Bothriurus ceii, Ojanguren-Affilastro, Andrés Alejandro, 2007

Ojanguren-Affilastro, Andrés Alejandro, 2007, A new endemic scorpion species from the Somuncura Plateau, in northern Patagonia (Scorpiones, Bothriuridae), Zootaxa 1466, pp. 47-56 : 48-51

Bothriurus ceii n. sp.

figs 1–5; 7–13, Table 1

Bothriurus patagonicus group: Maury 1979b: 707, 715 ("material de [...] Meseta de Somuncurá "); Acosta & Maury 1998: 554 (“una forma [...] habita en el piso superior de la Meseta de Somuncurá ”); Ojanguren Affilastro 2005: 215 (“otra población [...] habita el piso superior de la Meseta de Somuncurá ”).

Bothriurus sp.: Acosta 2003: 2, 8, 10 ("belonging to ' patagonicus species group'…").

Type series: ARGENTINA: Río Negro Province: Somuncura Plateau: Holotype male (MACN-Ar 12063), between “Cerro Corona Chico” and “Laguna Blanca”, 1450 m ,, 8-I-2003, A. Ojanguren-Affilastro and L. Piacentini coll. Paratypes: 1 female and 3 juveniles (MACN-Ar 12064) same data as holotype; 2 males, 2 females and one juvenile (MACN-Ar 12065), “Meseta de Somuncura ”, 1400 m, 20-XII-1967, Raimunda and Cei coll.; 1 male, 1 female, 1 juvenile ( CDA), near “Cerro Corona Chico” 1300 m, 9-I-2003, A. Ojanguren- Affilastro and L. Piacentini coll; 1 male, 1 female, 1 juvenile ( AMNH), same data.

Etymology: This species is named after the herpetologist José M. Cei, who has been the first collector of scorpions in the Somuncura plateau.

Diagnosis: Bothriurus ceii can be separated from B. patagonicus by means of the pigmentation pattern. In B. ceii the ventrolateral and the ventromedian stripes of the ventral surface of metasomal segments I–V do not join in any segment, whereas in B. patagonicus they join in the posterior third of each segment. They can also be separated for the ventral carination of sternite V and metasomal segment I: in B. ceii the surfaces are smooth in both sexes ( Fig. 7 ), whereas in B. patagonicus females there are two VL carinae in sternite V, and four longitudinal carinae in metasomal segment I, two VL and two VSM ( Fig. 6 ); in B. patagonicus males there are only two VL carinae in metasomal segment I.

The only Bothriurus species that inhabits in the nearby area surrounding the Somuncura tableland is B. burmeisteri , which can be separated from B. ceii by means of the cheliceral dentition: B. ceii possesses one subdistal tooth in the movable finger, whereas B. burmeisteri possesses two. Additionally, the VSM and VM carinae of metasomal segment V occupy only the posterior half of the segment in B. ceii , whereas in B. burmeisteri they occupy almost the entire length of the segment (Roig Alsina 1974; Acosta 1997; Ojanguren Affilastro 2005).

Description: Colour: General colour yellowish, with dark brown spots of pigment. Carapace: anterior margin densely pigmented; ocular tubercle and area around the lateral ocelli dark brown; two oblique thick dark stripes extending from the base of the postocular furrow to the anterior margin; area near the lateral margins with dense reticulate pigment; with two posterolateral dark spots, occupying almost the entire posterior margin. Chelicerae: fixed finger with dense reticular pigment near the articulation with the movable finger; movable finger densely pigmented. Tergites: with two lateral dark spots, joint in the median area of the segment. Sternites, sternum, genital opercula and pectines depigmented. Metasoma: segments I–IV: dorsal surface with a median triangular spot; lateral surface with slight reticular pigment in the area below the LIM carina; ventral surface with three longitudinal dark stripes, two ventrolaterals and one ventromedian, that do not join in any segment; segment V: dorsal surface with two faint longitudinal dark stripes, lateral and ventral surfaces like segments I–IV. Telson : vesicle: dorsal surface depigmented or slightly pigmented, ventral surface with dark reticular pigment; aculeus dark brown. Legs: femur and patella densely pigmented on the lateral surfaces, tibia and basitarsus slightly pigmented near their VL margins, the rest unpigmented. Pedipalps: femur with the dorsal surface densely pigmented, the rest unpigmented; patella with four longitudinal stripes, on the dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, external and ventroexternal margins; chela, with seven longitudinal stripes, three on the external surface, two on the ventral surface, and two on the internal surface.

Morphology: Measurements of the holotype male and a paratype female (MACN–Ar 12063, 12064) are recorded in Table 1 . Total length in males 39–46 mm (N = 5, mean = 42.3), 40–46 in females (N = 5; mean = 43.4). Carapace: tegument smooth in the median area, slightly granular near the lateral margins; anterior margin slightly convex, anterior longitudinal furrow absent; ocular tubercle weakly developed, median eyes small, two diameters apart; posterior lateral and posterior median furrow deeply marked. Chelicerae: similar to the rest of the species of the genus but with one subdistal tooth, like in B. patagonicus ( Maury 1969, Ojanguren Affilastro 2005). Tergites: I–VI smooth in females, slightly granular in males; VII slightly granular in the anterior half, densely granular and with four longitudinal carinae in the posterior half. Sternites: smooth tegument, spiracles small and narrow. Metasoma: segment I: ventral surface smooth, with eight macrosetae, four ventral and four ventrolateral ( Fig. 7 ); LIM carina granular and well marked in the posterior half of the segment, with one macroseta near the distal margin; LSM carina granular, occupying the posterior half of the segment, with one macroseta almost in the middle of the carina; DL carina granular, occupying the entire length of the segment, the rest of the tegument smooth except for the area between DL and LSM carinae, that is granular; segments II–III: similar to segment I but less granular and with less developed carinae, LSM and LIM carinae restricted to the distal third of the segment; with one macroseta in the DL carina, and one macroseta in the LSM carina, there are no macrosetae in the LIM carina; segment IV: DL carina granular, extending the entire length of the segment; LSM carina only represented by some granules in the posterior third of the segment; macrosetae like segment III; segment V: dorsal surface smooth, with one DL seta; lateral surface with scattered blunt granules and three setae on each side; LSM carina represented by a small apophysis in the anterior margin of the segment; ventral surface densely granular in its posterior half, with six ventral setae and six VL setae; VL carinae extending almost the entire length of the segment ( Fig. 5 ); VSM carinae oblique, only present in the second half of the segment, and connecting with the VL carinae in its posterior margin; VM carina present in the second half of the segment, hardly distinguishable between the ventral granulation ( Fig. 8 ). Telson : vesicle globose, being more globose in females ( Figs. 3, 4 ), ventral surface densely granular; dorsal surface slightly granular, with a slight median glandular depression in males; aculeus short and curved. Legs: smooth tegument, with two well developed and symmetrical basitarsal spurs; telotarsi with a ventromedian row of hyaline setae, and with well developed ventrolateral spines: tarsus I: 1-1; tarsus II: 2-2, tarsi III and IV: 3-3; telotarsal unguis curved and symmetrical. Pectines: number of pectinal teeth in males: 17–18 (N = 5; median = 17); in females: 15–16 (N = 5; median = 15). Pedipalps: DE carina extending the entire length of the segment, granular in males, blunt in females; DI carina marked by scattered granules, complete in males, restricted to the basal half of the segment in females; internal surface granular; dorsal and ventral surfaces granular in males, smooth in females. Patella: tegument slightly granular in males, smooth in females, DI and VI carinae granular and extending the entire length of the segment. Chela: robust with short fingers and smooth tegument, in females it is less robust, with longer fingers ( Figs. 9, 10 ); males with a strong conic apophysis near the articulation with the movable finger ( Figs. 11, 12 ). Trichobothrial pattern: neobothriotaxic major type C, with one accessory trichobothrium in the V series of chela; femur with 3 trichobothria (1 d, 1 i and 1 e); patella with 19 trichobothria (3 V, 2 d, 1 i, 3 et, 1 est, 2 em, 2 esb, and 5 eb); chela with 27 trichobothria (1 Est, 5 Et, 5 V, 1 Esb, 3 Eb, 1 Dt, 1 Db, 1 et, 1 est, 1 esb, 1 eb, 1 dt, 1 dst, 1 dsb, 1 db, 1 ib, 1 it). Hemispermatophore: distal lamina similar in size to the basal portion, slightly curved in its upper third; distal crest parallel to the posterior margin, with a transversal crest; internal lobe with a small apophysis in its external surface ( Fig. 2 ); basal lobe laminar; frontal fold well developed; capsular cavity well developed ( Fig. 1 ).

Distribution and habitat: Bothriurus ceii n. sp. is endemic to the Somuncura tableland placed in Río Negro and Chubut provinces, in northern Argentinean Patagonia ( Fig. 13 ). This species has only been collected in the upper belt of this plateau, between 1300 to 1450 m, in an area which has characteristics of the Patagonic phytogeographyc province. The vegetation of this area is a grassland of “Coiron” ( Poa spp., Festuca spp. and Stipa spp.; Cei 1969); the soil is covered with small rocks of 30 to 40 cm in diameter; the landscape is a slightly undulated plain, with sparse, low hills, and with scattered temporary lakes that depend on summer rainfalls.

(fig 11-12)????

Figures

FIGURE 13. Map of northern Argentinean Patagonia, showing the known distribution of the Bothriurus species of this area, and the Somuncura plateau, (in light grey, area with altitudes from 500 to 900 m asl, in dark grey area above 900 m asl).

FIGURES 1 – 12. Figures 1 – 5, 7 – 12. Bothriurus ceii n. sp. 1: left hemispermatophore, internal aspect; 2: left hemispermatophore, external aspect; 3: telson, female, lateral aspect; 4: telson, male, lateral aspect; 5: metasomal segment V, male, lateral aspect; 7: sternite V and metasomal segment I, female, ventral aspect; 8: metasomal segment V, male, ventral aspect; 9: Left pedipalp chela, female, external aspect; 10: left pedipalp chela, female, ventral aspect; 11: left pedipalp chela, male, ventral aspect; 12: left pedipalp chela, male, internal aspect. Figure 6: Bothriurus patagonicus, sternite V and metasomal segment I, female, ventral aspect. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Tables

TABLE 1. Measurements in mm of the male holotype (MACN-Ar 12063) and a female paratype (MACN-Ar 12064) of Bothriurus ceii n. sp.

Measurementes in mm	Bothriurus ceii n. sp.
	Male holotype	Female paratype
Total length	39.20	45.57
Carapace, length	4.60	5.17
Carapace, anterior width	2.75	3.23
Carapace, posterior width	4.69	5.01
Mesosoma, total length	12.71	16.95
Metasoma, total length	16.15	17.69
Metasomal segment I, length/width/height	2.42/3.23/2.26	2.83/3.56/2.67
Metasomal segment II, length/width/height	2.83/2.99/2.34	3.15/3.31/2.66
Metasomal segment III, length/width/height	2.99/2.91/2.40	3.23/3.20/2.75
Metasomal segment IV, length/width/height	3.31/2.83/2.40	3.47/3.15/2.66
Metasomal segment V, length/width/height	4.60/2.75/2.10	5.01/3.07/2.18
Telson , length	5.74	6.06
Vesicle,length/width/height	4.04/2.26/1.80	4.28/2.91/2.26
Aculeus, length	1.69	1.78
Femur, length/width	3.47/1.25	3.72/1.61
Patella, length/width	3.96/1.45	4.04/1.78
Chela, length/width/height	6.79/2.26/2.99	7.76/2.34/2.83
Movable finger, length	3.39	4.53