Heterometrus ubicki, Kovařík, 2004

Kovařík, František, 2004, A review of the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828, with descriptions of seven new species (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae), Euscorpius 15 (15), pp. 1-60 : 46

Heterometrus ubicki sp. n.

( Fig. 30 )

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. India, Pondichery, Karaikal ; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL. India, Pondichery, Karaikal, T.R.S.N. coll., 2003, 1♂ 1♀ (holotype and allotype), 2002 and 2003, 9♂ 2♀ (paratypes), X.2003 – V.2004, 8♂ 15♀ 2ims. 1juv. (paratypes), FKCP ; Karaikal Territory, Kurumbargum P. O. Tanjore District , leg. P. Sushai Nathan, I.1954 , 1♀ (paratype), VII.1954, 3juvs. (paratypes), 12.VIII.1954, 1♀ (paratype), CASC ; Karaikal, Madras, leg. P. Sushai Nathan, VIII.1962, 2♀ (paratypes), IX.1962, 1♀ (paratype), X.1962, 1♀ (paratype), VI,1963, 1♂ (paratype), VII,1963, 4♀ (paratypes), VIII,1963, 2♀ (paratypes), VIII,1964, 1♀ (paratype), CASC ; 1♀ (paratype) without data, CASC .

ETYMOLOGY. Named after Darrell Ubick of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA, in appreciation of his kind help.

DIAGNOSIS. Adult male holotype 89 mm long. Other adults 77–90 mm long. Color uniformly reddish brown to black, legs yellow and telson yellow to reddish yellow. Pectinal teeth number 14–17 in females and 15–19 in males. Male has femur, patella and chela of pedipalp longer than female. Chela hirsute, its length to width ratio ca. 3.3 in males and 2.2 in females. Dorsal surface of manus tuberculate, without carinae. Patella of pedipalp without pronounced internal tubercle. Carapace either entirely granulate or disc smooth. Telson hirsute, bulbous, vesicle longer than aculeus. Genital operculum large, in female about as wide as long or slightly wider than long.

DESCRIPTION: The adult male holotype is 89 mm long, other adults are 70–90 mm long. Measurements of the carapace, telson, segments of the metasoma and segments of the pedipalps, and numbers of pectinal teeth are given in Table 1. Sexual dimorphism is expressed in the length of the femur, patella and chela of pedipalp, and also in the width of the chela.

COLORATION: The color is uniformly reddish brown to black, only legs are yellow and telson is yellow to reddish yellow. Sternites and tergites are of the same color (reddish brown to black), and pectens are yellow.

MESOSOMA AND CARAPACE: The mesosoma lacks carinae, is smooth, and the carapace is either entirely granulate or with disc smooth. Sternites are smooth, entirely without granules, only the seventh sternite may bear four smooth carinae. Pectinal teeth number 14–17 in females and 15–19 in males.

METASOMA AND TELSON: The metasoma is smooth and sparsely hirsute. The first to fourth segments bear eight carinae, of which the ventral are smooth and the dorsal consist of minute, rounded granules. The fifth segment bears five complete carinae and two additional lateral carinae developed only in the anterior half. All carinae of this segment consist of minute rounded or pointed granules and the spaces between them are finely granulate ventrally and smooth dorsally. The telson is bulbous and hirsute, dorsally without granules and ventrally with four rows of granules. The vesicle is longer than the aculeus.

PEDIPALPS: The femur has three granulose carinae and its dorsal surface is slightly granulated. The patella is smooth, dorsally and externally slightly tuberculate, with four smooth carinae (two of them on the external surface are often lacking), and on the internal surface with scattered pointed minute granules that do not form a conspicuous internal tubercle otherwise characteristic of the genus. The dorsal surface of the manus is tuberculate, sometimes with indistinct smooth carinae. The chela is hirsute and its external surface is smooth, with two carinae. The movable finger bears five or six straight rows of granules and internal and external granules.

LEGS: The legs bear solitary long and short setae. The third and fourth leg spine formula is 5–6:6–7.

AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish H. ubicki sp. n. from all other species of the genus. They are recounted in the key below. H. ubicki sp. n. is close to H. thorellii (Pocock, 1892) comb. n. but has yellow legs and lacks the pronounced internal tubercle on the patella of pedipalp.

Figures

Figure 30: Heterometrus ubicki, sp. nov., dorsal view, male holotype.