Orobothriurus paessleri ( Kraepelin, 1911 )

Ochoa, José A., Ojanguren Affilastro, Andres A., Mattoni, Camilo I. & Prendini, Lorenzo, 2011, Systematic Revision Of The Andean Scorpion Genus Orobothriurus Maury, 1976 (Bothriuridae), With Discussion Of The Altitude Record For Scorpions, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (359), pp. 1-90 : 68-69

Orobothriurus paessleri ( Kraepelin, 1911)

Figures 13A, B , 15A , 19B , 21B , 22B , 26B , 28C, E , 53

Bothriurus paessleri Kraepelin, 1911: 91 , 98, 99, figs. 8, 9a, 9b; Mello-Leitão, 1931: 92; 1932: 34; 1934: 63; 1945: 181; Bücherl, 1953: 117; Aguilar and Meneses, 1970: 2; Maury, 1973: 110.

Bothriurus (Andibothriurus) paessleri: Bücherl et al., 1963: 216 .

Orobothriurus paessleri: Maury, 1976: 19 , 20, figs. 25–33, table I; 1981: 105; Francke, 1977: 75; Kovařík, 1998: 101; Acosta and Ochoa, 2000: 136, 143; Lowe and Fet, 2000: 36; Acosta and Ochoa, 2001: 205; Ochoa and Acosta, 2002a: 102, fig. 9; Ochoa, 2004a: 52, 55, 73, figs. 1, 2, 21, table 1 ; Ochoa, 2005: 55, figs. 7, 10, table 2.

Orobothriurus curvidigitus: Lourenço and Dastych, 2001: 54 [misidentification: 3 ♀ from Mejía].

TYPE MATERIAL: PERU: Arequipa Department: Islay Province: Syntypes: 1 ♂, 3 ♀ ( ZMH), ‘‘Kataringo’’ [Catarindo], near Mollendo [17 ° 009580 S 72 ° 029030W, 34 m?], 25.ii.1907, R. Paessler.

NEW RECORDS: PERU: Arequipa Department: Camaná Province: S of Camaná, 7.viii.1977, L. Peña, 1 ♀ (MACN-Ar). Islay Province : Lomas de Mejía [17 ° 029S 71 ° 519W, 530 m], 1–3.ii.2000, J.A. Ochoa, 1 ♂, 2 ♀, 3 juv. ( MHNC), 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( CDA 168 ) ; Lomas de Mejía, Challascapa [17 ° 029S 71 ° 519W, 550 m], 3.iii.2004, R. Gutierrez and J.A. Ochoa, 2 juv. ( AMNH [ LP 3057 ]) ; near Mejía , 17 ° 079S 71 ° 559W, 350–500 m, 15.i.1956, Koepcke, Park loma, Kp 1350, 1 ♂, 1 subad. ♂, 2 juv. ♂, 2 juv. ♀ ( ZMH A18 / 101) [misidentified by W.R. Lourenço as ‘‘ O. curvidigitus ’’] ; Lomas de Yuta, Matarani , 16 ° 579160S 72 ° 049100W, 570 m, 12.iii.1998, E. Ponce and J.A. Ochoa, 1 ♀ ( MHNC) .

DIAGNOSIS: Orobothriurus paessleri is most closely related to O. curvidigitus , O. quewerukana and O. tamarugal (fig. 5), from which it may be separated as follows. Metasomal segment V is markedly shorter, its length less than twice its width, in the female of O. paessleri (fig. 22B), than in the females of other species, in which its length is greater than or equal to twice its width. Orobothriurus paeslleri possesses three pairs of VSM macrosetae on metasomal segment I (fig. 19B), whereas the other species possess two (fig. 19A). The pedipalp chela movable finger of the male is slightly curved in O. paessleri (fig. 26B), but strongly curved in the other species (figs. 26C, 43C, 51A). Orobothriurus paessleri may be further separated from O. curvidigitus and O. quewerukana by the shape of the lamina of the hemispermatophore (figs. 28B, C, 40E), the frontal crest of which is shorter and less developed in O. paessleri (fig. 28E) than in O. curvidigitus and O. quewerukana (fig. 28D). Additionally, the ventral surfaces of metasomal segments I–III are finely granular in O. paessleri (fig. 19B), whereas only the ventral surfaces of segment I in males are finely granular in O. curvidigitus and O. quewerukana .

DISTRIBUTION: Orobothriurus paessleri appears to be endemic to the area near Mejía and Yuta (Matarani) in the Arequipa Department of southern Peru (fig. 53). A single record from Toquepala (17 ° 149S 70 ° 369W, 3000 m) in the Tacna Department ( Maury, 1976), probably based on a misidentification, requires confirmation.

ECOLOGY: As with O. atiquipa , this species has only been collected in Lomas biotopes, isolated patches of green vegetation on hillsides below 1000 m, sustained by coastal fog, and surrounded by hyperarid desert. The Lomas vegetation near Mejía and Yuta is dominated by herbaceous shrubs, e.g., Nolana L.f., Palaua Cav. , Portulaca L., Weberbauerella Ulbr. , and the tree Caesalpinia spinosa (Molina) Kuntze ( Péfaur, 1981; Dávila Flores, 1982).

REMARKS: Specimens of O. paessleri from Mejía deposited in the ZMH collection were examined, and found to be misidentified as O. curvidigitus by Lourenço and Dastych (2001: 54). Currently two Orobothriurus species have been recorded from Lomas formations: O. atiquipa and O. paessleri . In addition, we examined a single female deposited at MHNC from Lomas de Sama, southern Peru. This specimen is poorly preserved and difficult to identify with certainty.

Figures

Fig. 13. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, tergites, sternites and metasomal segments I–V, showing pigmentation pattern. A, B. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♀ (MHNC), metasomal segments I– V, ventral aspect (A), tergite VII and metasomal segments I–IV, dorsal aspect (B). C, D. Orobothriurus wawita Acosta and Ochoa, 2000, ♀ (MHNC), tergite VII and metasomal segments I and II, dorsal aspect (C), sternite VII and metasomal segments I–V, ventral aspect (D). E. Orobothriurus curvidigitus (Kraepelin, 1911), ♀ (MHNC), tergite V, dorsal aspect. F. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), ♀ (MACN-Ar), tergites VI and VII, dorsal aspect. G. Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren-Affilastro et al., 2009, tergites VI and VII, dorsal aspect. Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig.15. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, carapace, dorsal aspect.A. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♂ (CDA 186). B. Orobothriurus alticola (Pocock, 1899), ♂ (AMNH). C. Orobothriurus quewerukana, n. sp., paratype ♂ (AMNH). D. Orobothriurus tamarugal, n. sp., holotype ♂ (MACN-Ar). Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 19. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, sternite VII and metasomal segments I and II, ventral aspect. A. Orobothriurus curvidigitus (Kraepelin, 1911), ♀ (MHNC). B. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♀ (MHNC). C. Orobothriurus quewerukana, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MHNC). D. Orobothriurus huascaran, n. sp., paratype ♀ (MACN-Ar). E. Orobothriurus wawita Acosta and Ochoa, 2000, paratype ♀ (MHNC). F. Orobothriurus tamarugal, n. sp., holotype ♂ (MACN-Ar). Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 21. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, metasomal segment V, ventral aspect. A. Orobothriurus atiquipa Ochoa and Acosta, 2002, paratype ♂ (MHNC). B. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♂ (MACN- Ar). C. Orobothriurus wawita Acosta and Ochoa, 2000, paratype ♂ (MHNC). D. Orobothriurus calchaqui, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). E. Orobothriurus grismadoi Ojanguren Afillastro et al., 2009, paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). F. Orobothriurus huascaran, n. sp., paratype ♂ (MACN-Ar). Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 22. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, metasomal segment V, ventral aspect. A. Orobothriurus ampay Ochoa and Acosta, 2003, paratype ♀ (MHNC). B. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♀ (MHNC). C. Orobothriurus curvidigitus (Kraepelin, 1911), ♀ (MHNC). D. Orobothriurus huascaran, n. sp., paratype ♀ (MACN-Ar). E. Orobothriurus parvus Maury, 1976, ♀ (MHNC). F. Orobothriurus wawita Acosta and Ochoa, 2000, paratype ♀ (MHNC). Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 26. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, dextral pedipalp chela, external aspect. A. Orobothriurus parvus Maury, 1976, ♂ (MHNC). B. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♂ (MACN-Ar). C. Orobothriurus curvidigitus (Kraepelin, 1911), ♂ (MHNC), external aspect. Scale bars 5 1 mm.

Fig. 28. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, sinistral hemispermatophore. A. Orobothriurus atiquipa Ochoa and Acosta, 2002, holotype ♂ (MACN-Ar), ectal aspect. B, D. Orobothriurus curvidigitus (Kraepelin, 1911), ♂ (MHNC). C, E. Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), ♂ (MHNC). B, C. Ectal aspect. D, E. Frontal crest and lobe region, dorsal aspect. Scale bar 5 1 mm.

Fig. 53. Orobothriurus Maury, 1976, locality records in southern Peru and northern Chile. Orobothriurus atiquipa Ochoa and Acosta, 2002, square; Orobothriurus curvidigitus (Kraepelin, 1911), circles; Orobothriurus paessleri (Kraepelin, 1911), crosses; Orobothriurus quewerukana, n. sp., triangles; Orobothriurus tamarugal, n. sp., diamonds.