Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009

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 : 52-54

Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009 Figures 4B , 13G , 21E , 23E , 36D, E , 54

Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009: 29–35 , figs. 1, 3–13, 15–17, 20–24, 35, tables 1 , 2.

TYPE MATERIAL: ARGENTINA: Mendoza Province: Malargüe Department: Holotype ♂ (MACN-Ar 17986), Cerro Nevado , 35 ° 35945.060S 68 ° 30924.120W, 3130 m, 25.ii.2006, F. Fernández Campón and S. Lagos Silnik. Paratypes: same data, 6 ♂, 2 ♀ (MACN-Ar 17987), 2 ♂ ( CDA), 1 juv. ( IADIZA) ; Cerro Nevado , 35 ° 36904.080S 68 ° 30944.280W, 2900 m, 16.xi.2004, G. Flores, 1 ♀ ( CDA), 2949 m, 7.i.2006, F. Fernández Campón and S. Lagos Silnik, 1 juv. ( IADIZA) ; Cerro Nevado , 35 ° 36902.460S 68 ° 30940.920W, 2953 m, ii.2006, F. Fernández Campón and S. Lagos Silnik, 1 ♂ ( AMNH), same data except 25.ii.2006, 5 ♂ ( IADIZA), 1 ♂ ( AMNH) .

NEW RECORDS: ARGENTINA: Mendoza Province: Malargüe Department: Cerro Nevado, road to antennas, SW face of mountain, 35 ° 35958.60 S 68 ° 30943.90W, 2984 m, 23.iv.2011, C.I. Mattoni and M. Vivanco, UV sampling on rocky slopes, with small bushes and shrubs, no moon, 3 ° C, winds up to 45 km /h, wind chill factor ‾ 10 ° C, specimens walking or sitting on rocks, 5 ♂, 6 ♀, 4 juv. ( LBRE), 4 juv. ( AMNH), 1 juv. ( AMNH [LP 10968]).

DIAGNOSIS: Orobothriurus grismadoi is similar to O. alticola in pigmentation pattern, external morphology, and hemispermatophore. The two species may be separated by the shape of the hemispermatophore: in O. grismadoi , the apex is more slender and the angle it forms with the rest of the distal lamina more acute (fig. 36D, E) than in O. alticola (fig. 36I, J). Additionally, the apex comprises 42.70 % –45.69 % (n 5 7; mean 5 44.17 %) of the lamina in O. grismadoi and 40.87–46.08 % (n 5 20; mean 5 43.88 %) in O. alticola . Males of O. grismadoi may also be recognized by the slender telson vesicle, with a concave dorsal surface; the vesicle is broader, with a flat dorsal surface, in males of O. alticola (fig. 23A, E). Orobothriurus grismadoi is also more densely pigmented, with tergite VII entirely pigmented (fig. 13G), compared to O. alticola , in which tergite VII exhibits paired lateral spots of pigmentation delimiting an unpigmented median stripe (fig. 13F).

DISTRIBUTION: Orobothriurus grismadoi is the southernmost species of the genus. It is known only from the Cerro El Nevado, an isolated mountain range, 200 km east of the Andes, in central-western Mendoza Province, Argentina (fig. 54). The El Nevado range, with a maximum altitude of 3833 m, extends north to south between 34 ° S and 36 ° S, parallel to the Andes, and is separated from it by a plateau of 1800 m (Ojanguren Affilastro et al., 2009). El Nevado is an extinct, eroded, stratovolcano, unrelated to and younger than the Andes. The age of these volcanoes is estimated at between 2.5 and 0.01 MA ( Caminos, 1999).

ECOLOGY: Orobothriurus grismadoi was collected in a high-altitude shrub steppe at 2900–3130 m (fig. 3D), in an area belonging to the Altoandina and Puna phytogeographic provinces ( Cabrera and Willink, 1980). Arthropod surveys conducted using pitfall traps in the summers of 2004 and 2006 did not collect other scorpion species. A recent expedition to the area confirmed that this species is the only scorpion present and active during the summer at this altitude on the El Nevado volcano. All specimens were collected at night in rocky areas (mostly basalt and pumice), and efforts to find the species on sandy slopes (with ash and pumice fragments) surrounding these rocky habitats were unsuccessful. Despite the harsh conditions, with very low temperatures and strong winds during the night, the species is apparently active on the surface from midNovember to the end of April.

Figures

Fig. 4. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, habitus in life. A. Orobothriurus ampay Ochoa and Acosta, 2003, ♀. B. Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren-Affilastro et al., 2009, ♂. C. Orobothriurus parvus Maury, 1976, ♀. D. Orobothriurus huascaran, n. sp., ♀.

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. 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. 23. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, telson, lateral aspect. A. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), ♂ (MACN-Ar). B. Orobothriurus calchaqui, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). C. Orobothriurus compagnuccii, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). D. Orobothriurus huascaran, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). E. Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren Afillastro et al., 2009, paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). F. Orobothriurus quewerukana, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MHNC). G. Orobothriurus ramirezi, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). H. Orobothriurus tamarugal, n. sp., holotype ♂ (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.