Taxonomic revision of the “ mexicanus ” group of the genus Vaejovis C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae)
Author
A, Contreras-Félix Gerardo
Author
Oscar, Francke B.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-05-03
4596
1
1
100
journal article
26928
10.11646/zootaxa.4596.1.1
cb288575-93a8-4e59-86fd-ee6bae784b6a
1175-5326
2659091
B88EA161-04D3-4D50-B3FD-E98A60DA3740
Vaejovis sprousei
Sissom, 1990
Figures
4
,
35i
,
36i
,
37i
,
38i
,
39i
,
41i
,
49
Vaejovis sprousei
Sissom, 1990
: 48
, 51–53, Fig: 3A–G.
Vaejovis sprousei
:
Kovarík, 1998
: 148
;
Beutelspacher, 2000
: 110
, 143, 147, 154, map 90;
Sissom, 2000
: 543
; González-
Santillán
et al
., 2004
: 9
–11, figs. 1–5;
Jarvis
et al
. 2005
: 207
, 210; Sissom & Hendrixson, 2005: 34, 41;
Graham & Fet, 2006
: 10
;
Soleglad & Fet, 2008
: 30
, 77, 100, 102;
McWest, 2009
: 20
, 73, 78, 102, 103, Figs: 261–265;
Sissom & Reddell, 2009
: 31
.
FIGURE 49.
Habitus of
Vaejovis sprousei
(♂):
a—
dorsal view;
b—
ventral view. Scale bar = 1 cm.
Type material.
Holotype
female.
MEXICO
:
Tamaulipas
, Conrado Castillo.
IV-19-1981
.
Col.
:
P. Sprouse
(
AMNH
).
Examined.
Paratypes
: 1 J#,
MEXICO
:
Nuevo Leon
,
El Real.
IV-1-1980
;
Cols.
:
W. Russell
and
M. Cassey
(
TMM
).
1 ♀
,
MEXICO
:
Tamaulipas
,
Ciudad Victoria.
VI-1977
.
Col.
:
F. D. White
(
WDS
).
1 ♀
,
MEXICO
:
Tamaulipas
,
Ejido Conrado Castillo
(on the surface),
IV-18-1979
.
Col.
:
M. Shumate
(
WDS
)
.
Not
examined
.
Other specimens examined.
Vaejovis sprousei
:
MEXICO
:
Nuevo Leon
,
Zaragoza
,
Toribio
,
Pozo Escaner
(
N 23.92873°
,
W 101.11462°
, elev.
2112 m
.)
I-3-2002
.
Col.
:
P. Sprouse.
1 ♂
(
CNAN-SC3150
)
.
*Variation in females is taken from the original description.
Diagnosis
(Modified from
Sissom, 1990
and
Jarvis
et al.
, 2005
): Adults
35 to 37 mm
long (Fig: 49-a, b). Carapace (Fig:
35-i
) shorter than metasomal segment V (Carapace L/MS-V 0.88 [0.95]); longer than femur (Carapace L/Femur L 1.11 [1.19]); anterior margin of carapace concave. Mesosomal tergite VII with two pairs of well-developed carinae; mesosomal sternite V without a whitish patch on posterior margin; sternite VII with a pair of inconspicuous carinae, not reaching posterior margin of segment, with 12 setae. Metasomal segment I slightly wider than long, almost square in dorsal view (MSI L/
W 0.85
[0.73]); intercarinal spaces on segments I–V smooth. Segment V with lateral margins straight; more than two times longer than wide and almost as wide as deep (MS-V L/
W 2.26
[2.25]; W/D 1.12 [1.2]). Vesicle (Fig:
36-i
) slender and thin, surface smooth to slightly irregular (L/
W 1.93
) (W/D 1.07); dorsal surface with a large whitish vesicular gland, present almost on entire dorsal surface. Pedipalp femur (Fig:
37-i
) and patella (Fig:
38-i
) three times longer than wide on males, but on females slightly shorter (Femur L/
W 3.5
[3]; Patella L/W 3 [2.78]); patella prolateral median carina irregular, inconspicuous. Chela (Fig: 39,
40-i
) manus thin (CM L/W/P 1.3 [1]); fixed finger as long as manus (LMQ/DF 1.06 [0.96] prolateral median, dorsal internal and prolateral ventral carinae conspicuous, feebly granular, other carinae smooth and slightly elevated, slightly differentiated in coloration. Pedipalp chela fingers dentate margins straight, without scalloping.
Hemispermatophore (Fig:
41-i
): Lamelliform (LT 5; LL 2.2; AL
0.8 mm
); short lamella, wider next to the hooks; two hooks almost merged, sharp and located at the base of the lamella, with a short apical crest, only present distally. Capsular region with median lobe well-sclerotized and dentate on margin.
Full morphometric variation is given in tables 13 and 14. Setae variation is given in tables 9–12.
Distribution.
Tamaulipas
and
Nuevo León
,
México
(
Figure 4
).
Natural history.
This is a poorly known species, and the labels of the specimens provide little information aside from the locality; but several specimens originate from areas with pine forest.