Euscorpius concinnus (C.L. Koch, 1837)

Tropea, Gioele & Parmakelis, Aristeidis, 2022, Reconsideration of some populations of Euscorpius concinnus complex (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae), ZooKeys 1100, pp. 117-164 : 117

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1100.78979

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7159C009-2EE9-4F75-BBFB-54DC36840873

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https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C7AA013C-C0FD-5995-9997-5588C83C0B4E

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scientific name

Euscorpius concinnus (C.L. Koch, 1837)
status

 

Euscorpius concinnus (C.L. Koch, 1837)

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5

Type material.

Holotype: ♀ (lost), type locality unknown.

Neotype: ♀ (VVZC Eut516), Italy, Tuscany, Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI), Ponte a Bozzone, 43.3503333°N, 11.38613889°E, under tree bark, pine wood, 13 October 2003 (V. Vignoli and F. Cicconardi coll.), by designation of Vignoli et al. (2005).

Other examined specimens.

Italy: Tuscany: near SP408, W of San Giovanni A Cerreto, (SI), 43.350367°N, 11.385845°E, 293, under tree bark, pine wood, 12 August 2013, leg. G. Tropea, S. Tropea, 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ topotypes (GTC 352-358); Apuan Alps, 44.05079°N, 10.26472°E, 810 m, 19 July 2015, leg. G. Tropea, S. Tropea, 2 ♀♀ (GTC 648, 649); Elba Island, lrgs. A. Valle, Bianchi, 4 January 1963, 1 ♂ (MSNB 1593); Elba Island, A. Valle, Bianchi, 8 January 1963, 1 ♂♂ (MSNB 1604); Elba Island, Mt. Perone, pinewood, legs. E. Dominici, 1 ♂ (GTC 462); Valle Benedetta, hills of Livorno, Livorno, 13 May 2012, leg. G. Tropea, 1 ♀ (GTC161-168); Massa, 17 October 2011, leg. A. Rossi, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (GTC 109, 110); Mt. Albano, Firenze, 1969, leg. Giuliani, 1 ♀♀ (MZUF 9552); Mt. Albano, Firenze, 20 September 1975, leg. Valle, Moretti, 1 ♀ (MSNB 10158); Mt. Corchia, 44.02416°N, 10.27786°E, 708 m, 19 July 2015, leg. G. Tropea, S. Tropea, 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (GTC 643-647); same data but 44.03448°N, 10.27165°E, 1126 m, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (GTC 641, 642); Piazza al Serchio (LU), 20 September 1975, leg. A. Valle, G.L. Moretti, 4 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (MSNB 10137-10140, 10143, 10147, 10153, 10156, 10157); Resceto (MS), 551-614 m, 11 August 2013, leg. G. Tropea, S. Tropea, 9 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ (GTC 328-338); near Barberino di Mugello, 4 4.02430°N, 11.16499°E - 44.02357°N, 11.16451°E, 450-484 m, 12 August 2013, leg. G. Tropea, S. Tropea, 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (GTC 345-351); near Livorno, 43.570116 N, 10.369947 E, July 2021, leg. Giuliano Tropea, 1 ♀ (GTC). Emilia Romagna: Pievepelago (MO), Lago Santo, 22 July 1978, leg. Daccordi, 1 ♀ (MSNV 154/11774); Ponte Modino, Pievepelago, (MO), 44.18564°N, 10.61523°E, 938 m, 20 July 2015, leg. G. Tropea, S. Tropea, 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ (GTC 650-653).

Known geographic range.

Italy: Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Marche?, Umbria?, Piemonte?, Liguria (Fig. 32 View Figure 32 ).

Diagnosis.

Medium Euscorpius species, total length 26-35 mm. Variable colour in adults, from dark brown to blackish, with darker marbling on most of the body, including chelicerae. The number of trichobothria on the pedipalp manus ventral surface is four (V1-3 + Et1). Trichobothria est and dsb on fixed finger are respectively located distally and proximally to the notch of the fixed finger. The number of trichobothria on the pedipalp patella ventral surface is usually eight or nine (~ 65% and 27%, respectively). The number of trichobothria on pedipalp patella external surface usually is: eb = 4, eba = 4, esb = 2, em = 4, est = 4, et = 6. Trichobothrium i of the femur is slightly proximal to or at the same level of d. The pectinal teeth number in males is usually eight and in females mostly seven. Dorsal patellar spur well developed. Femur approximately as long as patella but it tends to be slightly shorter than patella. Carapace approximately as long as wide, but it tends to be slightly wider than long. Carinae V1 follows an external direction to the trichobothria Et1, without forming a Y-shape. Spinules on legs ending with a Y-shape. Ventrolateral and ventromedian carina on metasomal segment V well formed by small spaced serrulated granules.

Trichobothrial and pectinal teeth count variation.

The variation observed in 59 examined specimens (28 ♂♂, 31 ♀♀) is given below.

Pectinal teeth in males (n = 56): 7/7 (1), 8/7 (1), 8/8 (16), 8/9 (6), 9/9 (2), 9/10 (1), 10/10 (1); in total, 7 in 5.36% (3), 8 in 69.64% (39), 9 in 19.64% (11), and 10 in 5.36% (3); mean = 8.25, SD = 0.64.

Pectinal teeth in females (n = 62):?/? (1), 6/6 (1), 6/7 (4), 7/7 (17), 7/8 (3), 8/? (1), 8/8 (4); in total, 6 in 10.17% (6), 7 in 69.49% (41) and 8 in 20.34% (12); mean = 7.10, SD = 0.55.

Pedipalp patella trichobothria Pv (n = 118): 7/7 (1), 8/7 (6), 7/9 (1), 8/8 (32), 8/9 (7), 9/9 (12); in total, 7 in 7.63% (9), 8 in 65.25% (77) and 9 in 27.12% (32); mean = 8.19, SD = 0.56.

Pedipalp patella trichobothria Pe (n = 118): et = 4/6 (1), 5/6 (7), 6/6 (43), 6/7 (5), 7/7 (3); in total, 5 in 5.93% (7), 6 in 83.90% (99), and 7 in 9.32% (11); mean = 6.03, SD = 0.39;

est = 4/3 (1), 4/4 (56), 4/5 (1), 5/5 (1); em = 4/3 (3), 4/4 (56); esb = 1/2 (1), 2/2 (58); eba = 3/4 (2), 4/4 (57); eb = ¾ (3), 4/4 (56).

Description of the hemispermatophore.

Type A. It has a well-developed lamina tapered distally; well-developed basal constriction present; truncal flexure present; median projection with lde, ldi, and lb; internal projection distally with 8-10 tines in its crown. The number and the shape of tines of the crown varied between specimens and between the right and the left hemispermatophores.

Comments.

Euscorpius concinnus was originally described using very limited characters, not very useful in identifying the species. The main characters given by Koch (1837) were Pv = 8 and dark red-brown colouring, both can be shared by different species of Euscorpiinae . The location where the specimen was collected is unknown, therefore relying on this data is not possible too. It would probably have been more appropriate to consider this species a nomen dubium, but Vignoli et al. (2005), perhaps influenced by Di Caporiacco (1950), established a neotype for it from Siena (Tuscany, Italy). This species, like the others treated here, can be considered a cryptic species, difficult to identify without data regarding the exact geographical area of collection or DNA analysis. According to our data, this species is basal to the other species treated in the phylogeny based on concatenated 16S rDNA and COI markers (Fig. 31 View Figure 31 ). Probably the present populations are the result of expansions, extinctions, bottleneck, and recolonisations, taking place several times due to climatic changes during the Pleistocene. The sequence divergence in 16S marker between E. concinnus and the remaining species of the E. concinnus group ranges from 2.7% to 3.4%, the latter value being higher than that between E. concinnus and E. tergestinus , which is 3.1%. As for the trichobothrial Pv number, E. concinnus shows an average of 8.19, clearly lower than that of E. niciensis stat. nov., but higher than of the other three species treated herein. The highest percentage was of Pv = 8 in 65.25%, i.e., similar to that of E. latinus sp. nov. and E. trejaensis sp. nov., but significantly lower than E. stefaniae sp. nov. with 81.67%, and clearly higher than E. niciensis stat. nov. with 25%; and a percentage of Pv = 9 in the 27.12%, which is clearly higher than that of all species except E. niciensis stat. nov. which has a percentage of Pv = 9 of 68.89%. It must be stated that this higher value in E. concinnus could be brought about by its heterogeneity in its distributional area. In fact, in some areas this species may have a tendency to higher or lower values, and also to morphological differences, which could suggest further taxonomic divisions in it, as well as for E. niciensis stat. nov. (GT, in progress).

Ythier (2011) assigned some specimens from France to E. concinnus and E. tergestinus and reports a Pv range of seven and eight for E. concinnus and from seven to eleven (nine) for E. tergestinus . However, no additional data are provided for these claims. Euscorpius tergestinus is limited to the Balkans and to the Italian areas near the border with Slovenia (Tropea, 2013). Considering Ythier’s data, his E. tergestinus and E. concinnus populations probably were E. niciensis stat. nov. We found no populations with such low fixed trichobothrial data neither in the specimens examined from France nor in those from western Liguria in Italy. Therefore, in the absence of further data, we consider that the range of this species is limited within Italy.

The current distributional range of E. concinnus is not easily delineable yet. We consider it an endemic species of Italy, found in Tuscany, Liguria, and Emilia Romagna, and with doubtful presence in the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Umbria and Marche. Euscorpius concinnus was found up to an altitude of 1126 m a.s.l., in the Apuan Alps. It is found mostly in woods, both under stones and bark, but also in humid microhabitats in pine forests, and more rarely in human-made constructions, in wall cracks, and in the areas around the walls.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Scorpiones

Family

Euscorpiidae

Genus

Euscorpius