Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775)

Di, Zhi-Yong, Cao, Zhi-Jian, Wu, Ying-Liang, Zhu, Lin, Liu, Hui & Li, Wen-Xin, 2013, The scorpions of Hainan Island, China (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Euscorpius 153, pp. 1-22 : 15-21

Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775)

( Figures 70–88; Tables 1–2)

Hormurus australasiae: Wu, 1936: 121–123 , fig. 4; Tikader & Bastawade, 1983: 501–505, figs. 1362– 1375.

Liocheles australasiae: Koch, 1977: 161–166 , figs. 17, 46, 80, 81; Monod & Volschenk, 2004: 677.

Liocheles australasiae australasiae: Fet, 2000: 397 .

Material examined: Hainan Island: Baoting District, Shenling Town , VIII/2006, Hui Liu and Ying- Liang Wu leg., 1 female ( MWHU, Ar.- MWHU-HNSL 0616 ); Baoting District , Nanlin town , VIII/2006, Hui Liu and Ying-Liang Wu leg., 1 female, 1 juv ( MWHU, Ar.- MWHU-HNNL0617–18 ); Ledong District , VIII/ 2006, Hui Liu and Ying-Liang Wu leg., 4 immature females ( MWHU, Ar.- MWHU-HNLD0607–10 ) .

Diagnosis a nd Relationships: See Kovařík (2000).

Description: Based the female material from Shenling Town in Baoding District (Hainan Island).

Coloration. Mainly tan-brown and lustrous ( Figs. 70–71). Prosoma. Carapace mostly uniformly tan-brown and symmetrical yellow spots, with black brown markings on anterior margin part; posterior and lateral surfaces with faint to distinctive brown reticulate markings; median and lateral ocular tubercle black. Mesosoma . Tergite coloration tan-brown with yellow markings, similar to or slightly lighter and faint than those on carapace. Genital operculum and pectines yellowish. Pedipalp reddish-brown with dark brown carinae, chela fingers dark red brown. Sternum and sternites yellowish-brown. Chelicerae yellowish tan; manus with fine dark reticulation with large distal brown patch extending onto basal half of fixed finger. Legs yellow to yellow brown, tarsal ungues yellowish brown. Metasoma. blackish-brown with numerous yellowishbrown markings, anus yellow with red brown tip.

Morphology: Tegument mainly smooth and the granules smooth.

Prosoma: Carapace flattened; median ocular tubercle weakly developed; sides nearly parallel in the posterior half, convergent in anterior half; frontal concavity or notch moderately developed; anterior lobes rounded; lateral ocular tubercles with 3 ocelli of equal size ( Fig. 72–73). Carapace with numerous fine punctations; anteromedian furrow narrow, suturiform, anteriorly bifurcated; median longitudinal furrow shallow, continuous from the anterior suture furcation, running through ocular tubercle posteriorly into a shallow, smooth and shiny triangular depression; posterolateral furrow shallow, smooth and shiny; mesolateral furrow weekly developed, almost absent.

Mesosoma: Tergites I –VI with median carina surrounded by a pair of shallow, submedian depressions; lateral carinae absent. Tergite VII with median carina and submedian depressions weakly pronounced, almost absent; lateral and sublateral carinae absent. Surface of tergites with numerous fine punctations as carapace. Sternum sub-pentagonal, smooth and minutely pitted. Operculum subtriangular. Pectines short and weak; pectinal tooth count 6–8; fulcra present and marked. Spiracles elliptical. Sternites with shallow anterior furrow, with two elliptical depressions, and minutely pitted.

Metasoma: Short and narrow, with weak punctations and few small granules and few long setae. Segments I–V with longitudinal dorsomedian furrow and without dorsal, dorsolateral and lateral carinae. Segment I: ventrolateral carinae absent, paired ventral carinae reduced to smooth ridges with tuberculate granules in posterior half. Segment II: ventrolateral carinae just with two or three smooth ridges with tuberculate granules on posterior half. Segments III–IV without ventrolateral carinae; paired ventral carinae reduced to ridges along whole length of segment. Segment V: ventrolateral carinae with rows of few scattered granules; without ventromedian carina ( Fig. 76– 77). Telson: vesicle elliptical or ovate; ventrolateral furrows absent; ventromedian ridge absent; lateral surfaces smooth, non-granular and without minutely pitted. Aculeus stout, moderately curved ( Fig. 81).

Pedipalp: Strong and short, with granules and weak punctations. Coxa with internoventral margin strongly granular. Femur with four distinct carinae; internodorsal and internoventral carinae developed as a strongly and densely granular ridge, granules smooth; externodorsal carina reduced to a slightly raised row of scattered coarse granules; externoventral carina developed as a weakly granular ridge with few strongly developed spiniform granules; dorsal surface with finely and densely granular and weak punctations, distal end smooth without granules; internal surface sparsely granular; external surface with few weak punctations; ventral surface weakly punctuate without granules. Patella with four carinae present and distinct; internodorsal and internoventral carinae developed as a strongly and but sparsely granular ridge, granules smooth; externodorsal carina, externoventral developed as a strongly granular ridge; dorsal with smooth granules and weak punctations; internal surface finely granular; external surface with a few scattered granules; ventral surface smooth and shiny with weak punctations, without granules; internal protuberance pronounced. Chela with five clear carinae; internodorsal and internoexternal carinae discontinuous with low spiniform granules; externodorsal carina strongly granular ridge of smooth granules; digital carina well-developed, granules extending from externodorsal carina onto fixed finger; dorsal secondary carina absent; internoventral carina continuous, visible as a row of scattered coarse granules; externoventral carina continuous, crenulate with well developed granules, running parallel to longitudinal axis of chela; ventromedian carina absent; internal (internomedian) carina and external (externomedian) carina absent. Dorsal surface smooth and shiny, with densely granular and weak punctations; internal surface sparsely granular; external surface with dense subulate granules; ventral surface smooth, with weak punctations, without granules. For the position and distribution of trichobothria of the femur, patella and chela of pedipalps see Figs. 79–80, 82, 85–88. Pedipalp chela fingers ( Fig. 83): dorsal surface with basal half of fingers granular, distal half smooth, shiny, with a few punctations; ventral surface predominantly smooth, shiny and minutely pitted; tips of fingers with pronounced distal hook; two longitudinal rows granules and each including 7–8 linear small rows.

Chelicerae ( Figs. 74–75): Tooth arrangement as given by Vachon (1963) for Scorpionidae ; fixed finger with median and basal teeth bifid; movable finger with one subdistal tooth and one basal tooth in external series.

Legs: Dorsal surfaces of trochanter, femur, and patella sparsely granular; ventral surface smooth, shiny and minutely pitted. Tibiae with few setae, without spurs. Basitarsi with few setae and one pedal spur. Tarsi ventrally with two rows of few long spines. Tarsal ungues curved and hook-like.

Variation: Immature and juvenile females lightcolored with few spots. Liocheles australasiae is parthenogenetic; we did not find any males.

Measurements, see Table 1. Pectinal tooth counts, see Table 2.

Habitat: Under stones or in the bark.

Distribution: See Fet (2000).