Euscorpius avcii Tropea, Yagmur , Koc , Yesilyurt & Rossi

Tropea, Gioele, Yagmur, Ersen Aydin, Koc, Halil, Yesilyurt, Fatih & Rossi, Andrea, 2012, A new species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae) from Turkey, ZooKeys 219, pp. 63-80 : 64-69

Euscorpius avcii Tropea, Yagmur, Koc, Yesilyurt & Rossi sp. n.

Type material.

Holotype: 1 ♂, Dilek Peninsula National Park, Canyon, Dilek Peninsula, near Davutlar Town, Kuşadası, Aydın, Turkey, 07.10.2005, leg. H. Koç (MTAS).

Paratypes: 1. 2 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, Dilek Peninsula National Park, Canyon, Dilek Peninsula, near Davutlar Town, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 06.11.2004, leg. H. Koç (ZMSU); 2 ♀♀, 1 sub♂, 3 sub♀, Dilek Peninsula National Park, Canyon, Dilek Peninsula, near Davutlar Town, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 07.10.2005, leg. H. Koç (MZUF); same data but 1 ♂, 2 ♀ (GTC); 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Dilek Peninsula National Park, Canyon, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 04.05.2011. 37°41'37"N, 27°09'37"E, 82 m, leg. E.A. Yağmur, A. Avcı and F. Yeşilyurt (MTAS); 5 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, Dilek Peninsula National Park, Canyon, Dilek Peninsula, near Davutlar Town, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 07.10.2005, leg. H. Koç (ZMSU); 3 ♀♀, Dilek Peninsula National Park, Canyon, Dilek Peninsula, near Davutlar Town, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 18.06.2005, leg. H. Koç (ZMSU).

2. 3 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, 5 km south of Güzelçamlı Village, Davutlar Town, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 07.06.2011, 37°41'22"N, 27°13'31"E, 311 m, leg. F. Yeşilyurt and E.A. Yağmur (KUAM). Same data but 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (ARC). 3 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀. 5 km south of Güzelçamlı Village, Davutlar Town, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 13.07.2010, 37°41'25"N, 27°13'53"E, 428 m, leg. F. Yeşilyurt and T. Danışman (KUAM).

3. 1 ♂, 8 ♀♀, Dilek Peninsula, 2 km south of Davutlar Town, pine forest, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 02.07.2011, leg. E.A. Yağmur and A. Avcı (MTAS).

4. 6 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Dilek Peninsula National Park, picnic area, laurel forest, Kuşadası District, Aydın Province, Turkey, 13.08.2009, leg. E.A. Yağmur, N. Tezcan and V. Ülgezer (MTAS).

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to Dr. Aziz Avcı who is a Turkish herpetologist and the new species is named after him for his kind contributions to collecting scorpion species and his friendship.

Diagnosis.

A small Euscorpius species, total length 24-28 mm. Color of adults is light brown to brown-reddish with the carapace and pedipalps darker brown-reddish, legs and telson lighter, yellowish colored. Euscorpius avcii sp. n. is oligotrichous; the number of trichobothria on the pedipalp manus ventral surface is 4 (3 V + Et 1); the number of trichobothria on the pedipalp patella ventral surface is 7 (of 78.5% of examined specimens and of 88% of pedipalps). The number of trichobothria on pedipalp patella external surface is: eb = 4, eba = 4, esb = 2, em = 4, est = 4, et = 5/6 (generally 5). The pectinal teeth count is: 7-9 (generally 8) in males, 6-7 (generally 7) in females. The telson vesicle in males is more swollen than in females, but only slightly more swollen if compared to other species of the subgenus Euscorpius . The pedipalps are stocky with a notch on fixed finger and scalloping of the movable finger well developed in adult males, obsolete in females. The dorsal patellar spur is weakly developed. Carinae on the metasomal segments are strongly reduced, almost smooth. Average value of the length from center median eyes to anterior margin of the carapace is equivalent to 39.20 ± 2.0% of the carapace length. Average value of the length from center median eyes to posterior margin of the carapace is equivalent to 60.80 ± 2.0% of the carapace length.

Description of the holotype male.

Coloration: Light brownish with carapace and pedipalps darker, brownish-reddish, legs, telson and chelicerae are lighter, yellowish-orange. Carapace slightly marbled. The coxal region is distinctly brownish-orange colored. The sternites, pectines and genital operculum are very light brownish-white (Fig. 3, 4 and 5).

Carapace: Length 3.70 mm; posterior width 3.75. Very slightly and finely granulated in laterally. All the furrows are shallow, only the posterior lateral furrows are slightly more marked. Distance from the center of the median eyes to the anterior margin of the carapace is equivalent to 39.62% of the prosoma; the length from the center of the median eyes to the posterior margin of the carapace is equivalent to 60.38% of the prosoma (Fig. 1A).

Mesosoma: Tergites veryslightly and finely granulated, almost smooth; sternites smooth. The area of overlap between the sternites is lighter in color. Pectinal teeth count is 8-9. The spiracles are very small, oval shaped and it is inclined to about 45° downwards towards outside.

Metasoma: Medium to small size with respect to body length. Dorsal carinae from segment I–IV are almost smooth, exhibit a few distanced fine granules, obsolete or almost obsolete on the segment V; ventromedian carinae from segment I–IV absent; ventromedian carinae on segment V are formed by very fine granules. Ventrolateral carinae from segment I–IV are obsolete; on segment V they are formed by a few spaced granules (Fig. 2E,F).

Telson:Vesicle weakly swollen (Fig. 2A); smooth, with ventral setae of different sizes; telson height 1.37, telson length 3.65, vesicle length 2.65, vesicle width 1.40.

Pectines: Pectinalteeth count 8-9; middle lamellae count 5-4.

Genital operculum: Partially divided with genital papillae protruding; a few microsetae present.

Sternum: Pentagonal shape, type 2. Length similar to width, deep posterior emargination.

Pedipalp: Coxa and trochanter with strong granulation. Femur: dorsal internal carinae tuberculate; dorsal external carinae formed by low spaced tubercles, their size increases from distal to proximal. Intercarinal spaces bears scattered small granules, larger in the posterior proximal area. Ventral external carina is granulated in the proximal half. External median carinae serrulate, anterior median crenulate and tuberculate distally. Patella length 3.25; patella width 1.20; dorsal internal carinae crenulate. Dorsal external carinae from rough to smooth and are crenulate proximally. Ventral external carinae from smooth to rough. Ventral internal carinae serrulate. Intercarinal tegument smooth or rough. Dorsal patellar spur weakly developed (Fig. 1E).

Chelal carina D1 isdistinctly strong, dark and from smooth to rough; D4 is formed from scattered granules; V1 isdistinctly strong, crenulate and dark; V3 is formed from granules on 2/3 of length.External carina with granules on distal half. Intercarinal tegument rough or smooth except between carinae D4 and V3. Movable finger dentition: MD like a straight line formed from very small denticles closely spaced and an DD on the distal tip; OD formed from 7 denticles on movable finger and 6 denticles on fixed finger, immediately outside of MD, their size increases progressively but the terminal denticle is not very pronounced; ID formed from 7 denticles on movable finger and 6 denticles on fixed finger, spaced from MD, their size increases progressively but the terminal denticle is not very pronounced; IAD on both movable and fixed finger formed from 4 small denticles.

Trichobothria: Chela trichobothria series V standard: V = 4-4 (3 V+ Et1); patella ventral (Pv): 8-7; Patella external (Pe): et = 5-5, est = 4-4, em = 4-4, esb = 2-2, eba = 4-4, eb = 4-4.

Legs: legs with two pedal spurs. Tarsal ventral row with 10-12 stout spinules; 3 tarsal setae flanked pairs adjacent to the ventral spinules row. Basitarsus with 6 prolateral stout spinules on leg pair I; 7 prolateral stout spinules on leg pair II; 1 prolateral stout spinules on leg pair III; absent on leg pair IV. Granulation on the leg femora II and III is more marked both dorsally and ventrally, and only ventrally on leg I. Granulation is formed from dark granules; while the granulation on the dorsal surface of the femur of leg I and on the femur of leg IV both dorsally and ventrally is weakly marked and of lighter colored granules.

Chelicerae: movable finger: The dorsal distal tooth is smaller than the ventral distal tooth; Ventral edge is smooth with brush-like setae on the inner part; dorsal edge has five teeth: one distal, two small subdistal, one big median and a small basal; fixed finger has four teeth: one distal, one subdistal, one median and one basal. The median and the basal are in a fork arrangement. The internal edge has brush-like setae.

Variation: The variation observed in 79 studied specimens (29 males, 50 females) is the follows: pectinal teeth in males: 7-7 (1/29), 8-8 (23/29), 8-9 (4/29), 9-9 (1/29); females: 6-6 (5/50), 6-7 (11/50), 7-7 (34/50); pedipalp patella trichobothria Pv: 8-8 (2/79), 8-7 (9/79), 7-7 (62/79), 6-7 (6/79); pedipalp patella trichobothria Pe: et = 5-5(41/79), 5-6 (19/79), 6-6 (19/79); est = 4-4 (79/79), em = 4-4 (79/79), esb= 2-2 (79/79), eba = 4-4 (79/79), eb = 4-4 (79/79). The variation in the trichobothrial pattern is within the standard values of variability and shows the stability of diagnostic characters.

Hemispermatophore.

Well developed lamina with well visible basal constriction, tapered distally; truncal flexure present and well developed; capsular lobe complex well developed, with acuminate process; ental channel spinose distally, exhibiting six delicate variable sized spines (Fig. 6).