number 7. External trichobothria on patella number 18 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 5 et); ventral trichobothria on patella number 14 and 15. Chela length to width ratio = 3.6.

DESCRIPTION: The adult female holotype is 41.2 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 yellowish brown. For habitus see Figs. 17 and 18.

MESOSOMA AND CARAPACE: The mesosoma bears several granules and primarily in the hind portion one median carina; the seventh segment is ventrally smooth, without carinae. The entire carapace bears sparse minute granules and lacks carinae. Pectinal teeth number 7.

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 tooth. The telson is elongate, smooth, with minute granules.

PEDIPALPS: For position and distribution of trichobothria on the patella of pedipalps see Figs. 9 and 12 . External trichobothria on the patella number 18 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 5 et) ( Fig. 9 ), and ventral trichobothria on the patella number 14 and 15. The femur is granulated, has six granulose carinae, and the patella has five carinae with pronounced internal double tubercles. The manus dorsally bears fine rounded granules, which in the central part form a longitudinal carina. The movable fingers bear straight double rows of granules with internal and external granules. The female pedipalp fingers ( Fig. 12 ) are neither straight nor flexed but undulate (the male is unknown).

AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish Scorpiops demisi sp. n. from all other species of the genus.

In the shape of the chela and the pronounced tooth that terminates dorsolateral carinae of the third and fourth metasomal segments, Scorpiops demisi sp. n. resembles Alloscorpiops Vachon, 1980 , which however has 10–12 ventral trichobothria on the manus ( Scorpiops has only 3 or 4), and Neoscorpiops Vachon, 1980 , which however has trichobothrium Eb 3 on the external surface of the chela always situated between trichobothria Dt and Db (fig. 30 in Kovařík, 2000: 165).

Within Scorpiops , the new species is comparable only with S. lindbergi Vachon, 1980 (= S. kraepelini Lourenco, 1998 ) from Afghanistan and Pakistan, because these are the only species of the genus that have the numbers of external trichobothria on the patella other than 17 (18 in S. demisi sp. n. and 18 or 19 in S. lindbergi ). However, S. lindbergi has only 10–12 ventral trichobothria on the patella, whereas S. demisi sp. n. 14 and 15, which is the highest number in the entire genus.

Figures

Figure 17: Scorpiops demisi sp. n., female holotype, dorsal aspect.

Figure 18: Scorpiops demisi sp. n., female holotype, ventral aspect.

Figures 7–12: 7 and 10. Euscorpiops beccaloniae sp. n., male holotype. 8 and 11. Euscorpiops novaki sp. n., male holotype. 9 and 12. Scorpiops demisi sp. n., female holotype. 7–9. patella external, 10–11. patella ventral; 12. chela external.