Auyantepuia aurum, Ythier, Eric, 2018

Ythier, Eric, 2018, A synopsis of the scorpion fauna of French Guiana, with description of four new species, ZooKeys 764, pp. 27-90 : 41-43

Auyantepuia aurum sp. n. Figs 17, 18

Type material.

French Guiana, Saül, Gros arbres trail, one male (holotype), deposited in the MNHN, J. Chevalier, B. Tan & R. Legallic coll., 21-22/VIII/2017. Saül, Gros arbres trail, one male (paratype), deposited in the EYPC, EY0095, J. Chevalier, B. Tan & R. Legallic coll., 21-22/VIII/2017.

Etymology.

The specific name is allusive to gold (Latin aurum ) panning, for which the village of Saül (where the new species occurs) was founded at the beginning of the 19th century.

Diagnosis.

Total length 25.2 mm for male holotype and 28.1 mm for male paratype (see morphometric values after the description). Coloration reddish brown, with carapace, chelicerae, pedipalps and legs marked with darker spots. Tergites brownish with confluent yellowish spots, on the sides and the middle of tergites, forming a yellowish longitudinal median stripe. Ventral side of segments I and II yellowish, without spots. Body and appendages weakly to moderately granulated; chela moderately granulated, dorso-internal carina inconspicuous; granulations on lateral sides of all metasomal segments and on ventral side of segments III to V, spinoid on V. Pectines of males holotype and paratypes with 7-7 and 5-7 teeth, respectively; female unknown. Trichobothrial pattern of type C neobothriotaxic ‘majorante’.

Description based on male holotype.

Coloration. General coloration reddish brown. Carapace reddish yellow, marked with brownish variegated spots around the ocular tubercle and on the anterior and posterior edges of the carapace; ocular tubercle darker, almost black. Tergites brownish with confluent yellowish spots, on the sides and the middle of tergites, forming a yellowish longitudinal median stripe. Venter and sternites yellowish; sternum yellowish with darker spots on the middle and anterior edge; genital opercle yellowish; pectines pale yellow. Metasomal segments reddish yellow, marked with variegated brownish spots on lateral and dorsal sides of segments I to V and on ventral side of segments III, IV and V; ventral side of segments I and II yellowish, without spots. Vesicle reddish yellow with basis of aculeus blackish and tip of aculeus reddish. Chelicerae yellowish, with variegated dark brown spots; fingers reddish yellow with dark brown spots at their basis; teeth reddish. Pedipalps reddish yellow, with longitudinal dark brown spots. Legs yellowish, intensely marked with brownish spots.

Morphology.

Carapace acarinate, with some fine granulations on central, lateral and posterior parts; furrows shallow; anterior edge emarginate. Tergites acarinate, with some fine granulations, stronger on their posterior edges. Sternum pentagonal, wider than long. Pectinal tooth count 7-7 in male holotype (5-7 in male paratype), fulcra absent. Sternites smooth and shiny, VII acarinate; spiracles rounded in shape. Metasomal segments III, IV and V longer than wide; metasomal tegument with medium size granulation on lateral sides of all segments and on ventral side of segments III to V, spinoid on V; carinae on segments I-V vestigial, only dorso-lateral carinae are weakly marked on all segments. Pedipalp femur with dorsal internal, dorsal external and ventral internal carinae moderately marked, internal face weakly granular, other faces smooth; patella smooth, with vestigial carinae; chela moderately granulated, with dorso-internal carina weakly marked; dentate margins on fixed and movable fingers with six rows of granules. Chelicerae with dentition typical of the family Chactidae (Vachon, 1963), and with dense setation ventrally and internally. Trichobothriotaxy of type C; neobothriotaxic ‘majorante’ (Vachon, 1974). Morphometric values (in mm) of the male holotype. Total length including telson, 25.2. Carapace: length, 3.9; anterior width, 2.2; posterior width, 3.6. Mesosoma length, 7.7. Metasomal segments. I: length, 1.4; width, 2.0; II: length, 1.9; width, 2.0; III: length, 2.0; width, 1.7; IV: length, 2.3; width, 1.7; V: length, 3.3; width, 1.6; depth, 1.4. Telson: length, 2.7; width, 1.4; depth, 1.2. Pedipalp: femur length, 2.1, width, 1.0; patella length, 2.8, width, 1.1; chela length, 5.2, width, 2.3, depth, 1.8; movable finger length, 2.9.

Relationships.

Auyantepuia aurum sp. n. can be readily distinguished from other species of the genus Auyantepuia and, in particular, from the three species occurring in the central and southern part of French Guiana, by the following main features:

- A. fravalae Lourenço, 1983 (described from Saut Pararé on Arataye river (Approuage tributary), and also found in Saül): (i) tergites with confluent yellowish spots forming a yellowish longitudinal median stripe (no stripe in A. fravalae ), (ii) ventral side of segments I and II yellowish, without spots (brownish spots on ventral side of segments I to V and ventral side of segments I to II well pigmented in A. fravalae ).

- A. sissomi Lourenço, 1983 (described from upper Oyapok): (i) general coloration reddish brown (yellowish in A. sissomi ), (ii) metasomal tegument with medium size granulation on ventral side of segments III to V (only segment V is granulated ventrally in A. sissomi ).

- A. kelleri Lourenço, 1997 (described from Cacao): (i) tergites with confluent yellowish spots forming a yellowish longitudinal median stripe (no stripe in A. kelleri ), (ii) ventral side of segments I and II yellowish, without spots (all segments uniformly dark reddish in A. kelleri ), (iii) ocular tubercle darker, almost black (clear in A. kelleri ).