Centruroides simplex (Thorell, 1876), comb., 2011

de Armas, Luis F., Teruel, Rolando & Kovařík, František, 2011, Redescription of Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) and identity of Centrurus granosus simplex Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Euscorpius 127 (127), pp. 1-11 : 7-10

Centruroides simplex (Thorell, 1876), comb.

nov. & status nov.

( Fig. 5 , 6A–C , 7B, D , Table 2)

Centrurus granosus simplex Thorell, 1876: 155 , 157.

Centrurus granosus : Werner, 1925: 540 (misidentification).

Rhopalurus hasethi : Hummelinck, 1940: 140, 141, 142, fig. 17, tab. 21 (misidentification: Aruba records only).

Rhopalurus hasethi arubensis Bakker, 1963: 107 , 109–110, 111, 116, 117, fig. 19–22, tab. 13–15. New synonymy.

Centruroides hasethi arubensis : Stahnke & Calos, 1977: 118; Armas, 1988: 53–54.

Centruroides testaceus arubensis : Sissom, 1991: 70;

Kovařík, 1998: 108; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 120–121.

Type data. Male holotype ( NHRS), without data ( Fig. 6A–C ). (examined via digital photographs) .

Distribution. Known only from Aruba, Lesser Antilles.

Diagnosis. A medium-sized species (female 33–65 mm; male 44–51 mm), light yellowish-brown, immaculate. Carapace finely and densely granulose; anterior margin weakly emarginate; superciliary carinae and posterior median carinae strong, granulate. Pedipalp orthobothriotaxic A; intercarinal spaces finely granulate; femur and patella with strong, crenulate dorsal carinae; chela with digital, dorsal secondary and dorsal marginal carinae moderate to strong, crenulate; ventral external carina strong, smooth. Pectines with 20–24 teeth in females, and 22–26 in male; basal plate rectangular, with a slight transversal depression in the central area. Sternites III–V coriaceous; VI–VII finely granulose, more so on VII; sternite VII with two pairs of strong, granulose carinae. Metasoma with 10-8-8-8-5 carinae, which are strong and subserrate, except the dorsal lateral carinae V, which is feeble and subdentate; intercarinal spaces finely granulose. Telson globose, with vestigial small granules; subaculear tubercle obsolete. Measurements in Table 2.

Centruroides simplex clearly differs from C. testaceus (De Geer, 1778) by its smaller size (60–80 mm in C. testaceus ), lower pectinal tooth count (female 23– 29, and male 25–31 in C. testaceus ), pedipalp chela narrower ( Fig. 7A–B ), and a more globose telson ( Figs. 7C–D ). This species also differs from C. pococki Sissom & Francke, 1983 , by having higher pectinal tooth counts (19–22 in females and 20–23 in males of C. pococki ), pedipalp chelae more finely granulose, and male with shorter metasoma (ratio length/width segment III = 1.8– 2.0 in C. simplex , and 3.2 in C. pococki ). These three species seems to be closely related taxa.

Comments. Bakker (1963) differentiated the Aruba population from those of Bonaire and Curaçao mainly on the basis of meristic (pectinal tooth counts) and morphometric characters, overlooking the morphological ones (v. gr.: cuticular granulation and telson shape).

Additional specimen examined. One female and one male, one preadult female, and one preadult male,

* Without aculeus.

one nymph III female and one nymph III male, one nymph II ( IES), San Nicolas , Aruba, ca. December 1953, Y. G. v.d. Bergh, leg., via Schoolkinderen .

Figures

Figure 5: Geographical distribution of Centruroides granosus, including type locality (red square).

Figure 6: Centruroides simplex. Male holotype, dorsal (A), and ventral aspects (B); C, labels from Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet Stockholm, Sweden. Photos courtesy of G. Lindberg.

Figure 7: Pedipalp chela (dorsal) and telson (lateral) of females of Centruroides testaceus (A, C) and C. simplex (B, D). Scale (mm): A–B, 2.3; C–D, 1.7.