Orobothriurus alticola ( Pocock, 1899 )

Ochoa, José A., Ojanguren Affilastro, Andres A., Mattoni, Camilo I. & Prendini, Lorenzo, 2011, Systematic Revision Of The Andean Scorpion Genus Orobothriurus Maury, 1976 (Bothriuridae), With Discussion Of The Altitude Record For Scorpions, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (359), pp. 1-90 : 15-19

Orobothriurus alticola ( Pocock, 1899) Figures 13F , 15B , 18D , 20A , 21A , 36I, J , 54

Cercophonius brachycentrus var. b bivittatus Thorell, 1877: 183 [synonymized by Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009: 35].

Bothriurus alticola Pocock 1899: 357–358 , fig. 1; Kraepelin, 1911: 91, 97; Mello-Leitão, 1931: 82, 92; 1932: 34; 1934: 63, 65; 1935: 93; 1937: 103; 1945: 138, 144, 145; Bücherl, 1959a: 23, 24, fig. 4; Abalos, 1959: 591; 1963: 113; Cekalovic, 1966: 3; Bücherl, 1969: 769; Maury, 1973: 110; Roig Alsina, 1973: 198; Masnú de Moreno, 1991: 184, 189, map 1.

Bothriurus (Andibothriurus) alticola: Bücherl et al., 1963: 217 , 224, fig. 8.

Urophonius brachycentrus bivittatus: Mello-Leitão 1931: 99–100 ; 1932: 35; 1934: 48, 51; 1938: 94– 95; 1945: 213, 215; Acosta and Maury, 1998: 559; Lowe and Fet, 2000: 44.

Urophonius brachicentrus bivittatus: Mello-Leitão, 1939: 612 ; Abalos, 1959: 592; 1963: 117; Roig Alsina, 1973: 200 [incorrect subsequent spelling].

Orobothriurus bivitattus: Acosta, 2005: 3–12 , figs. 1–8; Ojanguren Affilastro, 2005: 181–183, 220, 241; Acosta, 2006: 20, 21; ICZN, 2008: 69–70.

Orobothriurus alticola: Maury, 1976: 17–18 , figs. 1–10, table 1 (part); 1979: 717, map 10 (part); 1981: 98 (part); Acosta and Maury, 1998: 559 (part); Kovařík, 1998: 101; Acosta and Ochoa, 2000: 135, 136, 143; Lowe and Fet, 2000: 35; Acosta and Ochoa, 2001: 203–205, 208, 209; Acosta, 2002: 176, 177; Ochoa, 2004a: 44, 49, 50, 52, 55, figs. 1, 2, 21, table 1 ; Acosta, 2005: 1, 2, 8, 9, 12; Ojanguren Affilastro, 2005: 176, 178,

179, 180, 220, 241; Kamenz and Prendini, 2008: 39, pl. 111, table II; Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009: 35–40, figs. 2, 18, 19, 25–35, table 2.

TYPE MATERIAL: ARGENTINA: Mendoza Province: Las Heras Department: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ syntypes (BMNH), Puente del Inca [32 ° 49909.150 S 69 ° 55901.820W, 2721 m]. Cercophonius brachycentrus bivittatus : 1 juv. holotype (NRS), San Juan Province.

NEW RECORDS: ARGENTINA: Mendoza Province: Las Heras Department: Puente del Inca, 32 ° 49.5689 S 69 ° 54.6069 W, 2759 m, 2.xi.2003, J.A. Ochoa, L. Prendini and C.I. Mattoni, alpine vegetation (low spiny bushes) on hard, rocky ground, under stone, 1 juv. (AMNH [LP 2386]). San Juan Province: Calingastra Department: Cerro el Tontal, 31 ° 31924.70 S 69 ° 12923.30W, 3600 m, 25.i. 2006, A. Ojanguren Affilastro, L. Compagnucci and L. Piacentini, 2 juv. (AMNH [LP 5848]); between Paso de Agua Negra and Aduana, vega and surrounds, 30 ° 17933.10 S 69 ° 46945.60W, 4005 m, 27.i.2005, C.I. Mattoni and A. Ojanguren Affilastro, UV sampling, 1 subad. ♂, 1 subad. ♀, 1 juv. ♂ (AMNH [LP 4309]).

DIAGNOSIS: Orobothriurus alticola is similar to O. grismadoi in pigmentation pattern, external morphology, and hemispermatophore. The two species can be separated by the shape of the hemispermatophore: the apex is narrower, and the angle formed by the apex with the rest of the distal lamina smaller in O. grismadoi (fig. 36D, E) than in O. alticola (fig. 36I, J). Males can also be separated by the shape of the telson, which is more slender in O. grismadoi . Additionally, the dorsal surface of the telson vesicle is concave in males of O. grismadoi , whereas it is flat in males of O. alticola (fig. 23A, E). Tergite VII is almost entirely pigmented, without an unpigmented median stripe, in O. grismadoi (fig. 13G), but exhibits paired lateral spots of pigmentation, delimiting an unpigmented median stripe, in O. alticola (fig. 13F). On the other hand, O. alticola can be separated from O. compagnuccii by the shape of the lamina of the hemispermatophore: the apex comprises 52.17 % –54.54 % (n 5 3; mean 5 52.98 %) of the lamina in O. compagnuccii and 40.87 % –46.08 % (n 5 20; mean 5 43.88 %) in O. alticola . Orobothriurus alticola and O. ramirezi can be separated by the distal crest of the hemispermatophore, which is less developed, occupying only half the apex of the lamina, in O. alticola , than in O. ramirezi , in which it occupies almost the entire apex (figs. 36I, J, 47A, B). The telson vesicle of O. alticola is narrower, especially in females (telson length/width ratio: ♂, 2.87–3.21, mean 5 3.07; ♀, 2.44– 2.55, mean 5 2.49; fig. 23A) than that of O. ramirezi (telson length/width ratio: ♂, 2.65– 2.94, mean 5 2.78; ♀, 2.13–2.37, mean 5 2.27; figs. 23G, 24E). The dorsal surface of the femur and ventral surface of the metasoma are less pigmented, with narrower stripes, in O. alticola than O. ramirezi . The metasomal carinae, especially the VL and VSM carinae of segments I and V, and the DL carinae of segment V, are less developed in males of O. alticola than O. ramirezi (fig. 20A, C).

REMARKS: Acosta (2002) transferred Cercophonius brachycentrus bivittatus to Orobothriurus , and subsequently redescribed it as a valid species based on a single male specimen ( Acosta, 2005). Based on an examination of additional material, however, Ojanguren Affilastro et al. (2009) were unable to identify any characters by means of which this species could be consistently separated from O. alticola , and it was therefore synonymized.

DISTRIBUTION: Orobothriurus alticola is endemic to central-western Argentina, from the central part of Mendoza Province (Laguna Diamante) to the central part of San Juan Province (Paso del Agua Negra; fig. 54). It occurs at 2700–4000 m in the Andes (fig. 3B) and nearby El Tontal mountain range of the Precordillera (fig. 3C, Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009).

ECOLOGY: The area inhabited by O. alticola belongs to the Puna and the Altoandina phytogeographic provinces ( Cabrera and Willink, 1980). This species was collected in sympatry with another bothriurid, Brachistosternus montanus Roig Alsina, 1977 .

Figures

Fig. 13. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, tergites, sternites and metasomal segments I–V, showing pigmentation pattern. A, B. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♀ (MHNC), metasomal segments I– V, ventral aspect (A), tergite VII and metasomal segments I–IV, dorsal aspect (B). C, D. Orobothriurus wawita Acosta and Ochoa, 2000, ♀ (MHNC), tergite VII and metasomal segments I and II, dorsal aspect (C), sternite VII and metasomal segments I–V, ventral aspect (D). E. Orobothriurus curvidigitus (Kraepelin, 1911), ♀ (MHNC), tergite V, dorsal aspect. F. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), ♀ (MACN-Ar), tergites VI and VII, dorsal aspect. G. Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren-Affilastro et al., 2009, tergites VI and VII, dorsal aspect. Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig.15. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, carapace, dorsal aspect.A. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♂ (CDA 186). B. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), ♂ (AMNH). C. Orobothriurus quewerukana, n. sp., paratype ♂ (AMNH). D. Orobothriurus tamarugal, n. sp., holotype ♂ (MACN-Ar). Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 18. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, sternite VII and metasomal segments I and II, ventral aspect. A. Orobothriurus atiquipa Ochoa and Acosta, 2003, paratype ♂ (MHNC). B. Orobothriurus calchaqui, n. sp., paratype ♀ (MACN-Ar). C. Orobothriurus ramirezi, n. sp., paratype ♀ (MACN-Ar). D. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), ♀ (MACN-Ar). E, F. Orobothriurus compagnuccii, n. sp. E. Paratype ♀ (MACN- Ar). F. Paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 20. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, metasomal segment V, ventral aspect. A. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), ♀ (MACN-Ar). B. Orobothriurus compagnuccii, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). C. Orobothriurus ramirezi, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). D. Orobothriurus quewerukana, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MHNC). E. Orobothriurus tamarugal, n. sp., holotype ♂ (MACN-Ar). F. O. ramirezi, n. sp., paratype ♀ (MACN-Ar). Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 21. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, metasomal segment V, ventral aspect. A. Orobothriurus atiquipa Ochoa and Acosta, 2002, paratype ♂ (MHNC). B. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♂ (MACN- Ar). C. Orobothriurus wawita Acosta and Ochoa, 2000, paratype ♂ (MHNC). D. Orobothriurus calchaqui, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). E. Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren Afillastro et al., 2009, paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). F. Orobothriurus huascaran, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 36. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, sinistral hemispermatophore, ectal aspect showing lamina. A–C. Orobothriurus compagnuccii, n. sp., ♂ holotype, ♂ paratypes (MACN-Ar). D, E. Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009, ♂ paratypes (MACN-Ar). F–H. Orobothriurus famatina Acosta, 2001, ♂ (MACN-Ar). I, J. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), ♂ (MACN-Ar). K–O. Orobothriurus calchaqui, n. sp., ♂ paratypes (MACN-Ar). Scale bar 5 1 mm.

Fig. 54. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, locality records in Argentina and central-northern Chile. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), squares; Orobothriurus calchaqui, n. sp., circle; Orobothriurus compagnuccii, n. sp., star; Orobothriurus famatina Acosta, 2001, diamonds; Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009, triangle; Orobothriurus ramirezi, n. sp., crosses.