Heterometrus indus ( De Geer, 1778 ), 2000

Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme, Ranawana, Kithsiri B., Hoferek, David & Š, V. A., 2016, Scorpions of Sri Lanka (Scorpiones Buthidae, Chaerilidae, Scorpionidae) with description of four new species of the genera Charmus Karsch, 1879 and Reddyanus Vachon, 1972, stat n, Euscorpius 220, pp. 1-133 : 103-107

Heterometrus indus ( De Geer, 1778)

( Figs. 15 , 482–507 , 573 )

Scorpio indus De Geer, 1778: 341–343 .

Heterometrus indus indus: Couzijn, 1981: 121–123 , fig. 35 (in part).

Heterometrus indus: Fet, 2000: 446–448 (complete reference and synonymy list until 1998); Kovařík, 2004: 17–20 (in part) (complete reference and synonymy list until 2004); Kovařík, 2009: 38, 80, 105, figs. 50–56, 249–252.

= Scorpio ceylonicus Herbst, 1800: 83–84 , fig. 1, Tab. V (syn. by Kraepelin, 1899: 113).

= Heterometrus (Heterometrus) spinifer solitarius Couzijn, 1981: 93–94 , fig. 23. Syn. n.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. " India " (incorrect type locality; see Kovařík, 2004: 20); NHRS.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Sri Lanka, Kandy, 30.III.1902, 1♂, FKCP; Peradeniya, 3♂ 2♀ ( Figs. 502–503 ) 6juvs., IV.1994, FKCP; leg. P. Senft; Central Province, Kandy District, Hantana (Peradeniya), University land, 07° 14'54.7"N 080°36'54"E, 760 m a.s.l. (Locality 15CA, Fig. 575 ), 19. –21.IV.2015, 1♂ ( Figs. 482–483 , 486, 488 , 490 , 494, 496–499 , 505–507 ) 1♀ ( Figs. 484–485 , 487, 489 , 491–493 , 495 , 504 , 573 ), FKCP, 4♀ 1juv., UPSL, leg. Kovařík et al.; Central Province, Kandy District , 20 km S Kandy, Meegammana , Wattegama , 07° 20'41.9"N 080°39'30.6"E, 534 m a.s.l. (Locality 15CC, Fig. 577 ), 21.IV.2015, 1♀, FKCP, leg. Kovařík et al .

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 90–130 mm long. Color of adults uniformly reddish black to greenish black. Pectinal teeth number 10–15 in both sexes. Sexual dimorphism in proportions of pedipalps not noticeable. Pedipalp chela hirsute, lobiform, without carinae on dorsoexternal surface, but may bear rows of granules. Chela length/ width ratio 1.8–2.0 in adults. Entire manus covered by rounded granules that may merge and appear as rows. Pedipalp patella without pronounced internal tubercle. Carapace smooth, glossy, occasionally with granules at margins. Second metasomal segment approximately as long as wide. Fifth segment of metasoma approximately as long as pedipalp femur, fourth segment of metasoma shorter than pedipalp femur. Dorsal and dorsolateral carinae of metasomal segments smooth. Vesicle of telson usually longer than aculeus. Spination formula of tarsomeres II of legs: 3/4: 2-4/3-4: 4/4-5: 4/5.

COMMENTS. Heterometrus (Heterometrus) spinifer solitarius Couzijn, 1981 was described from a female (109 mm long) from Sri Lanka, Peradeniya, where H. indus is very common and H. swammerdami is not very common. The original description of H. spinifer solitarius lacks clear diagnostic characters and any connection to H. spinifer (Ehrenberg, 1828) . The type locality of H. spinifer (Ehrenberg, 1828) 'India' must be regarded as erroneous. The species is known from Malaysia and Thailand, and probably also from Cambodia and Vietnam ( Kovařík, 2009: 35, 44).

DISTRIBUTION. Sri Lanka.

Figures

Figures 12–15: Maps showing the known geographical distribution of the Sri Lankan species.

Figures 482–485: Heterometrus indus from locality 15CA. Figures 482–483. Male in dorsal (482) and ventral (483) views. Figures 484–485. Female, dorsal (484) and ventral (485) views. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 486–489: Heterometrus indus from locality 15CA. Figures 486, 488. Male, chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (486), and sternopectinal region (488). Figures 487, 489. Female, chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–II (487), and sternopectinal region (489).

Figures 490–493: Heterometrus indus from locality 15CA. Figure 490. Male, metasoma and telson, lateral view. Figures 491–493. Female, metasoma and telson, lateral (491), ventral (492), and dorsal (493) views. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 494–499: Heterometrus indus from locality 15CA. Figures 494, 496–499. Male, telson with metasomal segment V in lateral view (494), chelicera dorsal (496) and ventral (497) views, and tarsomeres of third (498) and fourth (499) legs retroventral views. Figure 495. Female, telson with metasomal segment V in lateral view.

Figures 500–501: Heterometrus indus, female (500) and male (501) at locality 15CA.

Figures 502–503: Heterometrus indus, female from Peradeniya with newborns (502) and with juveniles after first ecdysis (503).

Figures 504–511: Pedipalp chela. Figures 504–507: Heterometrus indus from locality 15CA, pedipalp chela dorsal (504) view of female, and pedipalp chela dorsal (505), external (506) and ventral (507) views of male. Figures 508–511: Heterometrus serratus from locality 15CP, pedipalp chela dorsal (508) view of female, and pedipalp chela dorsal (509), external (510) and ventral (511) views of male.

Figures 571–574: Key characters for distinguishing Sri Lankan Heterometrus. Figures 571–572. Pedipalp chela dorsal view of male, Heterometrus serratus from locality 15CP (571) and Heterometrus gravimanus from locality 15CE (572). Figures 573– 574. Metasomal segments IV-II lateral view of female, Heterometrus indus from locality 15CA (573) and Heterometrus serratus from locality 15CP (574).

Figures 575–576: Figure 575. Locality 15CA, Sri Lanka, Central Province, Kandy District, Hantana (Peradeniya), University land, 07°14'54.7"N 080°36'54"E, 760 m a.s.l. Specimens of Heterometrus indus were collected along a road during a day under stones and under bark on the photo. A male was collected also in a kitchen inside a house. During night collecting on 19.– 21.IV.2015 (UV detection), we recorded a lot of specimens around their burrows. On the locality we recorded night temperature 25.6 ºC– 21.4 ºC (minimum temperature) and night humidity varied between 72% (evening) and 87% (morning). There also lives Heterometrus swammerdami and Buthoscorpio sarasinorum (type locality). Figure 576. Locality 15CB, Sri Lanka, Central Province, Matale District, Maragamuwa/Kumaragala, 07°41'58.5"N 080°42'26.7"E, 662 m a.s.l. During a day (21.IV.2015, temperature 26.1 ºC– 33.2 ºC, humidity 63%–88%) we recorded Heterometrus swammerdami inside termite constructions. There also lives Isometrus thwaitesi.

Figures 577–578: Figure 577. Locality 15CC, Sri Lanka, Central Province, Kandy District, 20 km S Kandy, Meegammana, Wattegama, 07°20'41.9"N 080°39'30.6"E, 534 m a.s.l.. We collected a female of Heterometrus indus close to a house on 21.IV.2015 evening. There also lives Isometrus sp. Figure 578. Locality 15CD, Sri Lanka, North Central Province, Polonnaruwa District, ca 35 km from Dambula, 07°57'15.1"N 080°54'45,4"E, 132 m a.s.l. During the day 22.IV.2015 under stones we recorded Reddyanus besucheti (close to the type locality) and Chaerilus ceylonensis.