Euscorpius scheraboni, Kovařík & Šťáhlavský, 2020

Kovařík, František & Šťáhlavský, František, 2020, Five new species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) from Albania, Greece, North Macedonia, and Serbia, Euscorpius 315, pp. 1-37 : 30-35

Euscorpius scheraboni sp. n.

( Figures 150–184 , Table 3 )

http: //zoobank. org / urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 487753D8- 3E57-45C6-B783-4B33969A4006

Euscorpius carpathicus (in part: Mt. Imittos (=Hymettos), Mt. Pentelikon): Kinzelbach, 1975: 33.

Euscorpius sp. “pale form”: Fet et al., 2018: 129, fig. 6.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Greece, Attiki, Mt. Imittos, near Athens , ca 37.95°N 23.74°E ; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL. Greece, Attiki, Mt. Imittos, near Athens , ca. 37.95°N 23.74°E, 2013, 4♂ 10♀ (holotype and paratypes), leg. Michael Misch ; FKCP.

ETYMOLOGY. The species epithet is a patronym honoring our colleague Bernhard Scherabon, the author of important early studies on the genus Alpiscorpius (Euscorpiidae) in Austria.

DIAGNOSIS (♂ ♀). Total length 24–31 mm. Color reddish brown, legs and telson yellow to orange. Pedipalp patellar external trichobothria numbers: 4 eb, 3–4 eb a, 2 esb, 4 em, 4 est, 6 et, ventral aspect of patella with 8 trichobothria. Pectinal teeth number 7–8 in males, 6–7 in females. Chelicerae yellow, without reticulation. Male with pedipalp fingers type C, female with fingers slightly undulate. Dorsal metasomal carinae on III–IV segments smooth. Dorsolateral metasomal carinae on II–IV segments absent. Ventrolateral metasomal carinae on II– IV segments present and smooth. Metasoma V ventrally with median carina absent. Chela length/width ratio, 2.3 in males and 2.5 in females. Metasoma IV length/width ratio, 2–2.15 in males and 1.9–2 in females. Telson length/depth ratio, 2.6–2.7 in males and 3–3.2 in females.

DESCRIPTION (♀ ♂). Total length about 24–31 mm in both sexes. The habitus is shown in Figs. 150–153 . For position and distribution of trichobothria of pedipalps, see Figs. 176– 182 . Sexual dimorphism, see below in the description.

Coloration ( Figs. 150–153 ). Base color uniformly reddish brown, legs and telson yellow to orange. Chelicerae yellow, without reticulation.

Carapace and mesosoma ( Figs. 150–157 ). Carapace finely granulated with several smooth areas; carinae are absent. The anterior margin of the carapace is straight. Carapace with two lateral eyes. Tergites finely granulated (more in males), without developed carina. Tergite VII lacking lateral and median carinal pairs. Sternites III–VII smooth, lacking lateral and median carinae. Stigmata small, narrow ellipical. Pectinal teeth number 7–8 (4x7, 4x8) in males and 6–7 (3x6, 17x7) in females, fulcra are reduced. Pectines have three marginal lamellae and 4–5 middle lamellae.

Metasoma and telson ( Figs. 160–167 ). Metasoma very sparsely hirsute. Metasoma I–IV smooth except several fine granules in dorsal surfaces, metasoma V very sparsely finely granulated, mainly in male. Dorsal metasomal carinae on I–V segments smooth; dorsolateral carinae absent; ventrolateral carinae smooth on segments I–IV and irregularly granulated on segment V. The entire metasoma without ventral median carina. Anal arch with small pigmented granules. Telson smooth, elongate in females and swollen in males, with annular ring indicated in females and developed in male. Aculeus short, more curved in male.

Pedipalps ( Figs. 168–183 ). Pedipalps very sparsely hirsute. Patella with 23–24 (4 eb, 3–4 eb a [4 x 3, 24 x 4] 2 esb, 4 em, 4 est, 6 et) external and 8 ventral trichobothria. Chela with 4 ventral trichobothria, of which V 4 is located on external surface near Eb 1. Femur is granulated in both sexes and patella in granulated in males and rather smooth in females. Femur has granulated developed carinae; ventroexternal carina is incomplete or missing. Patella with 5 complete carinae including irregular wide externomedian. DPS moderately developer. Manus smooth in females and finely granulated in males; dorsal median carina missing, other carinae smooth. Male with pedipalp fingers type C, female with fingers undulate.

Legs ( Figs. 158–159 ). Both pedal spurs present on all legs, lacking spinelets; tibial spurs absent. Tarsus with single row of spinules on ventral surface, terminating distally with two essentially adjacent spinules.

Measurements. See Table 3 .

AFFINITIES. The combination of five characters (pedipalp patellar external trichobothria numbers: 4 eb, 3–4 eb a; metasoma IV length/width ratio 1.9–2.15; male with pedipalp fingers type C; metasoma II–IV smooth; and metasoma V ventrally without median carina) is unique in the entire genus Euscorpius .

COMMENTS. This species, found within the city limits of Athens, quite surprisingly, was never systematically collected. Fet et al. (2018: 129) recognized it as an undescribed species that “inhabits the urban zone of Athens, including mountain ranges of Imittos, Pentelikon, and Parnitha”. No DNA data are available for this species. An interesting reduction of trichobothrial number from 4 to 3 in eb a series is present in some specimens (14.3% of pedipalps scored, n=28), a trend that is independently observed in the closely related genus Alpiscorpius (see KovařÍk et al., 2019).

DISTRIBUTION. Greece ( Fig. 184 ).

Figures

Figure 184. Map of distribution of five species described here.

Figures 150–153: E. scheraboni sp. n. Figures 150–151. Male holotype in dorsal (150) and ventral (151) views. Figures 152–153. Female paratype in dorsal (152) and ventral (153) views. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 154–159: E. scheraboni sp. n. Figures 154, 156, 158–159. Male holotype, carapace and tergites I–IV (154), coxosternal area and sternites III–V (156), left legs III–IV, retrolateral aspect (158–159 respectively). Figures 155, 157. Female paratype, carapace and tergites I–III (155), coxosternal area (157).

Figures 160–167: E. scheraboni sp. n. Figures 160–163. Female paratype, telson lateral (160), and metasoma and telson lateral (161), dorsal (162), and ventral (163) views. Figures 164, 165–167. Male holotype, telson lateral (164), and metasoma and telson lateral (165), dorsal (166), and ventral (167) views. Scale bars: 5 mm (161–163, 165–167).

Figures 168–175. E. scheraboni sp. n., male holotype, pedipalp segments. Chela dorsal (168), external (169) and ventral (170) views. Patella dorsal (171), external (172) and ventral (173) views. Trochanter and femur dorsal (174) and ventral (175) views.

Figures 176–183. E. scheraboni sp. n., female paratype, pedipalp segments. Chela dorsal (176), external (177) and ventral (178) views. Patella dorsal (179), external (180) and ventral (181) views. Trochanter and femur dorsal (182) and ventral (183) views. Trichobothrial pattern is indicated by white circles.