Scorpiops tongtongi, Tang, 2022

Tang, Victoria, 2022, A new species of Scorpiops Peters 1861 from Yunnan Province China with a preliminary review of its congeners in Yunnan (Scorpiones Scorpiopidae), Euscorpius 360, pp. 1-45 : 5-31

Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n.

( Figures 1 , 4–34 , Table 1) http: //zoobank. org/urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 7A317530-

A04C -48E8-8061-B99958D3DED6

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. China, Yunnan Province, Dehong Prefecture , Yingjiang County, 24°37'39"N 97°38'27"E, 1451 m a. s. l; VT .

TYPE MATERIAL. China, Yunnan Province, Dehong Prefecture , Yingjiang County, 24°37'39"N 97°38'27"E, 1451 m a. s. l, 4 July 2022, 1♀ (holotype), leg. Tongtong; VT .

COMPARATIVE MATERIAL (VT). Scorpiops jendeki Kovařík, 2000 , China, Yunnan Province, Baoshan City, 5♀; Scorpiops kubani (Kovařík, 2004) , China, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna Prefecture , Menghai County, Menghai Town , 21°58'18"N 100°27'44"E, 1193 m a. s. l, 21 July 2022, 7♂ 8♀, leg. Hang Qiu ; Scorpiops puerensis (Di, Wu, Cao, Xiao & Li, 2010) , China, Yunnan Province, Puer City, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Zha Ga Liang Zi , 22°32'06"N 99°55'39"E, 1137 m a. s. l, 18 July 2022, 5♂ 5♀, leg. Jinping He ; Scorpiops shidian (Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005) , China, Yunnan Province, Baoshan City, Shidian County, Jin Tang Ba (Jintang dam), 24°33'13"N 99°02'57"E, 816 m a. s. l, June (whole month) 2022, 4♂ 7♀ 2♂ 1♀ juv., leg. Guohao Yang ; Scorpiops vachoni (Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005) , China, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Mengla County, Bujiao Township , 21°29'89"N 101°32'47"E, 793 m a. s. l, 26 August 2022, 5♂ 3♀ 11♂ 2♀ juv., leg. Qingquan Jia ; Scorpiops validus (Di, Cao, Wu & Li, 2010) , China, Yunnan Province, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture , Honghe County, Mengzi City , 23°19'07"N 103°19'42"E, 1530 m a. s. l, 6 August 2022, 5♂ 5♀1♀ juv .; Scorpiops zhangshuyuani (Ythier, 2019) , China, Yunnan Province, Dehong Prefecture , Yingjiang County, 24°37'39”N 97°34'47”E, 1030 m a. s. l, 5–6 July 2022, 1♂ 1♀, leg. Tongtong ; Scorpiops sp. , China, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Jinghong City, Mt. Jinuo , 24°34'15"N 100°59'33"E, 1039 m a. s. l., 9 July 2022, 1♂, leg. Qingquan Jia.

ETYMOLOGY. The specific epithet is named in honor of my friend and the collector of the type specimen, Tongtong (Î Î), who is an enthusiastic nature observer and collector in Yunnan, and has been recording numerous Scorpiops species in China for years. He was also one of the providers of the locality of Qianxie solegladi Tang, 2022 .

Chinese equivalent. Î氏flff (roughly as “Tongtong’s resemblant scorpion” in English; see Tang (2022a) for the rules of designation).

DIAGNOSIS (based on holotype female). Total length 41.9 mm. Base color uniformly reddish brown to brownish black, telson and parts of legs brown to brownish yellow. Pectinal teeth number 6–6; fulcra present; pectines form one compact unit with an incomplete furrow between areas where marginal and middle lamellae are usually delimited. Patella of pedipalp with 17 external and 7 ventral trichobothria. Chela with 4 V series trichobothria located on the ventral surface. Chelal trichobothrium Eb 3 located in middle of manus between trichobothria Dt and Est. Dorsal edge of movable fingers of pedipalps not undulate (no proximal lobe present). Chela length to width ratio 2.85. Pedipalp movable finger with ca. 45–50 IAD, which have the same size as MD (ca. 85–90 in number) and create a second row of denticles; there are also 4 ID and 11 OD present. Tarsomere II of leg III with 5–6 stout median ventral spinules in a single row, and two pairs of flanking setae. Metasoma I with 10 carinae, II–IV with 8 carinae, V with 7 carinae. Telson relatively short and bulbous, and densely covered with fine granules, length to depth ratio 2.8; annular ring developed (circumference constricted at the vesicle/aculeus juncture).

DESCRIPTION. Photos of the specimen in Figs. 4–5 , 33–34 were taken under white light (specimen in vivo habitus is shown in Figs. 33–34 ). Photos of the specimen in Figs. 1 , 6–32 were taken under UV light so as to depict cuticular morphosculpture (granulation and carinae). Morphometric data are given in Tables 1 and 2.

Coloration (in vivo) ( Figs. 33–34 ). Base color uniformly reddish brown to brownish black. Color darker on pedipalps, with the strongest carinae and pedipalp finger even darker, and on ca. 3/4 area of carapace, remaining 1/4 area in posterior region lighter. Mesosoma essentially reddish brown, with middle line and posterior margin of each tergite darker (except for VII); granules darker. Metasoma relatively darker than that of mesosoma, especially along carinae. Telson tawny, becoming lighter towards the vesicle/aculeus juncture and abruptly darkened at the aculeus, eventually turning black. Legs variegated with different degrees of brown, becoming brownish yellow distally towards telotarsi. Chelicerae brownish, becoming darker at anterior margin of manus and on both fingers. Ventral coloration of prosoma light brown; posterior area of sternum brownish yellow. Genital operculum, pectines and sternites yellowish, with pectinal teeth slightly darker; color becoming darker towards sternite VII; areas of book lungs anterior to each respiratory spiracle light yellow.

Prosoma and mesosoma ( Figs. 6–11 , 23–24 ). Prosoma: Carapace with 3 pairs of lateral eyes of which two are larger and one is smaller. Superciliary carinae of the median ocelli smooth, short and compact, closely spaced. Median dorsal part the carapace (ca. half of total area) planar, from anterior to posterior margins; lateral surfaces slanting downwards. Lateral surfaces with a pair of shallow central lateral sulci and posterior lateral sulci. Entire carapace sparsely covered with small to moderate size granules; distinct carinae absent (only indicated along the margins of the dorsal plane). Anterior margin of carapace with a prominent median notch (emargination) leading to a deep, wide, smooth anteromedian sulcus. Circumocular sulcus is connected with anteromedian sulcus anteriorly, and with posteromedian sulcus posteriorly. Larger granules concentrated at edges flanking anteromedian sulcus, and above and posterior to lateral ocelli. Chelicerae with dorsal surface smooth and ventral surface setose; macrosetae localized on fixed finger. Dorsal distal, ventral distal and distal denticles of cheliceral fingers very long. Mesosoma : tergites sparsely covered with large granules close to posterior margins, becoming progressively denser towards lateral sides, with one median carina indicated (conspicuous on tergites IV, V and VI, and deconstructed into random granules on VII). Tergite VII is pentacarinate. Sternites smooth with sparse macrosetae, fluorescent microsetae and two parallel furrows furnished with lattice microstructure ( Fig. 10 , arrow) (except sternite VII which has four granulate carinae); respiratory spiracles suboval. Pectines form one compact unit with incomplete furrow between areas where marginal and middle lamellae are usually delimited; pectine teeth number 6; sensory area with small coverage at distal margin of each pectinal tooth, facing inwardly; fulcra present; fluorescent microsetae stout.

Metasoma and telson ( Figs. 25–28 ). Metasoma sparsely hirsute and granulated; carinae with relatively large granules. Metasomal segment I with 10 carinae, II–IV with 8 carinae, and V with 7 carinae. Median lateral carina of metasoma II–IV incomplete, presented by several posterior granules. Granules relatively smaller and thinner on the dorsosubmedian (I– IV), median lateral (V) and dorsolateral (V) carinae, larger and rounded on dorsolateral (I–IV), median lateral (I), ventrolateral (I–III) and ventrosubmedian (I–III) carinae. Granules become conspicuously sharper on ventrolateral (IV–V), ventrosubmedian (IV) and ventromedian carinae (V). Anal arch armed with sharp granules. Telson relatively short and bulbous for the genus, dorsomedian surface smooth, dorsolateral, lateral and ventral surfaces with dense fine granulation, granules coarser on ventral surface, annular ring developed. Vesicle sparsely covered with fluorescent microsetae and few macrosetae, with a pair of smooth, shallow sulci on lateral surfaces.

Pedipalps ( Figs. 12–24 ). Pedipalps very sparsely hirsute. Patella with 17 external (4 et, 4 est, 2 em, 2 esb, 5 eb) and 7 ventral trichobothria. Chela with 4 V series trichobothria located on ventral surface. Chelal trichobothrium Eb 3 located in middle of manus between trichobothria Dt and Est. Femur and patella granulated. Intercarinal surfaces scattered with small to moderate granules. Femur with 6 granulose carinae; promedian carina incomplete, composed of several granules; retroventral carina incomplete, reduced to small granules; granules larger on prodorsal, retrodorsal, retromedian and proventral carinae. Patella with 5 granulose carinae, composed of large granules; retrodorsal carina granular to costate-granular; prolateral surface with three small spiniform apophyses. Manus dorsally with fine, rounded granules; largest granules constitute digital, dorsal marginal and ventromedian carinae; moderate size granules present on interomedian carina; subdigital, dorsal secondary, dorsal internal, ventrointernal, ventroexternal, and external secondary carinae incomplete or obsolete, gradually weakening to dispersed granules. Movable fingers with ca. 45–50 IAD, which have the same size as MD (ca. 80–90 in number) and form a second row, but with no clear separation between the two rows proximally; 4 ID and 11 OD also present.

Legs ( Figs. 29–32 ). Tibia and tarsomeres of legs with several macrosetae and fluorescent microsetae not arranged into bristle combs on dorsal surfaces, but with rows of spinules on dorsolateral surfaces and on legs I–II also on ventrolateral surfaces (spinules on ventrolateral surfaces of legs I–II denser and longer, forming conspicuous rows). Tarsomere II of legs I–IV with row of 5–6 short, stout median ventral spinules, and two pairs of flanking setae. Femur with 3–4 and patella 4–5 carinae; both femur and patella finely granulated, with sparse setae.

Variation. Only one adult female has been collected, thus no intraspecific variation can be documented.

Measurements. See Tables 1 and 2.

AFFINITIES. The new species can be readily distinguished from three closely distributed congeners in Yunnan by easily visible features, without microscopic examination, as follows (in adult females): (1) from S. zhangshuyuani , it can be trapezoidal carapace of S. jendeki ) ( Figs. 2–3 , 34 ; and a larger simply distinguished by a much more robust pedipalp chela size). Morphologically, the new species is most similar to (cf. Ythier, 2019: 191, figs 1–2; 194, figs 9–10; Fig. 222 ) and four congeners in Yunnan, which are all characterized by a a smaller size; (2) from S. shidian , it can be distinguished relatively robust pedipalp chela: S. kubani , S. puerensis , S. also by a much more robust pedipalp (cf. Di et al., 2011b: 16, vachoni and S. validus . However, it can be distinguished from figs 52–53; 17, figs 58–61; Figs. 36 , 134–147 ); (3) from S. those species as follows: (1) movable finger without proximal jendeki , it can be distinguished by more elongate pedipalps, lobe (not undulate); (2) pedipalp chela more robust (see Tables less granulated tergites and more quadrate carapace (vs. more 2 and 3); (3) dorsal surface of pedipalp chela manus flatter and smoother (granules do not form a reticulate pattern); (4) median ocular tubercle less elevated; (5) carapace sulci wider and shallower; (6) pedipalp patella internal apophysis smaller; (7) granules on tergites larger but less dense; (8) granules on metasomal carinae and ventral surface of vesicle stronger. The other two congeners in Yunnan, S. xui and S. yangi , are both characterized by a slender pedipalp chela (Sun & Zhu, 2010: 66, fig. 14; Zhu et al., 2007: 24, figs 19–22), similar to that of S. shidian . Furthermore, the new species can be distinguished from all the congeners in Yunnan (except for S. jendeki ) by the weakly developed median ocular tubercle and superciliary carinae, a less carved and smoother carapace, less granulated tergites, a proportionally longer metasoma and a more bulbous vesicle. Beyond Yunnan, the new species is closest geographically to S. beccaloniae ( Kovařík, 2005) from Mali Hka Valley, Kachin Hills, Myanmar, which was described based on a single male specimen. Nevertheless, the new species can be distinguished from S. beccaloniae by a sex-independent character: ventral patellar trichobothria number 7 (vs. 12); no known species of Scorpiops shows strong sexual dimorphism in this number, and the greatest numerical disparity (4–6) is only presented in several species with markedly elongated pedipalps (e.g., 15–21 in S. anthracinus Simon, 1887 ). Furthermore, the spiniform apophysis on the pedipalp patella is stronger in S. beccaloniae , a character that does not show sexual dimorphism in this genus. The carinae on the pedipalp chelae of S. beccaloniae are formed by largely spaced granules of moderate to small size and the dorsal surface is covered by less granules; the telson is also less granulated in S. beccaloniae (F. Kovařík, pers. comm.). The chela MD counts of the two species are very different (ca. 80–90 vs. ca. 65), although there could be a substantial range of variation (see below). Pectinal morphology is also different (pectines with 3 marginal and 1–5 middle lamellae in S. beccaloniae ; but see below for further comments). The position of trichobothrium Eb 3 is different, but there could be intraspecific variation (cf. Kovařík et al., 2020: 128–129, table 9). Other characters are similar: (1) external patellar trichobothria number 17 (vs. 18, normal variation range); (2) IAD both ca. 50; (3) ID both 4; (4) OD 11 (vs. 12–13, normal variation range). Sexual dimorphism may be presented in the following characters: (1) PTC 6 (vs. 8–9, normal sexually dimorphic range); (2) finger proximal lobe absent (vs. prominent); (3) telson vesicle bulbous (vs. elongate; or L/D ratio 2.8 vs. 3.4). Additionally, the new species is geographically isolated from S. beccaloniae by the Irrawaddy River and Kachin Hills.

DISTRIBUTION ( Figs. 274 ). Known only from the type locality (Yingjiang, Dehong, Yunnan), which closely borders the Kachin State of Myanmar. This species was found in close proximity to the type locality of Scorpiops zhangshuyuani (Tongbiguan Township, Yingjiang, Dehong, Yunnan). According to the distributional map given in Kovařík et al. (2020: 127, fig 799), no other congeners have been recorded nearby in Myanmar. The most closely distributed species is S. beccaloniae ( Kovařík, 2005) in the north, which has been discussed above.

ECOLOGY. Yingjiang County is a mountainous region with several alluvial plains (elevations vary from 210 to 3404 m), characterized by the subtropical monsoon climate and the annual temperature ranges from 16 to 28℃. The holotype female was found under a stone next to a drainage ditch near the mountain forest while it was extending its pedipalps outwards. No other individuals were found in the vicinity. Several topotypes of Scorpiops zhangshuyuani were found approximately six kilometers away. In Yunnan, the new species is found most closely to three congeners: S. jendeki , S. shidian and S. zhangshuyuani . According to the collector, S. jendeki is often found in the decaying wood, while S. zhangshuyuani is found in crevices of soil slopes.

CONSERVATION STATUS. As mentioned in Tang (2022b), no species of Scorpiops is protected in China and many Tibetan species have rarely been encountered after their initial description. In Xizang, two species seem to be the most common: Scorpiops tibetanus Hirst, 1911 and S. luridus Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005 . In Yunnan, two groups of Scorpiops are heavily collected and sold online. The first group includes only one species, S. jendeki Kovařík, 2000 , which is a very small species with short pedipalps. This species has been arbitrarily misidentified as Chaerilus variegatus Simon, 1877 (a species that only occurs in Indonesia) since 2017, by a selfrighteous amateur (柳丝 _Cornelius13) with zero scientific rationale provided, which circulated erroneous identifications by various vendors and successively, exacerbated by the breeders, also unfamiliar with scorpiology. The irresponsible identification, as is on full display by that amateur, will only pose unnecessary, extra obstacles against the protection of these animals and engender additional efforts for others to scotch such rumors in a country with scorpions known only by few people. Numerous species may be included in the second group, and all are characterized by a larger size and elongate pedipalps. Accurate localities of these specimens are not recorded in the pet trade, and many vendors mix together scorpions from different localities, which impedes the identification of these species. At least three species are included: S. puerensis , “ S. vachoni ” (most specimens are sold in the pet trade under this name, although their accuracy of identification is questionable) and S. validus . Besides, S. kubani and S. shidian are another two species that may be sold in the pet trade, and at least they have been collected by some amateurs. Unlike Olivierus martensii (Karsch, 1879) and Mesobuthus thersites (C. L. Koch, 1839) , the targeted hunting of these Scorpiops species is not primarily for the purposes of medicine, food or liquor, but for pet keeping (although some collectors in Yunnan sell them as ingredients added to the medicinal herbs). Under captive conditions, these scorpions are seldom observed to perform courtship and many die from either cannibalism or physiological stress caused by inappropriate humidity and temperature. Instead, most captive newborns come from parturition of collected females that are already gravid. The captive breeding of these scorpions is not as mature as that of many of arid-adapted species imported from other countries (e.g., Androctonus spp. , Parabuthus spp. , etc.). Furthermore, many individuals do not survive in environments maintained by vendors. Keeping scorpion as pets does have a benefit in counteracting negative stereotypes of the public and promoting education and knowledge about these animals if done ethically. Yet, many of the individuals die unnecessarily and few people research the correct arachnoculture techniques appropriate for each species. The current status of their natural population has not been investigated and assessed; however, it is crucial to curb excessive collecting and protect their natural habitats.

Comments on the Scorpiops species in Yunnan and the previous morphological descriptions

Hitherto, 10 species of Scorpiops have been recorded in Yunnan: S. jendeki Kovařík, 2000 from Baoshan City, S. kubani (Kovařík, 2004) from Menghai County, S. puerensis (Di, Wu, Cao, Xiao & Li, 2010) from Puer City, S. shidian (Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005) from Shidian County , S. vachoni (Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005) from Mengla County, S. validus (Di, Cao, Wu & Li, 2010) from Honghe Prefecture, S. xui (Sun & Zhu, 2010) from Menglian County, S. yangi (Zhu, Zhang & Lourenço, 2007) from Maguan County, and S. zhangshuyuani (Ythier, 2019) and S. tongtongi sp. n. from Yingjiang County. Most of these species are of medium to large body size with a pair of elongate pedipalps, except for S. jendeki .

All the diagnostic characters applied in the original papers as well as those in the revisions are arranged in Table 2 (mainly adapted from Kovařík et al., 2020: 128–129, table 9; except for coloration, which is subjective and is not intrinsic if it was based on long-preserved specimens). Kovařík et al. (2020) considered pectinal fulcra to be absent in S. puerensis and S. validus (as S. vachoni ), but these structures were illustrated in their original descriptions ( Di et al., 2010b: 56, figs 12, 14; Di et al., 2010a:16, figs 9–10). As for S. vachoni , no fulcra were depicted in Qi et al. (2005: 21, figs 73–74), although one cannot be sure whether this species had been correctly illustrated. Therefore, the table in the present study does not entirely follow Kovařík et al. (2020). Additional qualitative descriptors such as surface granulations and shape of the pedipalp chela are not considered. For example, S. vachoni was consistently distinguished from S. kubani , S. puerensis and S. validus having rounded, rather than dorsoventrally flattened pedipalp chelae (except in Kovařík et al., 2020). This character can be quantified in terms of a ratio, the maximal depth/minimal depth ratio of the chela manus. However, photographs of the types of these four species are unavailable for comparison. The original description of S. vachoni failed to properly document the morphometric values and no redescription based on the holotype of this species has ever been provided. One useful qualitative species-level diagnostic character for Scorpiops is the proximal lobe on the dorsal edge of the pedipalp movable finger. Pedipalp fingers with this lobe have been variously described as “scalloped”, “curved”, “flexed” or “undulate” in the previous papers but could be misinterpreted as the degree of inward curvature of both fingers seen in dorsal view. The proximal lobe on the movable finger provides a bivariate character including two parameters, depth and length. The depth of the lobe is a vertical dimension indicating how far has the lobe risen from the dorsal edge, while the length is a horizontal dimension expressing the span the lobe covered thereon. Correspondingly, a notch occurs on the ventral edge of the fixed finger, and therefore can be quantified by “depth” (of the incision) and “length”. Some species of Scorpiops exhibit a highly elevated lobe in adult males (e.g., Kovařík et al., 2020: 7, fig. 14), while that of the others is simply wide (e.g., Kovařík et al., 2020: 7, fig. 16). Relative ratios of these characters can be utilized for interspecific comparative analysis. For example, the depth of the lobe can be compared with the depth of the movable finger at the same axis, while its length can be compared with the linear length of the dorsal edge.

Most of the diagnostic characters used to distinguish species in Scorpiops are quantitative, such as pedipalp L/W ratio, number of external and ventral trichobothria on pedipalp patella, PTC and L/D ratio of telson. Among these, some of the characters show substantial overlap between species. Within the Yunnan Scorpiops , the number of external trichobothria on the pedipalp patella ranges from 17 to 19. Excluding S. jendeki (which is the most distinct species of all these congeners), the number of ventral trichobothria on the pedipalp patella usually ranges from 9 to 11 (but the minimal and the maximal counts are recorded in two species: 8 in S. validus and 12 in S. shidian ) and the PTC usually ranges from 6 to 8 ( S. yangi has been recorded with the lowest count of 5). Some of the characters cannot be ascertained as no photos have been provided (artificial illustrations could be wrong), such as the presence/absence of pectinal fulcra, as well as the chela shape as aforementioned. The number of “basal teeth” on the ventral edge of the cheliceral movable finger was used as a diagnostic character by some Chinese authors. For example, in the original description of S. yangi , the authors mentioned that their new species possesses 5 “basal teeth” while in S. shidian and S. vachoni , the number is higher (Zhu et al., 2007: 20; 6–7 in S. shidian ( Di et al., 2011a) , unknown in S. vachoni ). Apparently, those authors misunderstood the definition of cheliceral dentition. As defined by Soleglad and Fet (2003), the “basal tooth (or denticle)” is included in the dorsal series of denticles, while the ventral series only includes the ventral distal denticle and the ventral accessory denticle. As a result, this character is disregarded in the present study, and also due to the fact that this character has not been thoroughly described in all the species. Re-examination of these species is required to determine the diagnostic applicability of this character.

Values of length and width ratios may be sensitive to small variations in orientation angles of segments during measurement. The cited values are only referential unless all measurements are repeated under strictly controlled conditions by the same observer. The L/W ratio of the pedipalp chela is always an important morphometric character in differentiating Scorpiops species, however, it can be inconsistent among different authors. For example, the L/W ratio of S. shidian provided in Di et al. (2011a: 11, table 2) ranges from 3.2 to 3.5, but in Kovařík et al. (2020: 128, table 9), it was recorded as 3.3–3.7. Similarly, the lowest value for S. kubani is given as 2.7 in Di et al. (2011a: 11, table 2) but as 3.1 in Kovařík et al. (2020: 128, table 9). Additionally, the morphometric value for S. vachoni provided in the original description is erroneous, but from the illustration it seemed to be similar to that of S. puerensis . It is possible that the authors of S. vachoni recorded the morphometrics for “ chela manus ”, rather than “ chela ”: “ ...Measurements (male holotype /female paratype)... chela length, 8.23/6.38, width, 5.61/3.32... ” (Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005: 18). To avoid such ambiguity, the measurement method applied for pedipalp chela length and width in this study is clarified ( Fig. 1 ). Three groups can be defined to include all the Yunnan species: (1) very short and stout chela ( S. jendeki ); (2) relatively elongate and slender chela ( S. shidian , S. xui , S. yangi and S. zhangshuyuani ); (3) relatively elongate but robust chela ( S. kubani , S. puerensis , S. vachoni , S. validus and S. tongtongi sp. n.). Kovařík et al. (2020) were the first to document the L/D ratio of the telson, but the prospect of this application in Scorpiops diagnosis remains unclear as the authors did not discuss this character in detail.

Kovařík et al. (2020) conducted a major reassessment of the genus-group taxa in Scorpiopidae . Although most of the characters they studied were aimed at generic revision, some of them were included in the species-keys table ( Kovařík et al., 2020: 128–129, table 9) and these were never emphasized in the previous studies. The first character is the relative position of trichobothrium Eb 3 on the pedipalp chela manus. Five combinations were defined and most of the Yunnan species fell into combination A (Eb 3 located in distal half of manus between Dt and Est): S. puerensis , S. shidian , S. vachoni (including S. validus ), S. xui , S. yangi , and S. zhangshuyuani . On the other hand, S. jendeki fell into combination D (Eb 3 located in proximal half of manus between Dt and Db) and S. kubani fell into combination C (Eb 3 located in middle of manus between Dt and Est). Furthermore, combination C also is found in S. zhangshuyuani . As suggested by the authors, the placement and number of trichobothria on the pedipalps (including the accessory ones) are correlated with the morphological adaptation, and in the lithophilic species, which usually exhibit elongate appendages, there are more trichobothria and Eb 3 is more distal to Dt.

The movable finger dentition is another novel character included in the species-keys table by Kovařík et al. (2020). Four types of denticles were considered: inner denticles (ID), inner accessory denticles (IAD), median denticles (MD) and outer denticles (OD). This quantitative character is included in Table 2 as additional information with data directly taken from Kovařík et al. (2020: 128–129, table 9). Since most of the data are missing, it is impossible to evaluate its applicability in distinguishing Yunnan Scorpiops .

Finally, four types of pectine morphology were defined and assumed to be stable at the species level. However, data of several species are absent in this aspect ( S. puerensis , S. xui , S. yangi and S. zhangshuyuani ). S. kubani fits with the second type (P2): pectines with marginal lamellae I (basal) and III present, marginal lamella II not delimited, but connected with middle lamella forming a single compact unit; although marginal lamellae III is always developed, marginal lamellae I may be only indicated. S. jendeki accords with the third type (P3): pectines with two marginal and 1–4 middle lamellae present. S. shidian and S. vachoni (including S. validus ) fall into the fourth type (P4): pectines with 3 marginal and 1–5 middle lamellae present. As for the four species with data absent from table 9 in Kovařík et al. (2020), the present study recapitulates the information from the original description: (1) the pectines of female S. puerensis were illustrated as having 3 marginal lamellae while that of the male have only 2 ( Di et al., 2010b: 56, figs 12, 14); (2) the pectines of female S. xui were illustrated as having 2 marginal lamellae while that of the male have 3 (Sun & Zhu, 2010: 64, figs 4–5); (3) both sexes of S. yangi were illustrated as having 3 marginal lamellae (Zhu et al., 2007: 23, fig 6, 13); (4) neither detailed description nor explicit illustration were provided for S. zhangshuyuani (Ythier, 2019: 191, fig 2). However, these can only be determined by examining the type specimens.

Supplementary data for several species based on presumed topotypes

As already discussed in Tang (2022c), three Scorpiops species appear to be enigmatic due to their highly similar morphology, the members of the S. vachoni complex (as defined above). Scorpiops validus (Di et al., 2010) was synonymized with S. vachoni ( Qi et al., 2005) by Kovařík et al. (2020) since several characters of both species overlap with each other (e.g., total length, number of ventral and external patellar trichobothria, and PTC). However, the authentic L/W ratio of pedipalp chela of S. vachoni is unknown; the morphometric values of S. puerensis also overlap with that of S. validus , except for this ratio. In the third chela group as defined above, S. kubani is also very similar to the S. vachoni complex in terms of the morphometric values ( Table 2), but this species appears to be consistently smaller. Therefore, new morphometric data are hereby provided for the S. vachoni complex, based on the recently collected topotypes of these three species, as well as another three species, S. kubani , S. shidian and S. zhangshuyuani ( Table 3). The localities of these specimens are presented in Fig. 274 , and these specimens are presumed to be conspecific with their most closely distributed species (the new species described in the present paper has demonstrated that congeners of Scorpiops in Yunnan can occur in extreme proximity). The L/W ratio calculated in this study is very different from the previous papers, probably due to the different methods. As a result, these data only convey the ratiometric difference between species, but do not replace the previous data. The number of different finger denticles (IAD, MD, ID and OD) does not have to be accurate because some denticles may be interlaced, or some are either weakly developed or fused, and sometimes there is no clear separation between those denticle types (especially at the proximal end of the finger lobe, where OD, MD and ID may be mixed together); however, the slight deviation of counts (± 1~3) does not influence the general numerical trend presented in these species. Sample size may also influence the maximal/ minimal value. Definition of these denticles is captioned in Figs. 266–271 .

It is obvious from the photographs of the type specimens of S. puerensis and S. validus that both species exhibit two mutually distinct dorsal profiles in the chela shape ( Di et al., 2011b: 13, figs 33, 37; 23, figs 77, 81). In qualitative terms, the dorsal chela shape of S. puerensis appears oval, while that of S. validus appears rectangular. This dorsal profile is delimited by the external carina and dorsal internal carina; thus, in S. puerensis , the distance between the two carinae increases progressively towards the proximal end, while in S. validus , the two carinae are essentially parallel. Therefore, the L/W ratio of S. validus has been recorded as higher than that of S. puerensis . If so, then S. vachoni appears to be more similar to S. puerensis than to S. validus ( Qi et al., 2005: 19–20, figs 62–63).

S. kubani distributes closely to S. puerensis and S. vachoni in Yunnan and also exhibits an analogous overall morphology with the S. vachoni complex: coloration essentially brownish black, proximal lobe of the pedipalp movable finger pronounced in males, chela moderately elongate (between S. jendeki and S. shidian ) and similar number of ventral and external patellar trichobothria and PTC. However, based on the previous information, this species can be separated from S. vachoni complex by the following characters: proximal lobe of the pedipalp movable finger weaker in females (vs. comparatively stronger in females of S. vachoni complex) (cf. Di et al., 2011b: 7, figs. 19, 21; 13, figs 38, 40; 23, figs 82, 84), a different position of trichobothrium Eb 3 on the pedipalp chela manus (C vs. A), and a different morphology of pectine (P2 vs. P4). It is important to note that, the locality of S. kubani in Yunnan was not included in their distributional map in Kovařík et al. (2020), although they listed “ China ” as one of the countries where S. kubani occurs in the table below ( Kovařík et al., 2020: 127, fig 799). Additionally, one unidentified adult male Scorpiops sp. was found in Mt. Jinuo, Jinghong City ( Fig. 226–229 ), which is located between the locality of S. kubani and S. vachoni in Yunnan.

Below summarizes the results of the observation on the 6 species studied ( Table 3), but also associates with the previous data as shown in Table 2.

Figures

Figure 274: Map showing known Scorpiops species in Yunnan (only cited from previous papers: S. jendeki (●), S. kubani (●), S. puerensis (●), S. shidian (●), S. vachoni (●), S. validus (●), S. xui (●), S. yangi (●), S. zhangshuyuani (), S. sp. (●) and S. tongtongi sp. n. (★). Presumed topotypes of species and Yunnan population of S. kubani examined in this study are plotted as ○ (next to closest colored symbols).

Figures 1–3: Figure 1. Measurement of pedipalp chela length (red line) and width (yellow line). The figure shows dorsal aspect of right pedipalp chela of Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n., female holotype, under UV light. Figure 2. Carapace of S. jendeki, under UV light; photo not stacked. Figure 3. Tergites of S. jendeki, under UV light.

Figures 4–5. Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n., female holotype, dorsal (4) and ventral (5) views, under white light. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Figures 6–9. Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n., female holotype, carapace (6), tergites I–VII (7), sternopectinal region (8) and sternites (9), under UV light.

Figures 10–11. Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n., female holotype, respiratory spiracle (10) and pectines (11), under UV light.

Figures 12–24. Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n., female holotype, pedipalp chela dorsal (12), external (13) and ventral (14) views, patella dorsal (15), external (16) and ventral (17) views, femur and trochanter dorsal (18), external (19) and ventral (20) views, left movable finger (21), right movable finger (22), and dorsal (23) and ventral (24) views of chelicera. The trichobothrial pattern is indicated in Figures 12–17 and finger dentation is captioned in Figures 21–22 (IAD = yellow, MD = green, ID = blue, OD = red). Abbr.: digital (d), subdigital (sd), dorsal secondary (ds), dorsal marginal (dm), dorsal internal (di), interomedian (im), ventrointernal (vi), ventromedian (vm), ventroexternal (ve) and external secondary (es) carinae; prodorsal (pd), retrodorsal (rd), retromedian (rm), retroventral (rv), proventral (pv), promedian (pm) carinae and spiniform apophysis (sa).

Figures 25–32: Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n., female holotype, under UV light.Figures 25–27. Metasoma and telson, dorsal (25), lateral (26) and ventral (27) views. Figure 28. Telson lateral view. Figures 29–32. Left legs I–IV, retrolateral view.Abbr.: dorsosubmedian (dsm), dorsolateral (dl), median lateral (ml), ventrolateral (vl), ventrosubmedian (vsm) and ventromedian (vm) carinae.

Figures 33–34: Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n., in vivo habitus. Figure 33. Female holotype. Figure 34. Comparison between Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n. (left) and Scorpiops jendeki, both are females.

Figures 220–225: S. zhangshuyuani, under UV light. Figures 220–221, 224. Pedipalp chela in dorsal (220) and dorsoexternal (221) and pectines (224) of male. Figures 222–223, 225. Pedipalp chela in dorsal (222) and dorsoexternal (222) and pectines (225) of female.

Figures 35–39: Presumed topotypes of Scorpiops puerensis (35), S. shidian (36), S. vachoni (37), S. validus (38) and S. zhangshuyuani (39) in vivo habitus.

Figures 134–157: S. shidian, under UV light. Figures 134–147. Pedipalp chela of females in dorsal (134–140) and dorsoexternal (141–147) views. Figures 148–154. Pectines of females. Figures 155–157. Juveniles, pectines only, image blurred under white light; two males (155– 156) and a female (157).

Figures 266–271: Examples of definition of pedipalp finger dentation for studied congeners of Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n. in Yunnan (IAD = yellow, MD = green, ID = blue, OD = red). Figure 266. Right movable finger of a female S. kubani, showing a clear and normal arrangement of dentation. Figure 267. Left movable finger of a female S. puerensis, showing subjective separation of MD and IAD (see text). Figure 268. Right movable finger of a female S. shidian (purple arrows: several abraded MD; pink arrow: an extra denticle between MD and IAD). Figure 269. Left movable finger of a female S. vachoni, showing four extra denticles flanking IAD (red arrows, considered as IAD). Figure 270. Left movable finger of a female S. validus, showing a secondary proliferation at proximal part (more than one row of denticle). Figure 271. Left movable finger of a female S. zhangshuyuani, showing a high value of MD number.

Figures 226–229: Scorpiops sp., male from Jinghong, Yunnan. Figures 226–228. Pedipalp chela in dorsal (226) and dorsoexternal (227), and pectines (228) under UV light. Figure 229. In vivo habitus.