Scorpiops atomatus Qi, Zhu & Lourenco , 2005

Lv, Heyu & Di, Zhiyong, 2022, Scorpiops lourencoi sp. nov., the revalidation of Scorpiops atomatus Qi, Zhu & Lourenco, 2005, and the redescription of Scorpiops tibetanus Hirst, 1911 (Scorpiones, Scorpiopidae) from China, ZooKeys 1132, pp. 189-214 : 189

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1132.87364
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scientific name	Scorpiops atomatus Qi, Zhu & Lourenco , 2005
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Scorpiops atomatus Qi, Zhu & Lourenco, 2005

Figs 1-4 View Figures 1–4 , 5-14 View Figures 5–14 , 15-24 View Figures 15–24 , 25-32 View Figures 25–32

Scorpiops atomatus Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005: 6, 10, figs 16-31; Kovařík and Ahmed 2009: 10; Di et al. 2013: 59-61, figs 1-21, tab. 1; Di et al. 2014: 11.

Type locality.

China, Xizang, Lang County (29.02°N, 93.08°E).

Material examined.

2 males and 3 females, China, Xizang (Tibet), Linzhi City ( Nyingchi City ), Lang County ( Nang County ), Dongga Town ( Tonga Town ), 06/5/2017, Zhiyong Di leg, (Ar. -MHBU-ScXZLX17050601, 01-05) .

Diagnosis

(modified from Qi et al. 2005). Adult body length 35-45 mm. Base color uniformly brown. Patella of pedipalp with 17 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et) external and 8-10 (usually nine) ventral trichobothria. Chelal trichobothria Eb3 is located in proximal half of manus between trichobothria Dt and Db. Chela with four ventral trichobothria. Chela with an average length/width ratio of 2.3 in males (n = 2 adults) and 2.5 in females (n = 3 adults); pedipalp movable finger with ca. five ID, eight or nine IAD, 58-62 MD, and 7-9 OD present, chela fingers on adult males and females scalloped, usually more strongly in male. Pectinal teeth count 10-11 in males (n = 2 adults) and eight or nine in females (n = 3 adults), fulcra present. Pectinal with three marginal and six middle lamellae. Telson bulbous and granulate, annular ring absent.

Description

(based on male specimen: Ar.-MHBU-ScXZLX1705060101).

Coloration (Figs 1 View Figures 1–4 , 2 View Figures 1–4 ; after five years of preservation in alcohol): Carapace, reddish brown. Median and lateral ocular tubercles dark brown. Tergites and metasomal segments dark brown. Vesicle brown, with yellowish brown aculeus. Chelicerae yellow-brown, with black-brown fingers. Pedipalps dark brown. Legs brown. Tarsal claws yellowish brown. Sternum dark reddish brown. Genital operculum and sternites brown. Pectinal teeth yellowish.

Morphology.

Prosoma (Figs 5 View Figures 5–14 , 6 View Figures 5–14 ): Entire surface of carapace with fine granules. Anterior median furrow broad and shallow; lateral furrow broad and flat; posterior median furrow deep. Median ocular tubercle high and smooth, with single shallow median furrow, situated anterior to center of carapace. Lateral ocular tubercle with some large granules, three pairs of lateral ocelli, posterior smallest; smooth oval area behind lateral ocular tubercle.

Mesosoma: Tergites densely covered with fine granules; tergites III-VI with median carina; tergite VII with two pairs of lateral carinae (outside lateral carinae degenerated) with large granules (Fig. 12 View Figures 5–14 ). Pectinal teeth count 10/11, fulcra present (Fig. 11 View Figures 5–14 ). Genital operculum subtriangular with genital protruding papillae (Fig. 11 View Figures 5–14 ). Sternum pentagonal (Fig. 11 View Figures 5–14 ). Sternite segments III-VI entirely smooth and shiny with few setae; segment VII with four ventral carinae and few setae.

Metasoma: Integument coarse with few setae. Metasoma segments II-V are longer than wide; segments I-V have 10-8-8-8-7 granular carinae. All dorsal carinae granular on segment I, and gradually become strongly serrated from II-IV; segment V carinae with smaller serration dorsally and larger serration ventrally. Vesicle coarse with few setae (Fig. 15 View Figures 15–24 ).

Pedipalps: Integument with smooth granules and few setae. Femur with all dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, external, ventroexternal, ventrointernal carinae granulated, and internal carinae crenulated (Fig. 16 View Figures 15–24 ). Patella with large granules on dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, ventrointernal, ventroexternal, and external carinae; two spinoid granules present on internal surface (Figs 17-19 View Figures 15–24 ). Trichobothrial pattern C, neobothriotaxic (Vachon, 1974); patella with 17 external trichobothria (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et), 8 (right) and 9 (left) ventral trichobothria (Figs 18 View Figures 15–24 , 19 View Figures 15–24 ). Chela with four ventral trichobothria, all carinae are granular and coalesced except the dorsal secondary, subdigital, dorsal internal, interomedian, and ventromedian carinae vestigial, movable and fixed fingers with scalloped margins, single pronounced lobe in movable finger, and a corresponding notch in fixed finger (Figs 25-28 View Figures 25–32 ).

Legs: Integument coarse with few setae, except ventral aspects of coxae, trochanters, femurs, and patellae smooth. Trochanter dorsally with few granules. Femur dorsally densely granular. Patella dorsally densely granular, with dorsoexternal granular carinae. Tibiae without spurs (Fig. 32 View Figures 25–32 ). Basitarsus with setae, spurs, and two lateral pedal spurs (Fig. 32 View Figures 25–32 ). Tarsus ventrally with single row of spinules (Fig. 32 View Figures 25–32 ). Tarsal ungues curved and hook-like (Fig. 32 View Figures 25–32 ).

Chelicerae (Fig. 7 View Figures 5–14 ): Integument smooth, dorsally with an irregular pattern, ventrally with long hairs. Fixed finger of chelicera with three large triangular teeth on inner margin. Ventral of movable finger with five teeth on inner margin. Dorsal of movable finger with three teeth on inner margin.

Variations.

Figures of adult females are provided (Figs 3 View Figures 1–4 , 4 View Figures 1–4 , 8-10 View Figures 5–14 , 13 View Figures 5–14 , 14 View Figures 5–14 , 20-24 View Figures 15–24 , 29-31 View Figures 25–32 ). Number (left/right) of trichobothria on the ventral surface of the pedipalp patellae: females with 9/9 (n = 2) and 10/9 (n = 1), males with 8/9 (n = 1) and 8/8 (n = 1). Number of pectinal teeth: females with 9/9 (n = 2) and 8/8 (n = 1), males with 10/11 (n = 1) and 11/11 (n = 1). Chela with an average length/width ratio of 2.3 in males (n = 2) and 2.5 in females (n = 3), male pedipalp chela fingers more strongly curved than females. All measurements are provided in Table 1 View Table 1 . Holotype (male, not examined; Qi et al. 2005): patella with 17 external and nine ventral trichobothria, pectinal teeth count 11/11; paratype (female): some of the segments are slightly bulkier than that of the male, pectinal teeth count 9/9.

Distribution.

China (Xizang) (Fig. 97 View Figure 97 ).

Remarks.

Body size is an important feature in distinguishing between the Scorpiops species. In China, S. atomatus (Xizang), Scorpiops jendeki Kovařík, 2000 (Yunnan), Scorpiops lhasa Di & Zhu, 2009 (Xizang), and Scorpiops taxkorgan Lourenço, 2018 (Xinjiang) are undoubtedly small species. In this work, we tried to separate the small-type species: usually <50 mm, such as S. atomatus ; the medium-sized species, usually 50-70 mm, such as S. pococki and S. langxian ; and the larger species, usually> 70 mm, including S. luridus and S. ingens Yin, Zhang, Pan, Li & Di, 2015.

Di et al. (2011) thought that S. atomatus should be excluded from the S. hardwickii complex previously proposed by Kovařík and Ahmed (2009) due to the following reasons: (i) pectinal teeth count is 9-11 in S. atomatus and 4-8 in S. hardwickii ; (ii) ventral trichobothria on patella are nine in S. atomatus and 6-8 in S. hardwickii ; (iii) fulcra are present in S. atomatus but absent in S. hardwickii . In addition, S. atomatus has clearly thinner chela than S. pococki and S. langxian.

The most important morphological difference is that the body length of S. tibetanus holotype is 60.4 mm, and Kovařík (2000) recorded S. tibetanus as 50-65 mm; although there may be different measurement methods used by different authors, it suggested S. tibetanus significantly longer than S. atomatus . Here, we reaffirm the validity of S. atomatus based on newly collected materials.