Euscorpiops vachoni Zhu, Qi et Lourenço, 2005

Qi, Jian-Xin, Zhu, Ming-Sheng & Lourenço, Wilson R., 2005, Eight new species of the genera Scorpiops Peters, Euscorpiops Vachon, and Chaerilus Simon (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae, Chaerilidae) from Tibet and Yunnan, China, Euscorpius 32 (32), pp. 1-40 : 18

Euscorpiops vachoni Zhu, Qi et Lourenço , sp. n.

( Figs. 62–77 )

Diagnosis. The new species has 7 to 8 pectinal teeth ( Figs. 73-74 ). Median ocular tubercles are smooth, with a pair of small median eyes, which are almost as large as lateral eyes.

Material. 1♂ holotype, Mengla district (21°29' N, 101°33' E), Yunnan Province, 2 August 2004, Zi-Zhong Yang, Jing Li and Cai-Xia Yuan leg. ( MHBU) ; Paratypes: 1♀, same data as holotype ( MHBU) , 1 ♂, Tibet, Nyingchi district, Bayizhen town (29°41' N, 94°21' E), 3 August 2003, Feng Zhang leg. ( MNHN) .

Etymology: Patronym in honor of Max Vachon, who devised the nomenclatural system for trichobothria, a landmark in the history of scorpion research.

Description (based on male holotype).

Coloration: Basically brown without any diffuse variegated fuscous spots. Carapace is dark brown, with some black area near the eyes. Tergites I-VI are dark brown, and tergite VII is pale brown; sternites are dark yellow. Metasoma: all segments are black brown and darker than tergites; vesicle is black brown with the end of the aculeus darker. Chelicerae are yellow and provided with dark brown stripes; their fingers are dark brown and gradually lighter toward the tip, which is yellow. Pedipalps are dark brown, with black carinae. Legs are brown. Venter and sternites are dark yellowish.

Morphology: Carapace is lustrous and acarinate, with dense, minute granules, of which a few granules are irregular; lateral furrow broad and flat; posterior median furrow well-expressed. Median eyes are anterior to the center of the carapace; three pairs of lateral eyes. Sternum is pentagonal, longer than wide. All tergites are acarinate, smooth and shiny with sparse small punctations except for segment VII, which has two lateral carinae. Pectinal tooth count 7-8. Sternites are smooth and shiny; segment VII with four very weak carinae. Metasoma segments II to V are longer than wide; segments I to V have 10-10-8-8-7 carinae; all carinae of segments I-IV are almost evenly granular, but inner carinae with irregular coarse granules; the tegument punctated; segment V is covered with dense, small granulation ventrally, all its carinae are weakly dentated. Vesicle is smooth, with shallow depressions.

Pedipalps: femur with dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, ventrointernal and ventroexternal crenulated carinae; patellar interior carina with irregular granules, and the external carina with scattered irregular granules; two spinoid granules present on the internal aspect, the internal-ventral spinoid granule being much larger than the internal-dorsal one; tegument punctated. Chela is short, stout and robust, covered with moderate to strong granulation; all carinae are well developed. Interior carinae are evenly granular, external ones are irregularly granular. Inner carinae are granular. Trichobothriotaxy type C (Vachon, 1974). Chela with four ventral trichobothria. Patella with 17 external and ten ventral trichobothria.

Female paratype. Coloration and morphology are very similar to that of the male holotype. Some of the segments are slightly bulkier. Pectinal tooth count 7-7. The base of the movable finger of pedipalp bears a knob matching a corresponding depression, but is not clearly expressed.

Measurements (male holotype /female paratype). Total length, 52.89/42.28. Carapace: length, 8.42/5.99; anterior width, 3.44/2.55; posterior width, 8.42/5.99. Metasomal segment I: length, 2.81/1.91; width, 3.32/2.55. Metasomal segment V: length, 6.50/4.46; width, 2.55/1.53; depth, 2.30/1.53. Vesicle: width, 2.30/1.66; depth, 2.42/1.53. Pedipalp: femur length, 7.52/5.36, width, 3.19/2.30; patella length, 6.76/4.85, width, 3.19/2.17; chela length, 8.23/6.38, width, 5.61/3.32, depth, 4.72/2.25; movable finger length, 8.16/5.61.

Figures

Figure 62: Euscorpiops vachoni sp. n., male holotype, habitus. Total length 52.9 mm.

Figures 71–77: Euscorpiops vachoni sp. n., male holotype. 71–72. Chelicera, dorsal and ventral aspects. 73. Sternum, genital operculum and pectines. 74 same as 73, female paratype. 75. Dentate margin of the pedipalp chela movable finger. 76. Metasomal segment V and telson, ventral aspect. 77. Telson, lateral aspect. Scales = 1 mm.