Alpiscorpius ypsilon, Kovařík & Štundlová & Fet & Šťáhlavský, 2019

Kovařík, František, Štundlová, Jana, Fet, Victor & Šťáhlavský, František, 2019, Seven new Alpine species of the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, stat. n. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Euscorpius 287, pp. 1-29 : 21-23

Alpiscorpius ypsilon sp. n.

( Figures 48–52, 71, Tables 1, 3–5) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.

org:act: EDAC8D3D-1DC4-4761-89BF-74929F05F81B

Euscorpius germanus “K-Form”: Scherabon, 1987: 87 ( Austria).

Euscorpius gamma: Komposch & Scherabon, 1999: 621 ; Scherabon et al., 2000: 255 ( Austria); Fet et al., 2001: 264 ( Slovenia, in part); Komposch et al., 2001: 267; Soleglad & Sissom, 2001: 48; Kofler, 2002: 137; Fet et al., 2004: 55 ( Slovenia, in part; Austria); Komposch, 2004: 447; Komposch, 2009: 359; Fet, 2010: 6 ( Slovenia, in part; Austria); Graham et al., 2012: 42 (in part; Austria); Fet et al., 2016: 6.

Euscorpius (Alpiscorpius) gamma Karyotypic race III (Ega 86–92): ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019: 156.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Slovenia, Gorenjska : Studenca, 46.246°N 14.678°E ; NMPC.

TYPE MATERIAL ( NMPC): 7♂ 2♀. Austria, Carinthia: Rechberg , 46.524°N 14.580°E, 1♂ (paratype No. S 737). Slovenia, Gorenjska: Potoče, 46.302°N 14.441°E, 1♂ (paratype No. S 738), Studenca, 46.246°N 14.678°E, 4♂ (holotype No. S 739 and paratypes Nos. S 793, S1080, S1081); Štajerska: Kozjak, 46.413°N 15.175°E, 1♂ (paratype No. S 420) 2♀ (paratypes) .

ETYMOLOGY. Di Caporiacco (1950) named three subspecies of Euscorpius germanus after the letters of the Greek alphabet alpha, beta , and gamma . We continue in this style for another cryptic species and name it ypsilon after Greek “ὒψιλόν”.

DIAGNOSIS. Alpiscorpius ypsilon sp. n. is a cryptic species of the “ gamma group” of the “ mingrelicus compleX”, defined by ŠtundlovÁ et al. (2019) as “Karyotypic race III (Ega 86–92)” which possesses a conspicuous variation in diploid chromosome number ranging from 86 to 92, both between and/or within populations (fig. S2C and D in ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019). There is polymorphism observed, presumably caused by the presence of chromosome fusion/ fission events, resulted in four different karyotypes: 2n = 86 (homozygous state, 43 bivalents), 2n = 87 (heterozygous state, 42 bivalents and one trivalent), 2n = 90 (heterozygous state, 42 bivalents and two trivalents), and 2n = 92 (homozygous state, 46 bivalents). The rDNA clusters are located in the subterminal region of the short arms of the largest metacentric chromosome pair 1; in the case of karyotype 2n = 87 it was detected on the heterozygous trivalent (fig. 2G and H, fig. S2C and D in ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019). Number of pectinal teeth (Dp) in male usually 8 (ca. 80% of eXamined specimens). Number of patellar ventral trichobothria (Pv) usually 5, more rarely 6. Reduction of patellar eXternal trichobothria from 4 to 3 rare (<5%) in both groups et and eb a (see also Notes).

DESCRIPTION OF THE MALE HOLOTYPE. The following description is based primarily on the holotype male. Measurements of the holotype are presented in Table 2. Carapace, tergites, and pedipalps reddish-black; carapace with some darker mottling; metasoma dark reddish-black with mottling; telson, legs, and sternites yellowish to reddishbrown; chelicerae light, slightly reticulated. Anterior edge of carapace essentially straight; smooth and lustrous, lacking any indication of carinae. There are two lateral eyes. Median eyes and tubercle are small in size. Tergites I–VII essentially smooth; tergite VII lacking lateral and median carinal pairs. Sternites III–VII smooth and lustrous; VII lacking lateral and median carinae. Stigmata are small, narrow elliptical. Metasomal segment V rather smooth and without carinae. Vesicle of telson swollen and elongated, with short highly curved aculeus. Vesicle essentially void of granules. Pectinal teeth number 8/8. Pedipalp carinae well-developed ( Figs. 48–50). Movable fingers bear 7 rows of denticles with eXternal and internal denticles. Trichobothrial patterns type C, neobothriotaXic: chela ventral = 4/4; patellar eb = 5/4, eb a =4/4, esb = 2/2, em = 3/3, est = 3/3, et = 5/5; patellar ventral = 5/5. Tarsus of legs with single row of spinules on ventral surface.

VARIABILITY. We scored standard phenotypic markers for 7 type specimens (all ♂) with the following variation observed: Dp in males (n=7): 7/7 (1), 7/8 (1), 8/8 (5); in total, 7 in 21.43% (3), and 8 in 78.57% (11); mean = 7.79, SD = 1.48.

Pv (n=7): 5/5 (4), 6/5 (3); in total, 5 in 78.57% (11) and 6 in 21.43% (3); mean = 5.21, SD = 0.50.

et (n=7): 3/4 (1), 4/4 (6); in total, 3 in 7.14% (1), and 4 in 92.86% (13); mean = 3.93, SD = 0.27.

eb

a

(n=7): 4/4 (7).

DISTRIBUTION. Austria (Carinthia); Slovenia (Gorenjska, Štajerska) ( Fig. 71).

NOTES. Alpiscorpius ypsilon sp. n. is the only species of the “ gamma group” found in southern Austria (Karawanken Alps, Carinthia), and we currently assume that all Austrian records of “ Euscorpius gamma ” refer to this species (see references above). In Slovenia, A. ypsilon sp. n. is found only in the north; in the central part of Slovenia, it is replaced by A. omega sp. n., and in the west, by A. omikron sp. n.

Gantenbein et al. (2000) published 16S mtDNA sequence for a population of “ Euscorpius gamma ” from Koschuta ( Austria, Carinthia, 46.45°N, 14.41°E), which closely matches sequences of Ega 86–92 (= A. ypsilon sp. n.) obtained independently by ŠtundlovÁ et al. (2019). Two mtDNA sequences were published for another population of “ E. gamma ” from Trögerner-Klamm ( Austria, Carinthia, 46.46°N, 14.50°E), which also closely match those of A. ypsilon sp. n. (16S mtDNA by Scherabon et al., 2000, and CoxI mtDNA by Graham et al., 2012).

Scherabon (1984, 1987) scored the standard phenotypic markers for a large series (> 150 specimens) of this species in Austria (treated as “K-Form” of Euscorpius germanus ), with the following results (recalculated here; et and eb a data from Scherabon, 1984):

Dp in males (n=55): 6/7 (2), 7/7 (2), 7/7 (2), 7/8 (2), 8/7 (3), 8/8 (43), 8/9 (1), 9/8 (1), and 9/9 (1); in total, 6 in 1.82% (2); 7 in 8.18% (9), 8 in 86.36% (95), and 9 in 3.63 % (4); mean = 7.90, SD = 0.49.

Dp in females (n=101): 5/5 (1), 5/6 (3), 6/5 (7), 6/6 (23), 6/7 (13), 7/6 (5), 7/7 (49); in total, 5 in 5.94% (12), 6 in 31.68% (64), and 7 in 62.38% (126); mean = 6.53, SD = 0.61.

Pv (n=162): 5/3 (1), 4/5 (3), 5/5 (83), 4/6 (2), 5/6 (22), 6/5 (30), 6/6 (21); in total, 3 in 0.31% (1), 4 in 1.54% (5), 5 in 68.52% (222) and 6 in 29.63% (96); mean = 5.27, SD = 0.50. et (n=158): 1/4 (1), 4/2 (2), 3/4 (2), 4/3 (7), 4/4 (139) 4/5 (1), 5/4 (40, 5/5 (2); in total, 1 in 0.31% (1), 2 in 0.63% (2), 3 in 2.85% (9), 4 in 93.35% (295), and 5 in in 2.85% (9); mean = 3.98, SD = 0.33.

eb a (n=158): 2/4 (2), 4/2 (1), 3/4 (6), 4/3 (6), 4/4 (143); in total, 2 in 0.94 % (3), 3 in 3.80% (12), and 4 in 95.25% (301); mean = 3.94, SD = 0.27.

Note that Pv distribution in this species (mean=5.27) is bimodal: out of 162 specimens scored, Pv =5 was present in 68.5% of pedipalps, Pv =6, in 29.6%; only 13% had Pv =6/6. These phenotypic data are consistent with the type series. The reduction from 4 to 3 of both et and eb a is rare (<5%) in Austrian specimens; the small type series (n=7) has only one pedipalp with et=3, and none with eb a =3.