Alpiscorpius kappa, Kovařík & Štundlová & Fet & Šťáhlavský, 2019

Kovařík, František, Štundlová, Jana, Fet, Victor & Šťáhlavský, František, 2019, Seven new Alpine species of the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, stat. n. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Euscorpius 287, pp. 1-29 : 12-14

Alpiscorpius kappa sp. n.

( Figures 33–37, 71, Tables 1, 2, 5) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6E655A9B-

6348-425E-8014-1BF0F166 AD 03

Euscorpius germanus: Fet et al., 2001: 264 (in part?). Euscorpius (Alpiscorpius) germanus Karyotypic race III (Ege

46c): ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019: 156.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Slovenia: Gorenjska , Němški Rovt, 46.275°N 13.992°E ; NMPC.

TYPE MATERIAL ( NMPC): 6♂. Slovenia, Gorenjska : Bohinjska Bistrica, 46.279°N 13.962°E, 1♂ (paratype No. S 017); Němški Rovt, 46.275°N 13.992°E, 4♂ (holotype No. S 683, paratypes Nos. S 695, S709, S712); Goriška: Roče, 46.108°N 13.817°E, 1♂ (paratype No. S 280) .

ETYMOLOGY. Di Caporiacco (1950) named three subspecies of Euscorpius germanus after the letters of the Greek alphabet alpha, beta , and gamma . We continue in this style for another cryptic species and name it kappa after Greek “κάππα”.

DIAGNOSIS. Alpiscorpius kappa sp. n. is a cryptic species of the “ germanus group” of the “ germanus compleX”, defined by ŠtundlovÁ et al. (2019) as “Karyotypic race III (Ege 46c)” which has 2n = 46 chromosomes. The karyotype is composed of 42 metacentric and 4 submetacentric chromosomes (fig. S1F in ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019). The rDNA clusters are located in the terminal region of the long arms of the metacentric chromosome pair 14 (fig. 2E and fig. S1F in ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019). Number of pectinal teeth (Dp) in male usually 7 (70% of eXamined specimens). Number of patellar ventral trichobothria (Pv) usually 5. Reduction of patellar eXternal trichobothria from 4 to 3 present common in group eb a (20%); no reduction in group et.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MALE HOLOTYPE.The following description is based primarily on the holotype male. Measurements of the holotype are presented in Table 1. Carapace, tergites, and pedipalps reddish-brown; carapace with some darker mottling; metasoma dark reddish-brown with dark mottling; telson, legs, and sternites dark yellow to reddish-brown; chelicerae light, slightly reticulated. Anterior edge of carapace essentially straight; smooth and lustrous, lacking any indication of carinae. There are two lateral eyes. Median eyes and tubercle are small in size. Tergites I–VII essentially smooth; tergite VII lacking lateral and median carinal pairs. Sternites III–VII smooth and lustrous; VII lacking lateral and median carinae. Stigmata are small, narrow elliptical. Metasomal segment V smooth without granulation and carinae. Vesicle of telson swollen and elongated, with short highly curved aculeus. Vesicle essentially void of granules, lustrous. Pectinal teeth number 8/7. Pedipalp carinae well-developed ( Figs. 33–35). Movable fingers bear 7 rows of denticles with eXternal and internal denticles. Trichobothrial patterns type C, neobothriotaXic: chela ventral = 4/4; patellar eb = 4/4, eb a =4/4, esb = 2/2, em = 3/3, est = 3/3, et = 5/5; patellar ventral = 6/6. Tarsus of legs with single row of spinules on ventral surface.

VARIABILITY. We scored standard phenotypic markers for 5 type specimens (all ♂), with the following variation observed: Dp in males (n=5): 7/7 (2), 7/8 (2), 8/7 (1); in total (n=20), 7 in 70% (7), and 8 in 30% (3); mean = 7.30, SD = 0.48.

Pv (n=5): 5/6 (1), 5/5 (9); in total, 5 in 90% (9) and 6 in 10% (1); mean = 5.10, SD = 0.32.

et (n=5): 4/4 (10); in total, 4 in 100% (10).

eb a (n=5): 4/3 (2), 4/4 (3); in total, 3 in 20% (2) and 4 in 80% (8); mean = 3.80, SD = 0.42.

DISTRIBUTION. Slovenia (Gorenjska, Goriška) ( Fig. 71).

NOTES. Slovenian populations of “ Euscorpius germanus ” (found only in the western part of Slovenia) listed by Fet et al. (2001) could refer to both A. kappa sp. n. and A. lambda sp. n. The former, however, appears to have a more restricted range in western Slovenia and is currently known only from two localities. In Gorenjska region, A. kappa sp. n. is sympatric with A. omikron sp. n. (“ gamma group”, see below).