Chaerilus gemmifer, Pocock, 1894

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 : 34-38

(= C. gemmifer Pocock, 1894 )

( Figs. 126–143 )

Uromachus pictus Pocock, 1890: 250 .

Chaerilus pictus : Kraepelin, 1899: 15 9; Pocock, 1900: 6 1; Tikader & Bastawade, 1983: 332; Fet, 2000a: 327; Kovařík, 2000b: 53.

Chaerilus gemmifer Pocock, 1894: 81 ; Kraepelin, 1899: 159; Pocock, 1900: 61; Tikader & Bastawade, 1983: 346; Fet, 2000a: 326.

Diagnosis. The species is slightly smaller than the previous one ( Fig. 126 ). It also differs from other species of the genus in possessing short, stout pedipalps with a more robust manus and smooth sternites. Its aculeus is very short, less than half of vesicle length and slightly curved ( Figs. 139-140 ).

Comments. Chaerilus gemmifer Pocock, 1894 , can be distinguished from other Chaerilus species, and in particular from Chaerilus pictus (Pocock, 1890) , the most geographically related species of the genus by the following features: (a) body color dark brown to black, legs light brown to brown; (b) chela palm is longer than patella; (c) granules arranged in ridges and very closely grouped on distal portion of the base of fingers; (d) aculeus is short, less curved, and almost one-fourth of vesicular length.

Material: 1♀: Tibet, Nyingchi district, Bayizhen town (29°41' N, 94°21' E), 17 August 2002, Ming-Sheng Zhu leg. 1 juv., Bayi town, Linzhi district , Tibet, 2 August 2002, Ming-Sheng Zhu leg. ; 1 juv., Bayi town, Linzhi district , Tibet, 6 August 2003, Feng Zhang leg. ( All specimens are deposited in MHBU) .

Coloration: Body color is dark brown to black. Ventral side of body is light brown to yellow. Metasoma is dark except for the light vesicle; aculeus is reddish. Chelicerae is light brown but reddish on fingers. Pedipalp is dark brown, and darker on carinae. Legs are from light brown to brown.

Morphology: The surface of carapace is covered with sparse coarse granules, and which are more coarse and dense on posterior lateral portion. Interocular portion bears less coarse weak granules and the granulation is even less expressed on posterior portion near median ocular tubercles. Lateral carinae are granular but the granules are almost obsolete, bordering the median flat portion. Median ocular furrows are not distinct; lateral median furrows are also less distinct and shallow; posterior lateral furrows are distinct and smooth; posterior median furrows are narrow, distinct, deep and bifurcated posteriorly. Lateral ocular tubercles are small and smooth, behind each are two lateral eyes accompanied by a ventrolateral amber colored circular spot. Median ocular tubercles are smooth and not elevated much, with a pair of median eyes situated anteriorly with the ratio 1: 1.9. Mesosoma: all tergites with sparse coarse granules, tergites I-VI are without distinct carinae, tergite VII has two pairs of granular lateral carinae, and the inner pair is short and developed only on middle portion. Sternites are smooth; spiracles are circular; lateral and posterior margin are smooth. Sternum is pentagonal and slightly longer than wide. Pectines are weakly developed. Genital operculum are fused. Metasoma is comparatively short with elongated telson and very short aculeus. All segments are granular, carinated and almost flat on dorsal surface. Basal segment of metasoma is always wider than long. Metasomal segments I-IV have ten carinae; on segments II-IV, a pair of lateral carinae weakens downwards and gradually disappears. Segment V bears seven carinae, and its ventromedian carina is posteriorly bifurcated and completely dentated. Chelicerae are small with elongated fingers; basal segment is granular on dorsal surface but smooth on ventral; thickly covered with numerous short, silky hairs, extending on ventral and dorsal portions of both fingers; the fingers are long and slender; their dentition characteristic for family and genus, but ventral inner edges of movable and immovable fingers with eight minute teeth, and finely serrated, respectively.

Pedipalps are short, stout and with robust manus, all digits are carinated. Femur is much shorter than carapace, carinated but dorsal inner carina granular and more distinct than dorsal outer carina; dorsal and ventral surfaces are finely granular. Patella is longer than femur but shorter than carapace; inner carinae are distinctly granular, outer carinae are smooth and obsolete. Chela manus is not very broad, with two finely granular carinae, one distinct and one weak. Finger is almost as long as manus and not curved. Trichobothriotaxy of type B; orthobothriotaxic (Vachon, 1974); femur with nine trichobothria, patella with 14, and chela with 14. Legs have smooth carinae, except on femur and patella of legs III and IV where carinae are weakly granular on outer or dorsal portion; no tibial spur. Tarsus has a pair of pedal spurs; ventrally with two paired rows of long setae. A single median row of short spinules is situated between the two rows of lateral setae on the ventral surface of leg tarsus.

Measurements (in mm) (female specimen). Total length, 39.89. Carapace: length, 4.85; anterior width, 2.04; posterior width, 5.48. Metasomal segment I: length, 2.42; width, 3.06. Metasomal segment V: length, 5.10; width, 1.79; depth, 1.79. Vesicle: width, 2.17; depth, 1.91.

Pedipalp: femur length, 3.32, width, 1.79; patella length, 3.70, width, 2.17; chela length, 4.34, width, 4.21, depth, 2.93; movable finger length, 4.08.

Figures

Figure 126: Chaerilus pictus Pocock, 1890, female, habitus. Total length 39.89 mm.

Figures 127–134: Chaerilus pictus Pocock, 1890, female. 127–129. Chela, dorsoexternal, ventral and internal aspects. 130– 132. Patella, dorsal, external and ventral aspects. 133–134. Femur, dorsal and external aspects. Scale = 1 mm.

Figures 135–143: Chaerilus pictus Pocock, 1890, female. 135–136. Chelicera, dorsal and ventral aspects. 137. Disposition of granulations on the dentate margins of the pedipalp chela movable finger. 138. Carapace dorsal aspect. 139–140. Metasomal segment V and telson, ventral and lateral aspects. 141. Sternum, genital operculum and pectines. 142–143. Legs III and IV, lateral and dorsal aspects. 131. Scales = 1 mm.