Tityopsis pumila, Teruel & Rodríguez-Cabrera, 2020

Teruel, Rolando & Rodríguez-Cabrera, Tomás M., 2020, Revision of the genus Tityopsis Armas 1974 (Scorpiones Buthidae) Part 1 General updates and description of four new species, Euscorpius 304, pp. 1-40 : 15-21

Tityopsis pumila sp. n.

( Figures 2 , 13 , 15 , 17 , 19 , 21 , 34 , 38 , Tables 2, 4 )

http: //zoobank. org/urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 806A095B- 3AFE-4D3F-B0B9-5C333A064BBA

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Cuba, Pinar del Río Province, Guane Municipality, Sierra de Paso Real, 1.5 km northwest of Molina , 50 m a. s. l.; RTO .

TYPE SPECIMEN. Cuba, Pinar del Río Province, Guane Municipality, Sierra de Paso Real, 1.5 km northwest of Molina , 50 m a. s. l., 24 August 2016, leg . T. M. Rodríguez, A. Rodríguez & R. López, ♂ (holotype), RTO .

ETYMOLOGY. The selected epithet is a Latin adjective that literally means “dwarf”. It alludes to one the most obvious diagnostic character for this species, i.e., the very small adult size.

DIAGNOSIS (male only). Adult size small for the genus (21 mm). Coloration: base orange-brown, slightly darker on metasomal segments IV–V, slightly paler on pedipalp chelae and venter, and much paler on legs; pedipalp femur and patella, carapace, tergites and metasoma symmetrically patterned with dark brown; metasoma with carinae conspicuously darker; pedipalp fingers dark brown. Pedipalps short for the genus (length/ width ratio of femur, patella and chela: 2.65, 2.45 and 3.11); chela with manus short oval (length/width ratio: 1.43) and with fingers very short (movable finger/manus length ratio: 1.17), fixed/movable fingers with 11/11 principal rows of denticles. Tegument of carapace, tergites, and metasoma matt, of pedipalp manus, sternites and telson with a subtle satin sheen. Carapace and tergites with many coarse granules scattered. Pectines with 14/14 teeth; basal middle lamella slightly enlarged and teardrop-shaped. Sternite V with median smooth patch large, longer than wide and lanceolate; lateral smooth patches moderately large, oblique and bulky. Metasoma very short and robust (length/width ratio of segments I–V: 1.03, 1.34, 1.45, 1.61 and 2.11), with 10/8/8/8/7 complete to almost complete, coarsely serrate to serrato-denticulate carinae; lateral inframedians on II obsolete on basal half; intercarinal tegument of segment V with many small conical granules. Telson with vesicle globular; subaculear tubercle small.

DESCRIPTION (♂ holotype; Figs. 2 , 13 , 15 , 17 , 19 , 21 , 34 ; Tabs. 2, 4 ).

Coloration ( Figs. 13 , 34 ). Base medium orange-brown, slightly darker on metasomal segment V, slightly paler on pedipalp chelae and venter, and much paler on legs (which are pale yellowish brown). Chelicerae manus moderately reticulate with dark brown distally; fingers moderately infuscate. Pedipalps faintly and irregularly infuscate on all segments except chela manus, with carinae darker and fingers dark brown. Carapace symmetrically and densely spotted with dark brown, mostly below coarser granulose areas; all margins black; eyes and ocular tubercles black. Tergites symmetrically and densely spotted with dark brown, mostly below coarser granulose areas and median keel; posterior margin dark brown. Pectines immaculate yellowish, with basal portion and basal plate progressively darker due to heavier sclerotization. Sternites III–VI immaculate, VII only with posterior margin deeply infuscate; V with median and lateral smooth patches bright white. Legs essentially immaculate, only with external surface of patella and tibia very faintly and irregularly infuscate. Metasoma with segments IV–V slightly darker (reddish), with carinae deeply infuscate and with distal portion of each segment faintly infuscate into an irregularly annulated pattern; dorsal surface of I–IV immaculate; lateral surfaces with large but faint, elongate dark brown spots between carinae all over distal third of all segments; ventral surface with a thick but interrupted dark brown stripe between ventral submedian carinae, plus a pair of large but faint, elongate dark brown spots between ventral submedian and ventrolateral carinae over distal half of segments I–IV and all along V. Telson vesicle ventrally with faint, irregular infuscation; aculeus with distal half dark reddish brown.

Chelicerae ( Fig. 17a ). With dentition typical for the genus, teeth standard-sized and sharp. Tegument glossy but with minute granulation scattered, dorsodistal portion of manus with coarse, glossy granules irregularly arranged transversally around dorsodistal depression. Setation very dense ventrally, but essentially lacking dorsally, except for six rigid macrosetae around dorsodistal depression of manus.

Pedipalps ( Fig. 15a–c ). Short for the genus, with chelae shorter and heavier than standard. Femur essentially straight (very slightly bent inwards distally), with all carinae very strong, coarsely denticulate to serrate; intercarinal tegument matt, very densely and irregularly granulose; internal (i) trichobothria surrounding a large, irregularly triangular spur. Patella straight, with all carinae very strong, coarsely granulose to serrato-crenulate; intercarinal tegument matt, very finely and densely granulose, internally with many large, conical denticles. Chela with manus short-oval (1.43 times longer than wide), much wider than patella (ratio 1.27) and with the basal half slightly widest, all carinae strong, coarsely serrate to serrato-crenulate, intercarinal tegument with a subtle satin sheen, very finely and densely granulose on all surfaces; fingers very short for the genus (movable finger 1.17 times longer than underhand) and evenly curved, fixed finger with 11/11 principal rows of denticles, movable finger with 11/11 plus an apical subrow of four denticles and a large internal accessory denticle (large terminal denticle not included), basal lobe/notch combination absent.

Carapace ( Fig. 17a ). Slightly wider than long (length/width ratio = 0.97). Anterior margin roundly bilobed, with two pairs of dark macrosetae. Carinae: anterior medians anteriorly divergent and formed by very coarse, isolated granules and irregularly fused to the superciliaries, which are composed of much smaller and closer granules; posterior medians straight, parallel and formed by coarse granules; other carinae absent or indistinct from general granulation. Furrows: anterior marginal, anterior median, median ocular, lateral oculars, central transverse, central median, posterior median and posterior marginal all fused, wide and moderately deep; posterior laterals very long, oblique, wide and moderately deep, almost fused to posterior marginal; lateral centrals very long, oblique (essentially parallel to posterior laterals), wide and moderately deep, almost fused to central transverse. Tegument matt, very densely and irregularly but finely granulose, with many coarse, rough granules scattered. Median eyes relatively large and separated by about one ocular diameter; lateral eyes noticeably smaller and largely concealed below anterolateral margin.

Sternum ( Fig. 19a ). Standard for the genus, with two pairs of dark macrosetae. Tegument very densely and irregularly granulose.

Genital operculum ( Fig. 19a ). Standard for the genus, with three pairs of dark macrosetae. Valves roundly subtriangular and widely separated medially, each with a median depression; tegument minutely and densely granulose. Genital papillae large, thick and slightly protruding.

Pectines ( Fig. 19a ). Standard-sized for the genus (not reaching coxa-trochanter joint of leg IV). Tooth count 14/14 (right pecten with tooth eight abnormally short), teeth straight and slightly swollen. Fulcra medium-sized to small, bulky and round. Basal middle lamella slightly enlarged and teardropshaped. Pre-pectinal plate well visible, heavily sclerotized, very wide and short; tegument minutely and densely granulose. Basal plate heavily sclerotized, about as long as wide; anterior margin with a very wide, V-shaped anteromedian notch, posterior margin convex; tegument minutely and densely granulose.

Legs. Somewhat less slender than standard, with all carinae strong, finely denticulate to granulose. Intercarinal tegument finely and very densely granulose, with abundant slightly coarser granules scattered mostly over external surface, even defining an additional carina (externomedian) on lateral surface of femur of all legs. Claws short and strongly curved. Mesosoma ( Figs. 17b , 19 ). Tergites largely matt, very densely and irregularly but finely granulose, with many medium-sized to coarse, rough granules scattered; carinae: median longitudinal strong, serrato-crenulate to serrate and progressively longer from I–VII, submedians absent on I– VI, complete, straight and strongly serrate on VII, laterals absent on I–VI, complete, straight and strongly serrate on VII. Sternites with a subtle satin sheen, very densely and irregularly but finely granulose, with some dark macrosetae scattered all over; lateral margins of all sternites serrate to granulose; posterior margin of all sternites smooth to vestigially granulose, on III vestigially bilobed, on IV widely bilobed, on V narrowly bilobed (due to protuberance of lateral smooth patches), on VI widely bilobed, on VII concave; carinae: III–V acarinate, VI-VII with paired laterals and submedians which are long, straight and coarsely crenulate; spiracles small, round to short-oval; sternite V with median smooth patch large, lanceolate (remarkably longer than wide), bulky and glossy, not protruding from posterior margin; lateral smooth patches moderately large, oblique, oval, bulky and glossy, protruding well from posterior margin.

Metasoma ( Fig. 21 ). Shorter than standard for the genus (4.08 times longer than carapace), very robust and slightly narrower distally. Segment I with ten complete carinae, II– IV with eight, V with seven: dorsal laterals strong, coarsely serrate to serrato-denticulate on I–IV, absent on V but subtly indicated by an incomplete row of conical granules; lateral supramedians strong, coarsely serrate to serratodenticulate on I–V; lateral inframedians strong, coarsely serrato-crenulate on I, present only on distal half of II, absent on III–V (but indicated in III–IV by a few coarser, irregularly arranged granules and on V by a well-defined row of coarse granules that almost define true carinae); ventral laterals strong, coarsely serrate to serrato-denticulate on I–V; ventral submedians strong, coarsely serrate to serratodenticulate on I–IV, indicated by an incomplete but raised row of coarse granules on basal half of V; ventral median absent on I–IV, strong, coarsely serrate to serrato-denticulate on V. Intercarinal tegument matt, very finely and densely granulose, with some medium-sized granules scattered on dorsal surface of all segments and on lateral surfaces of V; dorsal furrow poorly defined, wide and shallow, but distally narrower and deeper; setation sparse, with two pairs of dark macrosetae on essentially all carinae.

Telson ( Fig. 15d ). Vesicle globose (1.36 times longer than wide, exactly as wide as deep) and with many dark and whitish setae scattered; tegument coriaceous but with a subtle satin sheen, with vestiges of coarse granules scattered mostly ventrally; ventral median carina weak but coarsely subgranulose, continued into the subaculear tubercle that is small, broadly conical and unarmed (i.e., without any granules). Aculeus standard-sized, sharp, shorter than vesicle and moderately curved.

Figures

Figure 2. Western Cuba, showing the complete geographical distribution of the genus Tityopsis (white symbols) and overlaid, that of the four species of Tityopsis treated herein (red symbols, complemented with habitus of their holotypes): T. mulata sp. n. (star), T. canizaresorum sp. n. (rhombs, the southernmost is the type locality), T. pumila sp. n. (triangle) and T. sheylae sp. n. (square). Image frame size, 500 x 250 km.

Figures 13– 14. Tityopsis pumila sp. n., male holotype (13) and T. canizaresorum sp. n., female holotype (14), habitus: a) dorsal; b) ventral. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Figures 15–16. Tityopsis pumila sp. n., male holotype (15) and T. canizaresorum sp. n., female holotype (16): a) pedipalp, dorsal view; b) pedipalp chela, external view; c) pedipalp chela, ventral view; d) telson, lateral view.

Figures 17–18. Tityopsis pumila sp. n., male holotype (17) and T. canizaresorum sp. n., female holotype (18): a) chelicerae and carapace; b) tergites.

Figures 19–20. Tityopsis pumila sp. n., male holotype (19) and T. canizaresorum sp. n., female holotype (20): a) sternopectinal region; b) sternite V.

Figures 21–22. Tityopsis pumila sp. n., male holotype (21) and T. canizaresorum sp. n., female holotype (22), metasoma and telson: a) dorsal, b) lateral, and c) ventral views.

Figures 34–35: Figure 34. T.pumila sp. n., male holotype photographed alive in its natural habitat (two different shots, photos courtesy Raimundo López-Silvero).Figure 35. T. canizaresorum sp. n., photographed alive in its natural habitat:a) female holotype; b) juvenile female paratopotype.

Figures 37–38: Type localities of Tityopsis mulata sp. n. (37) and T. pumila sp. n. (38), a) habitat, b) microhabitat.