Vaejovis dzahui Santibáñez-López & Francke, 2010

A, Contreras-Félix Gerardo & Oscar, Francke B., 2019, Taxonomic revision of the “ mexicanus ” group of the genus Vaejovis C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Zootaxa 4596 (1), pp. 1-100 : 37

Vaejovis dzahui Santibáñez-López & Francke, 2010

Figures 4 , 13f , 14e , 15f , 16f , 17f , 18f , 19f , 24

Vaejovis dzahui Santibáñez-López & Francke, 2010: 556 –559, 566–567, Fig: 30–36, 52.

Type material. Holotype male. MEXICO: Oaxaca, Distrito Coixtlahuaca, 2 km road to San Cristobal Suchixtlahuaca—Santiago Tepujan (N 17.7°, W 97.383333°, elev. 2290 m). VI-28-2006. Cols.: O. Francke, G. Villegas, H. Montaño and A. Valdez ( CNAN-T0386 ). Examined.

Paratypes: 5 ♂, 2 ♀, same data as holotype ( CNAN-T0387 ). Examined . 4 ♂, 2 ♀, same data as holotype ( AMNH). Examined .

Diagnosis. Adults 18–20 mm long (Fig: 24-a, b). Carapace (Fig: 13-f), slightly shorter than metasomal segment V in males, longer in females (Carapace L/MS-V 0.94±0.1 [1.09±0.03]); longer than femur (Carapace L/ Femur L 1.37±0.1 [1.4±0.02]); anterior margin of carapace slightly concave. Mesosomal tergite VII with two pairs of weak to inconspicuous carinae. Pectinal teeth 13–14 [12–13]; sternite V on males with a whitish patch almost absent, present only on posterior margin; sternite VII with carinae obsolete, only noticed as a small elevation of the cuticle, with 10 to 15 setae. Segment I considerably wider than long, rectangular in dorsal view (MSI L/ W 0.61 ±0.08 [0.61±0.01]); ventral submedian carinae on metasomal segment I obsolete, on II weak and crenulated; intercarinal spaces on metasoma smooth to shagreened; lateral supramedian carinae on segment IV absent; segment V longer than wide (MS-V L/ W 1.84 ±0.15 [1.75±0.17]), nearly as deep as wide (W/D 1.16 ±0.09 [1.1±0.1]). Vesicle slender (V L/ W 1.87 ±0.14 [1.81±0.3]) (Fig: 15-d), wider than deep (W/D 1.39± 0.15 [1.38±0.19]). Ventral surface of vesicle smooth, with one dark, median longitudinal band; dorsal surface flat, medially with a small, whitish spot on distal one-third of vesicle (Fig: 14-f). Pedipalp femur (Fig: 15-f) less than three times longer than wide (L/ W 2.77 ±0.2 [2.81±0.2]), slightly wider than deep (W/D 1.29±0.2 [1.07± 0.07]); anterior face of pedipalp femur flat, with some scattered large granules on basal fourth. Pedipalp patella (Fig: 16-f) less than three times longer than wide (L/ W 2.58 ±0.25 [2.56±0.05]), wider than deep (W/D 1.15±0.01 [1.19±0.06]); dorsointernal carina of patella inconspicuous. Pedipalp chela manus (Fig: 17, 18-f) less than two times longer than wide (L/ W 1.72 ±0.08 [1.94±0.06]); fixed finger shorter than manus (CM L/FF 1.39±0.1 [1.17±0.12]), with all the carinae positions pigmented but the cuticle not raised from the surface. Dentate margins of fingers straight.

Hemispermatophore (Fig: 19-f): lamelliform (TL 2.5; LL 1.4; LW 0.3 mm); lamella long, with no crest or decoration; two hooks located basally, lobe-shaped. Capsular region with an inner median lobe present.

Full morphometric variation is given in tables 13 and 14. Setae variation is given in tables 9–12.

Distribution. Oaxaca, México. This species is only known from the type locality ( Figure 4 ).

Natural history. This species inhabits in mixed oak-pine forest. Adult males and females have been found during the rainy season and were collected with black lights during the night.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Known distribution of all the species of Vaejovis, included in the “mexicanus” group.

FIGURE 13. Comparison in shapes on carapace in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. ceboruco sp. nov.; b—V. chiapas; c—V. coalcoman; d—V. darwini; e—V. dugesi; f—V. dzahui; g—V. franckei; h—V. granulatus; i—V. maculosus; j—V. mcwesti; k—V. mexicanus; l—V. montanus; m—V. monticola; n—V. morelia; o—V. nanchititla sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 14. Comparison of the different shapes in the caudal gland on species within the “mexicanus” group (each caudal gland, if present, is highlighted in red): a—V. ceboruco sp. nov.; b—V. chiapas; c—V. coalcoman; d—V. darwini; e—V. dugesi; f—V. dzahui; g—V. franckei; h—V. granulatus; i—V. maculosus; j—V. mcwesti; k—V. mexicanus; l—V. montanus; m—V. monticola; n—V. morelia; o—V. nanchititla sp. nov.

FIGURE 15. Comparison in shapes and trichobothrial patterns in the pedipalp femur, in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. ceboruco sp. nov.; b—V. chiapas; c—V. coalcoman; d—V. darwini; e—V. dugesi; f—V. dzahui; g—V. franckei; h—V. granulatus; i—V. maculosus; j—V. mcwesti; k—V. mexicanus; l—V. montanus; m—V. monticola; n—V. morelia; o—V. nanchititla sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 16. Comparison in shapes and trichobothrial patterns in the pedipalp patella, in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. ceboruco sp. nov.; b—V. chiapas; c—V. coalcoman; d—V. darwini; e—V. dugesi; f—V. dzahui; g—V. franckei; h—V. granulatus; i—V. maculosus; j—V. mcwesti; k—V. mexicanus; l—V. montanus; m—V. monticola; n—V. morelia; o—V. nanchititla sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 17. Comparison in shapes and trichobothrial patterns in the pedipalp chela of males in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. ceboruco sp. nov.; b—V. chiapas; c—V. coalcoman; d—V. darwini; e—V. dugesi; f—V. dzahui; g—V. franckei; h—V. granulatus; i—V. maculosus; j—V. mcwesti; k—V. mexicanus; l—V. montanus; m—V. monticola; n—V. morelia; o—V. nanchititla sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 18. Comparison in the different shapes and trichobothrial patterns in the pedipalp chela of females, that selected species within “mexicanus” group present: a—V. ceboruco sp. nov.; b—V. chiapas; c—V. coalcoman; d—V. darwini; e—V. dugesi; f—V. dzahui; g—V. franckei; h—V. granulatus; i—V. maculosus; j—V. mcwesti; k—V. mexicanus; l—V. montanus; m—V. monticola; n—V. morelia; o—V. nanchititla sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 19. Comparison on the shapes in the hemispermatophore in species within “mexicanus” group: a—V. ceboruco sp. nov.; b—V. chiapas; c—V. coalcoman; d—V. darwini; e—V. dugesi; f—V. dzahui; g—V. franckei; h—V. granulatus; i—V. maculosus; j—V. mcwesti; k—V. mexicanus; l—V. montanus; m—V. monticola; n—V. morelia; o—V. nanchititla sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 24. Habitus of Vaejovis dzahui holotype (♂): a—dorsal view; b—ventral view. Scale bar = 1 cm.