Hottentotta tamulus ( Fabricius, 1798 )

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 : 31

Hottentotta tamulus ( Fabricius, 1798)

( Figs. 12 , 45–46 , 120–126 , 195 , 427 )

Scorpio tamulus Fabricius, 1798: 294 .

Mesobuthus tamulus: Fet & Lowe, 2000: 179–180 (complete reference list until 1998).

Hottentotta tamulus: Kovařík & Ojanguren Affilastro, 2013: 176 , figs. 100 5–1008, 1173 (reference list until 2013); Ranawana et al., 2013: 3–7 , figs.1–12; Veronika & al., 2013: 73–75, figs. 1, 9–14, tab. 1.

Hottentotta tumulus [sic]: Veronika & al., 2013: 70–71, fig. 1, 9–14, tab. 1.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. “ India orientalis”; original type lost. Neotype from India, Maharashtra State, Bombay env., designated by Kovařík, 2007: 76; NMPC.

SRI LANKAN MATERIAL EXAMINED. Sri Lanka, Northern Province, Jaffna District, Palali , 09°44'16.83"N 080° 05'2.88"E, 2012, 1♂, FKCP, col. K. B. Ranawana ; Northern Province, Jaffna District , 09°49'15.4"N 080° 08'41.6"E, 19 m a.s.l. (Locality 15CK, Fig. 588 ), 27. IV.2015, 1♂ (45–46, 120–124, 126, 195, 427) 1♀ im. 1juv., FKCP, 1♀ ( Fig. 125 ) 1juv., UPSL, leg. Kovařík et al.

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 50–90 mm. Trichobothrium db on fixed figer of pedipalp chela situated between trichobothria et and est, but may be level with est. Males with proximal margins of pedipalp fingers flexed, manus of pedipalps wider than female. Pectinal teeth number 30–39 in males, 27–34 in females. Chelicerae yellow, reticulated. Pedipalps densely hirsute, legs and metasoma sparsely hirsute. Setae on patella of pedipalps short. Color uniformly yellow to reddish, mesosoma dark. Ventral carinae on metasomal segments usually black. Pedipalp femur with 5 carinae, patella with two or 4 carinae on internal surface, no other carinae. Chela lacking carinae. Movable fingers of pedipalps with 13– 15 rows of granules and 5 or 6 terminal granules. Seventh sternite with 4 well marked black carinae. First to third metasomal segments with 10 carinae; fourth with 10 or rarely 8 carinae; fifth with 5 or 7 carinae. Metasoma sparsely to densely granulated between carinae. Dorsal surface densely and very finely granulated, often bearing two short, inconspicuous marginal carinae. Telson granulated. Dorsal carinae of metasomal segments with posterior terminal granules of size approximately equal to preceding granules. First metasomal segments of adult female wider than long (in male usually as long as wide), second metasomal segment longer than wide in both sexes. Second to fourth metasomal segments width ratio about 1.1. Length to width ratio of fourth metasomal segment about 1.5. Telson bulbous, especially in large females.

DISTRIBUTION. India (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal States), Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

Figures

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

Figures 39–46: Chela of pedipalps (39–45) and movable finger of chela (46). Figures 39–40. Buthoscorpio sarasinorum, male from locality 15CF (39) and female from locality 15CG (40). Figures 41–43. Charmus laneus, male (41) and female (42) from locality 15CO, and female holotype (43). Figure 44. Charmus saradieli, sp. n., female holotype. Figures 45–46. Hottentotta tamulus, male from locality 15CK.

Figures 120–124: Hottentotta tamulus, male from locality 15CK, dorsal (120) and ventral (121) views, chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (122), sternopectinal region and sternites III–IV (123), and telson lateral (124).

Figures 125–126: Hottentotta tamulus from locality 15CK, female (125) and male (126).

Figures 193–200: Distal segments of leg IV, retroventral view of Sri Lankan Buthidae and Chaerilidae genera. Buthoscorpio sarasinorum, male from locality 15CF (193), Charmus laneus, male from locality 15CO (194), Hottentotta tamulus, male from locality 15CK (195), Isometrus maculatus, female from locality 15CI (196), Isometrus thwaitesi, female from locality 15CO (197), Lychas srilankensis, male from locality 15CJ (198), Reddyanus basilicus, male from locality 15CS (199), and Chaerilus ceylonensis, male from locality 15CD (200).

Figures 403–429: Telson, lateral view of Sri Lankan Buthidae and Chaerilidae species. Figures 403–404. Isometrus maculatus, male from locality 15CP (403) and female from locality 15CI (404). Figures 405–406. I. thwaitesi, male from locality 15CH (405) and female from locality 15CO (406). Figures 407–408. Lychas srilankensis, male (407) and female (408) from locality 15CJ. Figures 409–410. Reddyanus basilicus, male (409) and female (410) from locality 15CR. Figures 411–412. R. besucheti, male holotype (411) and female from locality 15CG (412). Figures 413–414. R. ceylonensis sp. n., male holotype (413) and female paratype (414) from locality 15CI. Figures 415–416. R. jayarathnei sp. n., male (415) and female (416) paratypes. Figures 417–418. R. loebli, male (417) and female (418) from locality 15CG. Figures 419–420. R. ranawanai sp. n., male holotype (419) and female paratype (420). Figures 421–422: Buthoscorpio sarasinorum, male from locality 15CF (421) and female from locality 15CG (422). Figures 423–424. Charmus laneus, male (423) and female (424) from locality 15CO. Figures 425–426. Charmus saradieli sp. n. male paratype (425) (MHNG) and female holotype (426). Figurs 427. Hottentotta tamulus, male from locality 15CK (427). Figures 428–429. Chaerilus ceylonensis, male (428) and female (429) from locality 15CD.

Figures 588–589: Figure 588. Locality 15CK, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, Jaffna District, 09°49'15.4"N 080°08'41.6"E, 19 m a.s.l. During day 27.IV.2015 we recorded Hottentotta tamulus under stones or woods and also in vicinity of houses. Figure 589. Locality 15CL, Sri Lanka, North Central Province, Anuradhapura District, Mihintale, 08°20'51.8"N 080°30'27.7"E, 156 m a.s.l. During night collecting on 27.–28.IV.2015 (UV detection) we recorded Isometrus thwaitesii (running on branches and trunks of trees, also sitting on leaves), Reddyanus besucheti (on the ground among leaves), Reddyanus loebli (hidden under scales of bark of standing tree trunks) and Heterometrus swammerdami (inside burrows). On the locality we recorded night temperature 27.4 ºC– 24.5 ºC (minimum temperature) and night humidity varied between 64% and 87%.