The genus Grosphus Simon, 1880 in South-Western Madagascar, with the description of a new species (Scorpiones, Buthidae)
Author
Lourenço, Wilson R.
Musèum national d’Histoire naturelle, Dèpartement Systèmatique et … volution, UMR 7205, case postale 53, 57 rue Cuvier, F- 75231 Paris cedex 05 (France)
arachne@mnhn.fr
text
Zoosystema
2014
2014-09-26
36
3
631
645
http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/z2014n3a5
journal article
10.5252/z2014n3a5
1638-9387
4539572
Grosphus grandidieri
Kraepelin, 1900
Grosphus grandidieri
Kraepelin, 1900: 13
.
TYPE MATERIAL. —
Female
lectotype
and
male
juvenile
paralectotype:
Madagascar
,
Ankotofotsy
,
Vallée du St Augustin
23.V.1898
(
G. Grandidier
),
MNHN
.
RS-1324
,
MNHN
.
RS-8720
.
DIAGNOSIS. — Scorpions of large size, when compared with most species of the genus, and adults ranging from
85 to 90 mm
in total length. The species is only smaller than
G
.
ankarana
Lourenço & Goodman, 2003
. General coloration almost entirely blackish over the body and appendages, with paler areas on the ventral surface. Disposition of granulations on the dentate margins of the pedipalp chela fixed and movable fingers, arranged in 13-14 rows of granules. Pectinal teeth count 29 to 40;
34 to 40 in
males and
29 to 34 in
females; basal middle lamellae of each pecten not dilated in males; very elongated and curved in females; just after the base, to the apex, covering 8 to 9 most proximal teeth.
DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. —
Grosphus grandidieri
was originally collected by G. Grandidier at an unspecified locality. This species is distributed across portions of South-Western
Madagascar
(
Lourenço 1996
;
Lourenço
et al.
2009
). On the basis of recent collections made with pit-fall traps,
G. grandidieri
does not appear to be particularly common in South-Western
Madagascar
, compared to some other members of this genus.