Vaejovis deboerae Ayrey, 2009

Ayrey, Richard F., 2009, Sky Island Vaejovis: A new species (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Euscorpius 86 (86), pp. 1-12 : 1-9

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.18590/euscorpius.2009.vol2009.iss86.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0BD943D0-5756-43AB-82DC-D584E2D5BB22
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/6D3AE73C-8570-4FFC-B955-6B18BE7B50EF
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:6D3AE73C-8570-4FFC-B955-6B18BE7B50EF
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Vaejovis deboerae Ayrey
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Vaejovis deboerae Ayrey View in CoL sp. nov.

Figures 1–15 View Figure 1 View Figures 2–3 View Figures 4–5 View Figures 6–7 View Figures 8–9 View Figures 10–13 View Figure 14 View Figure 15 , Table 1

Diagnosis. Small high elevation scorpions of the Santa Catalina Mountains of southern Arizona. This is the lar-

gest of the southern Arizona sky island scorpions, total length of holotype female 33. Color is light yellowish brown with pedipalps, legs and metasoma lighter yellowish brown. Pectinal tooth counts range 11–13 (18) for female and 14 for male. Subaculear tubercule of telson is well developed. Chelal palm is relatively elongated as compared to the chela and its fingers. Six ID denticles are present on the chelal movable finger. The carapace is shorter than the fifth metasomal segment.

Type material. Holotype ♀, Mt. Lemmon , Santa Catalina Mountains of Pima County, Arizona, USA, (32 ° 23'13"N, 110 ° 41'45"W, intersection of Willow Canyon Circle and Catalina Highway), 2,142 m a.sl., 25 August 2008 (leg. R. F. Ayrey) specimen #119 (permanently deposited in the California Academy of Sciences ( CAS), San Francisco, California, USA). GoogleMaps

Paratypes: Mt. Lemmon , Santa Catalina Mountains of Pima County, Arizona, USA, (same as holotype), 25 August 2008, 1 ♂, specimen #121, 1 ♀, specimen #120 (leg. M. DeBoer-Ayrey) ; same locality, 25 April 2009, 1 ♀, specimen #181 (leg. R. F. Ayrey) ( CAS) .

Etymology. This species was named in honor of Melinda DeBoer-Ayrey, for collecting the specimens.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality, Mt. Lemmon of the Santa Catalina Mountains of Pima County, Arizona, USA.

Measurements (in mm). Holotype (female): total length 33.14; carapace length 4.21; mesosoma length 11.17; metasoma length 13.98; Metasoma: segment I length/ width 1.82/2.48; segment II length/width 2.14/2.19; segment III length/width 2.39/2.31; segment IV length/ width 3.31/2.23; segment V length/width 4.32/1.95. Telson: length 3.78; vesicle length/width/depth 2.51/ 1.52/1.29; aculeus length 1.29. Pedipalps: total length 13.71; femur length/width 3.29/1.14; patella length/ width 4.08/1.32; chela length 6.34; palm length/ width/depth 3.09/1.52/1.29; movable finger length 3.84; fixed finger length 3.09.

Paratype (male) #121: total length 25.47; carapace length 2.95; mesosoma length 7.82; metasoma length 11.28; Metasoma: segment I length/width 1.66/1.92; segment II length/width 1.82/1.80; segment III length/ width 2.08/1.69; segment IV length/width 2.48/1.73; segment V length/width 3.35/1.62. Telson: length 3.42; vesicle length/width/depth 2.71/1.09/1.02; aculeus length 0.74. Pedipalps: total length 10.08; femur length/ width 2.63/0.91; patella length/width 2.97/1.06; chela length 4.48; palm length/width/depth 2.09/1.12/1.00; movable finger length 2.91; fixed finger length 2.42.

Paratype (female) #120: total length 32.21; carapace length 4.38; mesosoma length 9.14; metasoma length 14.67; Metasoma: segment I length/width 1.95/2.48; segment II length/width 2.19/2.11; segment III length/ width 2.48/2.32; segment IV length/width 3.41/2.13; segment V length/width 4.67/1.92. Telson: length 4.02; vesicle length/width/depth 2.36/1.43/1.11; aculeus length 1.18. Pedipalps: total length 13.84; femur length/ width 3.32/1.21; patella length/width 4.13/1.42; chela length 6.39; palm length/width/depth 2.69/1.41/1.38; movable finger length 4.04; fixed finger length 3.32.

Description. Based on holotype female, see Figures 2–3 View Figures 2–3 for dorsal and ventral views. Table 1 contrasts V. deboerae with other " vorhiesi " subgroup species from the immediate area.

Color. Light yellowish brown scorpion with some darker mottling on the carapace and tergites. Pedipalps, legs and metasoma are lighter yellowish brown.

Carapace. Anterior margin of carapace moderately emarginated, posterior margin slightly emarginated. Carapace moderately granular. Three lateral eyes on each side. Median furrow moderate and traverses entire length of carapace. Ratio of median eyes location from anterior edge/carapace length 0.35; carapace length/ width at median eyes 1.27. Carapace is shorter than metasomal segment V and longer than pedipalp movable finger. See Figure 4 View Figures 4–5 .

Mesosoma. Tergites coarsely granular with weak median carina on tergites I–VI. Tergite VII with weak median carina on anterior half and strong dorsal lateral and lateral supramedian granular carinae. Sternites III– VI finely granular and without carinae. Sternite VII with granular ventral lateral carinae on middle third. Presternites smooth. Spiracles ovoid, with median side rotated 35º from posterior sternite margin. Sternites with variable number of microsetae.

Genital Operculum. Sclerites separated on posterior one-fifth.

Pectines. Pectinal tooth counts for adult females are 12/13 [1], 12/12 [6], 11/12 [1], and 11/11 [1] with a mean of 11.89 [18] and standard deviation of 0.47 for females, and 14/14 for the male paratype. All pectinal teeth, including the most proximal, have exterodistal angling with large sensorial areas. Middle lamellae 7/7. Fulcra are present and number one less than the pectinal tooth count, holotype female 11–12. Fulcra with one central seta each.

Metasoma. Carapace shorter than fifth metasomal segment. Ratio of segment I length/width 0.73; of segment II length/width 0.98; of segment III length/ width 1.03; of segment IV length/width 1.48, of segment V length/width 2.22. Segments I–IV: dorsolateral carinae strong and granular with distal denticle of I–IV enlarged and spinoid. Lateral supramedian carinae I–IV strong and granular with enlarged spinoid distal denticle. Lateral inframedian carinae moderately granular on segment I, posterior 4/5 of II, 3/5 of III, and weak on 2/5 of IV. Ventrolateral carinae on I weak and granular; on II–III moderate, granular; on IV strong, granular. Ventral submedian carinae granular. Dorsal and lateral intercarinal spaces very finely granular. Segment I–IV ventral submedian setae 3/3. Segment V: Dorsolateral carinae moderate, distally crenulate, basally granular. Lateromedian carinae moderate and granular on basal 3/5, obsolete on distal 2/5. Ventrolateral and ventromedian carinae strong. Intercarinal spaces finely granular. Segment V ventrolateral setae 5/5.

Telson. Smooth with 4 pairs of large setae on the ventral surface, 4 large setae along both lateral edges of the vesicle along with numerous smaller setae. Subaculear tubercle well developed. See Figure 6 View Figures 6–7 .

Chelicerae. Dorsal edge of movable cheliceral finger with two subdistal (sd) denticles. Ventral edge is smooth, with well developed serrula on distal half.

Pedipalps. Trichobothrial pattern type C ( Vachon, 1974), see Figure 14 View Figure 14 . Pedipalp ratios: chela length/width 4.17; femur length/width 2.89; patella length/width 3.09; fixed finger length/carapace length 0.73.

Chela. Carinae weak. Median (MD) denticles of fixed finger aligned and divided into six subrows by five outer (OD) denticles. Movable finger with six subrows, five OD denticles and six ID denticles. See Figure 8 View Figures 8–9 .

Femur. Carinae strong and crenulate. See Figure

10.

Patella. Carinae strong and crenulate. Internal surface with very large granules on the DPS c carina. See Figure11 View Figures 10–13 .

Legs. Ventral surface of tarsus with single median row of spinules terminating distally with one spinule pair.

Comparison of species

V. deboerae sp. nov. can be distinguished from the related species V. vorhiesi Stahnke , V. cashi Graham , and V. feti Graham by the following: Larger size: Holotype female 33.14, 21% larger than lectotype female V. vorhiesi Stahnke 27.31, previously the largest, 51% larger than V. cashi Graham 21.96, and 48% larger than V. feti Graham 22.36. Morphometrics: Chelal palm is proportionally longer in V. deboerae than in V. vorhiesi as indicated by the following mean value differences (as reflected in Figs. 8–9 View Figures 8–9 ): Chelal palm length (PL)/chelal length = 11.7 %, PL/palm width = 16.3 %, PL/movable finger length = 13.2 %, and PL/fixed finger length = 15 %. Coloration and granulation: Color yellowish brown with lighter legs, metasoma and pedipalps; carapace and tergites moderately granular vs. smooth to finely granular. Metasomal segment I dorsolateral carinae enlarged and spinoid, metasomal segment IV carinae with enlarged spinoid distal denticle, metasomal segments II–III lateral inframedian carinae longer and present on distal 2/5 of IV. Pectinal tooth counts: Female pectinal tooth counts for V. deboerae sp. nov. are 11.89 [18], while V. vorhiesi Stahnke is 12.39 [18]; unpaired t -test comparing female pectinal tooth counts for V. vorhiesi Stahnke and V. deboerae sp. nov. is statistically significant with twotailed P value equals 0.0041. Female pectinal tooth counts for V. cashi Graham are 11.00 [4], unpaired t -test comparing female pectinal tooth counts for V. cashi Graham and V. deboerae sp. nov. is statistically significant with two-tailed P value equals 0.0014. Female pectinal tooth counts for V. feti Graham are 10.00 [12], unpaired t -test comparing female pectinal tooth counts for V. feti Graham and V. deboerae sp. nov. is extremely statistically significant with two-tailed P value equals 0.0001.

Other disjunct related species: V. deboerae sp. nov. is distinguished from V. paysonensis by having 7 ID denticles on the movable finger ( Soleglad 1973) whereas V. deboerae exhibits 6 ID denticles; V. deboerae sp. nov. is also widely allopatric with V. paysonensis .