Diplocentrus mitlae Francke, 1977

Santibäñez-López, Carlos E., Francke, Oscar F. & Prendini, Lorenzo, 2013, Systematics of the keyserlingii group of Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae), with descriptions of three new species from Oaxaca, Mexico, American Museum Novitates 2013 (3777), pp. 1-48 : 28-30

Diplocentrus mitlae Francke, 1977

Figures 1D , 5B ; tables 1, 2

Diplocentrus mitlae Francke, 1977: 150 , 194–198, figs. 4, 16, 23, 59–62; Beutelspacher and Trujillo- Olvera, 1999: 9; Beutelspacher, 2000: 33; Sissom and Fet, 2000: 341; Armas and Martín-Frías, 2003: 74.

TYPE MATERIAL: MEXICO: OAXACA: DISTRITO DE TLACOLULA: Municipio de San Pablo Villa de Mitla: Holotype ♂ ( AMNH), Mitla , 6 mi. N [16°55.252′N 96°21.997′W], 1889 m, 1. ix.1962, M. R. Bogert.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: MEXICO: OAXACA: DISTRITO DE TLACOLULA: Municipio de San Pablo Villa de Mitla: San José del Paso , 1 km N, 16°55.935′N 96°17.220′W, 1880 m, 17.i.2007, C. Santibáñez and N. Gomez, 2 ♀, 1 juv. ( CNAN) ; San José del Paso , 2 km N, 16°55.735′N 96°17.867′W, 1937 m, 15.ix.2009, R. Paredes, C. Santibáñez, and A. Valdez, 2 ♂, 2 juv. ( CNAN) , 1 subad. ♂ [leg] ( AMCC [ LP 11034 ]) , 1 ♂ [leg] ( AMCC [ LP 11465 ]) .

DIAGNOSIS: The following character combination, updated from Francke (1977), is diagnostic for D. mitlae . Total length (adult), 50–60 mm. Base coloration (adult) reddish to copper red (fig. 1D). Carapace anteromedian notch shallow, V-shaped. Pedipalp femur, dorsal surface sparsely granular (♂) or smooth (♀). Pedipalp patella (♂, ♀), dorsomedian, dorsoexternal, externomedian and ventromedian carinae weakly developed to obsolete, smooth. Pedipalp chela manus (♂, ♀) slender, dorsal surface smooth; digital and dorsal secondary carinae weakly developed to obsolete, smooth (fig. 5B); fingers longer than manus. Legs I–IV telotarsi, counts of spiniform macrosetae in pro- and retroventral rows, 4/4:4/5:5/5:5/5 (variation in table 2). Pectinal tooth count, 7–10, mode = 9 (♂) or 7–8, mode = 8 (♀) (variation in table 1).

Diplocentrus mitlae resembles D. rectimanus and D sagittipalpus , n. sp., in adult size and coloration but can be distinguished as follows. The pedipalp chela dorsal surface is smooth (♂, ♀) in D. mitlae but reticulate (♂) or granular (♀) in D. rectimanus , and granular-reticulate (♂) or granular (♀) in D. sagittipalpus , n. sp. The pedipalp chela digital carina (♂) is weakly developed in D. mitlae but strongly developed in D. rectimanus and D. sagittipalpus , n. sp. The counts of spiniform macrosetae on the telotarsi of legs III and IV are lower (5/5:5/5) in D. mitlae than in D. rectimanus and D. sagittipalpus , n. sp. (6/6:6/6).

DESCRIPTION Of THE FEMALE: The original description of D. mitlae was based on the holotype male, and the female remained unknown until now.

Coloration: Carapace brown to reddish orange; moderately infuscate throughout, uniformly so around median ocelli, variegated elsewhere. Coxosternum pale yellow. Pedipalps orange to reddish brown, carinae darker. Legs pale brown to pale orange, uniformly infuscate. Mesosoma brown to reddish brown; tergites brown, densely infuscate; sternites pale yellow. Metasoma pale brown to reddish brown; carinae weakly to moderately infuscate. Telson orange to reddish, uniformly infuscate.

Carapace: Anterior margin moderately setose; anteromedian notch moderately deep, V-shaped. Frontal lobes and interocular surface weakly granular; other surfaces sparsely granular or shagreened. Three pairs of subequal lateral ocelli.

Pedipalps: Orthobothriotaxic, type C. Femur height greater than width; dorsal intercarinal surface markedly convex, sparsely granular medially; external intercarinal surface smooth; ventral intercarinal surface flat, smooth; internal intercarinal surface finely and sparsely granular; dorsointernal carina moderately developed, granular; dorsoexternal carina weakly developed, granular proximally and smooth distally; ventroexternal carina obsolete to weakly developed; ventrointernal carina moderately developed, granular proximally, becoming obsolete distally. Patella, all intercarinal surfaces smooth; proximal tubercle moderately developed; dorsointernal carina weakly developed to obsolete; dorsomedian carina weakly developed, smooth; dorsoexternal carina obsolete; externomedian obsolete; ventroexternal carinae obsolete; ventromedian carina obsolete; ventrointernal carina obsolete. Chela manus, rounded, height greater than width, sparsely setose; dorsal and external intercarinal surfaces smooth; dorsal marginal carina weakly developed to obsolete, smooth; digital carina obsolete; dorsal secondary and external secondary carinae obsolete; ventroexternal carina weakly developed to obsolete, smooth distally, becoming obsolete proximally; ventromedian carina weakly developed to obsolete, smooth proximally, becoming obsolete distally, directed toward midpoint of movable finger articulation; ventrointernal carina weakly developed to obsolete, smooth; internodorsal, internomedian and internoventral carinae weakly developed to obsolete, smooth; internal surface with shallow longitudinal depression where chela rests against patella. Chela fixed finger curved; length subequal to femur length and patella length; dorsal surface smooth and moderately setose proximally; external surface flat; internal surface shallowly concave.

Legs: Legs I–IV femora and tibiae, prolateral surfaces shagreened; telotarsi, counts of spiniform macrosetae in pro- and retroventral rows (dextral/sinistral), 4/4 4/4: 4/5 4/5: 5/5 5/5: 5/5 5/5.

Pectines: Tooth count: 7–8.

Mesosoma: Tergites I –VI, pretergites smooth to shagreened, posttergites granular; VII granular. Sternites smooth; VII, dorsosubmedian and dorsolateral carinae weakly developed, crenulate to granular.

Metasoma: Metasomal segments I–V, dorsal intercarinal surfaces minutely granular distally on segments I and II; smooth on III and V; lateral intercarinal surfaces smooth; ventral intercarinal surfaces smooth on I–V. Segments I–IV, dorsolateral carinae weakly developed, granular on I and II; weakly developed to obsolete, smooth on III and IV; lateral supramedian carinae moderately developed, crenulate to slightly granular on I and II, moderately developed, smooth on III and IV; lateral inframedian carinae moderately developed, slightly granular to crenulate on I–III, weakly developed, smooth on IV; ventrolateral carinae moderately to strongly developed, granular on I and II, weakly developed, slightly granular to crenulate on III and IV; ventrosubmedian carinae moderately to strongly developed, granular to slightly crenulate on I and II, weakly developed, slightly crenulate to smooth on III and IV. Segment V length:pedipalp femur length ratio, 1.48; dorsolateral and lateral inframedian carinae weakly developed to obsolete, smooth; ventrolateral carinae moderately developed, granular; ventromedian carina moderately developed, granular, with subspiniform granules posteriorly; ventral transverse carina moderately developed, comprising six subspiniform granules; anal arch semicircular; anal subterminal carina strongly developed, comprising 12 granules; anal terminal carina moderately developed, granular.

Telson: Telson , width:length ratio, 0.62. Vesicle, lateral surfaces smooth; ventral surface granular anteriorly. Subaculear tubercle stout, subconical. Aculeus, 1.4 length of subaculear tubercle, strongly curved.

DISTRIBUTION: Diplocentrus mitlae is known only from the central valleys and adjacent mountains of Oaxaca in the San Pablo Villa de Mitla municipality (fig. 3B).

ECOLOGY: This species was collected under stones and from burrows, ca. 20 cm long, at the base of stones, in an area where the dominant vegetation was oak forest. Centruroides nigrimanus and Vaejovis oaxaca Santibáñez-López and Sissom, 2010 , were collected in sympatry. The habitat and habitus of D. mitlae are consistent with the pelophilous ecomorphotype ( Prendini, 2001).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Diplocentrus keyserlingii group, microhabitat and representative species. A. Diplocentrus hoffmanni Francke, 1977, burrow entrance. B. Diplocentrus sissomi, n. sp., female with brood in burrow under stone. C. D. hoffmanni, ♂. D. Diplocentrus mitlae Francke, 1977, ♂. E. Diplocentrus rectimanus Pocock, 1898, ♂. F. D. sissomi, n. sp., ♀.

FIGURE 5. Diplocentrus keyserlingii group, dextral pedipalp chela, dorsoexternal aspect. A. Diplocentrus keyserlingii Karsch, 1880, holotype ♂ (AMNH) of Diplocentrus reticulatus Francke, 1977. B. Diplocentrus mitlae Francke, 1977, holotype ♂ (AMNH). Scale bar = 1 mm.