Centruroides concordia, de Armas & Teruel, 2021

de Armas, Luis F. & Teruel, Rolando, 2021, The correct identity of Centruroides hoffmanni Armas, 1996 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), with the description of a new species from Chiapas, Mexico, Euscorpius 339, pp. 1-5 : 3

Centruroides concordia sp. n.

( Figure 2 ) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F3624B67-

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Centruroides hoffmanni [misidentification]: Goodman, Prendini & Esposito, 2021: 3, 6–7, 9–10, 13, 15; fig. 2; tabs. 1–2. Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito, 2021: 8, 53–55, figs. 2, 4, 7a–b, 10 a–b, 15a, 16a, 17c–f, 18c–f, 19c–f, 20c–f, 21c–f, 22c–f, 23c–f, 24c–f, 25c–f, 38–39; tabs. 1, 8, 10.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Mexico, Chiapas State, La Concordia MunicipalitY, Villa Corzo-La Tigrilla, San Julián, Revolución Mexicana .

TYPE MATERIAL. 1♀ holotYpe ( CNAN SC3998 ) : Mexico, Chiapas State, La Concordia MunicipalitY, Villa Corzo- La Tigrilla , San Julián , Revolución Mexicana (16°00'00"N 92°50'47"W), 544 m a. s. l, 17 April 2007, leg. C. MaYorga, G. Ortega & L. Cervantes. ParatYpes : all other specimens listed under “ Material examined” bY Goodman et al. (2021b: 55) .

ETYMOLOGY. The specific name is an indeclinable noun in apposition, taken straight from the Spanish name of the municipalitY from which the holotYpe originates.

DIAGNOSIS. A medium-sized species (44–60 mm) of the “ thorellii ” group of the genus Centruroides , characterized for the following combination of characters: 1) tergites with complete median carinae; 2) pectinal tooth counts 13–15 in both sexes; 3) metasomal segments I-II with strong ventral submedian carinae; 4) male carapace 0.91–1.00 times as long as wide; 5) carapace with posterior median carinae well developed, granular; 6) pedipalp chelae with prodorsal carina; 7) male telson vesicle elongate, 2.1–2.9 times longer than wide. Its closest relative seems to be C. chanae Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito, 2001 ; for a comparison, see Goodman et al. (2021b).

COMMENTS. Below we will discuss in detail the complete mismatch between the holotYpe of C. hoffmanni and the species identified as such bY Goodman (2021a, 2021b): Color pattern. The holotYpe has the carapace with large and sYmmetrical dark blotches and the tergites with two broad and solid dark longitudinal stripes (see Armas, 1996: 29), exactlY as in our specimens conspecific with it (see Martín-Frías et al., 2005: 2, fig. 1). On the other hand, Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito (2021: 68–69, figs. 38–39) depicted the carapace and tergites denselY and irregularlY variegated in the second taxon.

Pectinal tooth counts. The holotYpe has 20/21 (see Armas, 1996: 30), while our conspecific specimens have 21–24 in males and 20–22 in females, as stated bY Martín-Frías et al. (2005: 5; tab. 3). On the other hand, Goodman et al. (2021b: 48; tab. 8) recorded non-overlapping and much lower counts of 13–15 in both sexes of the second taxon.

Length / width of metasomal segments I / II / III / IV / V. The holotYpe female has the following ratios: 1.12 / 1.36 / 1.49 / 1.74 / 2.12 (calculated from Armas, 1996: 28, tab. 3), because of being immature, slightlY shorter than our conspecific adult females with 1.15–1.23 / 1.40–1.59 / 1.45–1.73 / 1.76–1.95 / 2.14–2.35 (see Martín-Frías et al., 2005: 4, tabs. 1–2, enhanced with our new calculations). On the other hand, Goodman et al. (2021b: 48; tab. 8) gave precise measurements of adult females of the second taxon that allowed us to calculate the following non-overlapping and much longer ratios: 1.28–1.50 / 1.94–2.20 / 2.27–2.40 / 2.34–2.86 / 2.73–3.31.

Telson shape. Despite being an immature, the holotYpe has the vesicle short and bulbose and the subaculear tubercle spiniform ( Armas, 1996: 30, fig. 8), just like our conspecific specimens (Martín-Frías et al., 2005: 2–3; figs. 5–6, 10; see also Santibáñez-López & Ponce-Saavedra, 2009: 328, fig. 11). On the other hand, Goodman et al. (2021b: 51–52, figs. 24c,f, 25c,f) depicted the vesicle elongate and slender and the subaculear tubercle triangular and compressed in the second taxon.

All differences listed above, as well as others well visible even to unaided eYe, are clearlY shown in the Figure 2 herein, which includes a topotYpe of the authentic C. hoffmanni with the following collecting data: Mexico, Chiapas State, Arriaga MunicipalitY, La Gloria Farm, collected inside inhabited house bY public health staff, no date, leg. J. G. Baldazo (1♀ RTO). The interested reader will easilY realize its perfect match to the figures published bY Armas (1996), Martín-Frías et al. (2005) and Santibáñez-López & Ponce-Saavedra (2009) on one hand, and its absolute contradiction to those bY Goodman et al. (2021b) on the other.

With respect to the infrageneric affiliation of the authentic C. hoffmanni , the four diagnostic characters discussed above are enough to demonstrate beYond anY reasonable doubt that it is not a member of the “ thorellii ” species-group. As first suggested implicitlY bY Martín-Frías et al. (2005) and then formallY established bY Teruel et al. (2015) and followed bY Santibáñez-López & Ponce-Saavedra (2009), it belongs in the “ nigrovariatus ” species-group, where it is most closelY related to Centruroides baergi Hoffmann, 1932 , C. franckei Santibáñez-López & Contreras-Félix, 2013 and C. poncei Teruel, Kovařík, Baldazo-Monsivais & Hoferek, 2015 .

REMARKS. The present description is made in full agreement with Article 13.1.2 of the Code (ICZN, 1999).

For additional data of this species (measurements, pectinal tooth counts, illustrations, ecologY and distribution), see Goodman et al. (2021b: as C. hoffmanni ).

Figures

Figure 2. Geographical distribution of the authentic Centruroides hoffmanni (circles) and C. concordia sp. n. (triangles), with the tYpe localities indicated in red. Image frame represents 3,800 x 1,550 km (a) and 600 x 245 km (b).