Auyantepuia laurae, Ythier, Eric, 2015

Ythier, Eric, 2015, A new species of Auyantepuia Gonzalez-Sponga, 1978 (Scorpiones, Chactidae) from French Guiana, ZooKeys 539, pp. 97-109 : 99-101

Taxon classification Animalia Scorpiones Chactidae

Auyantepuia laurae sp. n. Figs 1, 2-4, 5-7, 8-9, 10, 11, 12, Table 1

Type material.

One female holotype and two female paratypes. French Guiana, near Saut Sabbat, 50 km south of Mana and 50 km east of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, under wood log, I/2015 (E. Ythier & G. Roy). Deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN), Paris. Comparative material examined: Auyantepuia fravalae , 1 male holotype (MNHN-RS-8505) and 1 female allotype (MNHN-RS-8506); Auyantepuia gaillardi , 1 male holotype, 1 female allotype and 6 female paratypes (MNHN-RS-3311), 4 female paratypes (MNHN-RS-3307) and 1 male paratype (MNHN-RS-3326); Auyantepuia sissomi , 1 female holotype (MNHN-RS-3304) and 1 female paratype (MNHN-RS-3309).

Etymology.

The specific name refers to Laura Ythier, for her contribution to the collection of the new species.

Diagnosis.

Small scorpions, 27.5 to 28.2 mm in total length. Coloration reddish-brown, with carapace, chelicerae, pedipalps and legs intensely marked with darker spots. Body and appendages weakly granulated or smooth; dorso-internal carina of chela inconspicuous; ventral posterior granulations on metasomal segment V weakly marked. Female pectines with 5-6 to 6-6 teeths; male unknown. Trichobothrial pattern of type C neobothriotaxic ‘majorante’.

Description.

based on female holotype and female paratypes.

Coloration.

General coloration reddish-brown. Carapace reddish-yellow, intensely marked with brownish variegated spots around the ocular tubercle and on the anterior and posterior edges of the carapace; ocular tubercle darker, almost black. Tergites reddish-brown with confluent reddish-yellow spots, on the sides and the middle of tergites, without forming a longitudinal stripe. Metasomal segments reddish-yellow, marked with variegated brownish spots on lateral and dorsal sides of segments I to V and on ventral side of segments IV and V; ventral side of segments I to III yellowish, without spots; vesicle reddish-yellow with basis of aculeus blackish and tip of aculeus reddish. Chelicerae yellowish, with variegated dark brown spots; fingers reddish-yellow with dark brown spots at their basis, reddish teeth. Pedipalps reddish-brown, with longitudinal dark brown spots. Legs yellowish, intensely marked with brownish spots. Venter and sternites yellowish to reddish-yellow; sternum reddish-yellow with darker spots; genital opercle reddish-yellow; pectines pale yellow.

Morphology.

Carapace lustrous and acarinate, with some minute punctations; furrows shallow; anterior edge emarginate. Sternum pentagonal, wider than long. Tergites acarinate, almost smooth and shiny, with only minute granulations on their posterior edges. Pectinal tooth count 5-6 to 6-6, fulcra absent. Sternites smooth and shiny, VII acarinate; spiracles rounded in shape. Only metasomal segments IV and V longer than wide; metasomal tegument almost lustrous, without granulation, and with a few punctations; segment V with spinoid granulation ventrally, weakly marked. Carinae on segments I-V vestigial or absent; only dorso-lateral carinae are weakly marked on segments I to IV. Pedipalp femur with dorsal internal, dorsal external and ventral in ternal carinae moderately marked; internal face weakly granular; other faces smooth. Patella smooth, with vestigial carinae. Chela weakly granulated, almost smooth, with dorso-internal carina weakly marked. Dentate margins on fixed and movable fingers with 6 rows of granules. Chelicerae with dentition typical of the family Chactidae (Vachon, 1963), and with dense setation ventrally and internally. Trichobothriotaxy of type C; neobothriotaxic ‘majorante’ (Vachon, 1974).

Relationships.

Auyantepuia laurae sp. n. can be distinguished from other species of the genus Auyantepuia and, in particular, from the five species described from the Guiana region, by the following features:

- Auyantepuia gaillardi Lourenço, 1983 (described from Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana): (i) metasomal segments reddish-yellow, marked with variegated brownish spots on lateral and dorsal sides of segments I to V and on ventral side of segments IV and V; ventral side of segments I to III yellowish, without spots (all segments uniformely reddish in Auyantepuia gaillardi ), (ii) body, carapace,chelicerae, pedipalps and legs reddish-brown intensely marked with darker spots (uniform coloration without darker spots in Auyantepuia gaillardi ).

- Auyantepuia surinamensis Lourenço & Duhem, 2010 (described from Albina/Moengo, Suriname): (i) metasomal segments reddish-yellow, marked with variegated brownish spots on lateral and dorsal sides of segments I to V and on ventral side of segments IV and V; ventral side of segments I to III yellowish, without spots (all segments reddish uniformely and intensely marked with brownish spots in Auyantepuia surinamensis ), (ii) size 27.5-28.2 mm (19.0-20.8 mm in Auyantepuia surinamensis ).

- Auyantepuia kelleri Lourenço, 1997 (described from Cacao, French Guiana): (i) metasomal segments reddish-yellow, marked with variegated brownish spots on lateral and dorsal sides of segments I to V and on ventral side of segments IV and V; ventral side of segments I to III yellowish, without spots (all segments uniformely dark reddish in Auyantepuia kelleri ), (ii) pedipalps intensely marked with dark brown spots (weakly marked in Auyantepuia kelleri ), (iii) occular tubercle darker, almost black (clear in Auyantepuia kelleri ).

- Auyantepuia fravalae Lourenço, 1983 (described from Saut Pararé, French Guiana): (i) metasomal segments reddish-yellow, marked with variegated brownish spots on lateral and dorsal sides of segments I to V and on ventral side of segments IV and V; ventral side of segments I to III yellowish, without spots (brownish spots on lateral and ventral sides of segments I to V and ventral side of segments I to II well pigmented in Auyantepuia fravalae ), (ii) pedipalps with chelae weakly granulated, almost smooth (moderately to strongly granulated in Auyantepuia fravalae ), (iii) female pectines with 5-6 to 6-6 teeth (8-8 in Auyantepuia fravalae ).

- Auyantepuia sissomi Lourenço, 1983 (described from Oyapok, French Guiana): (i) metasomal segments reddish-yellow, marked with variegated brownish spots on lateral and dorsal sides of segments I to V and on ventral side of segments IV and V; ventral side of segments I to III yellowish, without spots (only ventral side of segments I to II yellowish in Auyantepuia sissomi ), (ii) pedipalps with chelae weakly granulated, almost smooth (moderately to strongly granulated in Auyantepuia sissomi ), (iii) tergites reddish-brown with confluent reddish-yellow spots, on the sides and the middle of tergites, without forming a longitudinal stripe (yellow spots on the middle of tergites forming a longitudinal stripe dividing the tergites in Auyantepuia sissomi ), (iv) general coloration reddish-brown (yellowish in Auyantepuia sissomi ).