Lychas mucronatus (Fabricius, 1798)

Di, Zhiyong, He, Yawen, Wu, Yingliang, Cao, Zhijian, Liu, Hui, Jiang, Dahe & Li, Wenxin, 2011, The scorpions of Yunnan (China): updated identification key, new record and redescriptions of Euscorpiops kubani and E. shidian (Arachnida, Scorpiones), ZooKeys 82, pp. 1-33 : 1

Lychas mucronatus (Fabricius, 1798) Figures 19

Scorpio mucronatus Fabricius 1798: 294.

Scorpio armillatus Gervais 1841: 284 (synonymized by Thorell 1888: 330).

Scorpio (Androctonus) curvidigitatus Gervais 1843: 129 (synonymized by Thorell 1893: 368).

Tityus varius C.L. Koch 1844 (synonymized by Thorell 1888: 330).

Isometrus chinensis Karsh 1879: 116 (synonymized by Kraepelin 1891: 81).

Isometrus atomarius Simon 1884: 363 (synonymized by Kraepelin 1891: 81).

Lychas baldasseronii Caporiaco 1947: 247 (synonymized by Kovařík 1997: 342).

Lychas mentaweius Roewer 1943: 212 (synonymized by Kovařík 1997: 342).

Lychas nucifer Basu 1964: 100 (synonymized by Kovařík 1997: 342).

Lychas mucronatus Pocock 1900: 36-37; Kovařík 1997: 341-344, Figs 10, 12, 29, 31, 80-82, 93, 98; Fet and Lowe 2000: 164, 165 [detailed reference list until 1998].

Type locality.

India orientali, UZMD.

Type material.

Lost.

Material examined.

Shidian District, 17/VIII/2010, Dahe Jiang, Chaowu Yang and Zhiyong Di leg, 11 females, 3 males, 2 juveniles (MWHU, Ar.-MWHU-YNSD1010-15); Shidian District (24.42°N, 99.24°E), VIII/2008, Heng Xiao leg, 7 females, 7 males, 6 immatures (MWHU, Ar.-MWHU-YNSD0801-20); Longling District (24.47°N, 98.56°E), 18/VIII/2010, Wenxin Li, Hui Liu, Xiaohua He and Zizhong Yang leg, 14 females, 3 males, 4 juveniles (MWHU, Ar.-MWHU-YNLL1010-20); Gengma District, 6/VIII/2004, Zizhong Yang and Yuhua Yang leg, 2 males (BHDC, Ar.-BHDC-YNGM0401-02); Yun District, 21/VII/2003, Zizhong Yang and Benyong Mao leg, 2 males (BHDC, Ar.-BHDC-YNYX0301-02); Yongde District, 20/VII/2009, Benyong Mao leg, 1 female, 3 males (BHDC, Ar.-BHDC-YNYD0901-04); Mojiang District, Tongguan town, 22/XI/2010, Dongming Luo leg, 2 males, 5 females, 1 juvenile (MWHU, Ar.-MWHU -YNMJ1001-08).

Diagnosis.

(Modified from Kovařík 1997). Total length about 40-65 mm in males and females (Figs 1-4). Male differs from female in having fingers of pedipalps proximally twisted (Fig. 5). Sixth cutting edge on movable and fixed fingers of pedipalps, usually with 3 external granules each (rarely 2 or 4 granules). First and second metasomal segments with 10 carinae, third and fourth segments with eight carinae. Ventral surface of seventh mesosomal segment with two carinae (not always discernible). Position and distribution of trichobothria on pedipalps as figures 5-9.

From its general morphology, Lychas mucronatus certainly related to Lychas krali Kovařík, 1995, described from Umphang River in Thailand. They have same important characters: second segment of metasoma with ten carinae, third metasomal segment with eight carinae; sixth cutting edge on movable fingers of pedipalps with two to four external granules; legs spotted. Lychas mucronatus can be distinguished from Lychas krali by the following characters: manus of pedipalps bright yellow with sparse, minute black spots, patella predominantly dark, compared with Lychas krali , in which the manus of pedipalps have the same color as patella and femur; pectinal teeth number 16-26, pectinal teeth 10-19 in Lychas krali ; metasoma of approximately the same length in both sexes in Lychas mucronatus , whereas the metasoma much longer in males than in females in Lychas krali ( Kovařík 1997: 360).

Ecology.

This species is common. We collected from mixed forest and buzzed canebrake. They are found in the bark, the gap of soil and under the stones.

Distribution.

Cambodia, China (Guangxi, Hainan and Yunnan), India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam ( Kovařík 1997; Zhu et al. 2004).