Tityus

Lourenco, Wilson R., 2000, Synopsis of the Colombian species of Tityus Koch (Chelicerata, Scorpiones, Buthidae), with descriptions of three new species, Journal of Natural History 34 (3), pp. 449-461 : 454-456

Tityus ¯orezi n. sp.

(®gures 9, 10)

Holotype female. Colombia, Dept Tolima, Mariquita, Bremen , 12 November 1995 (in stone crevice, 300 m alt.) (J. Betaneur). Deposited in the Instituto de

Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Etymology. Named in honour of Dr Eduardo Florez D., of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Description based on female holotype (measurements in table 1)

Coloration. Basically blackish brown, with some reddish areas. Prosoma: carapac e reddish brown, with some yellowish zones posteriorly. Mesosoma: brownish, with blackish transverse stripes on the posterior part of tergites. Metasoma: segments I± III reddish brown, with some yellowish lateral spots; IV and V blackish. Vesicle: brownish black; aculeus reddish. Venter brownish black, with some yellowish regions. Chelicerae yellowish brown, with a very dark thread; ®ngers dark; teeth reddish. Pedipalps: reddish; ®ngers reddish black, with extremities yellowish. Legs blackish brown, with some di use and discrete fuscous spots; tarsi yellowish.

Morphology. Carapace moderately to strongly granular; anterior margin with a moderate to strong concavity. Anterior median superciliary and posterior median keels moderate to strong. All furrows moderately deep. Median ocular tubercle distinctly anterior to centre of carapace. Eyes separated by more than one ocular diameter. Three pairs of lateral eyes. Sternum triangular. Mesosoma: tergites moderately granular. Median keel moderate to strong on all tergites. Tergite VII pentacarinate. Venter: genital operculum divided longitudinally. Pectines: pectinal tooth count 22±23; basal middle lamellae of the pectines rounded and moderately dilated. Sternites feebly granular, with elongate stigmata; VII with four very feeble keels. Metasoma: segments I and II with 10 keels; III and IV with eight keels, crenulate; V with ®ve keels. Dorsal keels on segments I± IV with some spinoid granules, but less marked than in T ityus forcipula (Gervais) . Lateral inframedian keels on segment I complete, strongly crenulate; on II represented by only six to seven distal granules; absent from III and IV. Ventrolateral keels strong, crenulate. Ventral submedian keels strongly crenulate. Intercarinal spaces moderately granular. Segment V with dorsolateral and lateromedian keels vestigial; ventrolateral and ventromedian keels strong, crenulate. Lateral intercarinal spaces moderately granular. Telson moderately to feebly granular, with a long, strongly curved aculeus. Dorsal surface smooth; ventral surface feebly granular; subaculear tooth strong and spino-rhomboidal. Cheliceral dentition characteristic of the family Buthidae ( Vachon, 1963) ; ventral aspect of both ®ngers and manus with long, dense setae. Pedipalps: femur pentacarinate; tibia with six to seven keels; chela with eight to nine keels; all faces feebly granular. Movable ®ngers with 16±16 oblique rows of granules. Trichobothriotaxy; orthobothriotaxy A± a ( Vachon, 1973, 1975). Legs: tarsus ventrally with numerous, short, ®ne setae.

Paratype. Immature female from Colombia, Dept Tolima, Mariquita (en la casa de expedicio  n Botanica , 535 m alt.), November 1995 (J. Betaneur) .

The coloration is yellowish with intense variegated spots over both the body and appendages, as in all species of the T ityus asthenes group. Pectines with 22±23 teeth. Movable ®ngers with 16±16 oblique rows of granules.

Taxonomic position

The new species belongs to the T ityus asthenes group. It is very similar to T ityus forcipula (Gervais) , but can be readily distinguished from the latter by the following characters:

(1) Vesicle with a rounded shape (whereas in T. forcipula it has a`pear shape’) (®gures 11±12).

(2) A much weaker granulation on metasomal segments I± V.

(3) Spinoid granules on the dorsal keels of metasomal segments II± IV less developed (®gure 12).

(4) Basal middle lamella with only a moderate dilatation (whereas in T. forcipula this lamella is strongly dilated).

(5) A higher number of pectinial teeth, ranging from 22 to 23 (in T. forcipula the number ranges from 14 to 16).

(6) Movable ®nger with 16 oblique rows of granules (14±15 in T. forcipula ).