Redefinition And Generic Revision Of The North American Vaejovid Scorpion Subfamily Syntropinae Kraepelin, 1905, With Descriptions Of Six New Genera
Author
González-Santillán, Edmundo
Author
Prendini, Lorenzo
text
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
2013
2013-12-02
2013
382
1
71
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1206/830.1
journal article
7646
10.1206/830.1
f86801d1-5089-42e6-9f91-423312e06eba
0003-0090
4611867
5793E88C-9654-41BC-BAF0-36017C1AEE95
Syntropis
Kraepelin, 1900
Figures 1D
,
2F
,
4
,
7
,
8
A–F, 12–14, 23B, 24C;
table 1
Syntropis macrura
Kraepelin, 1900
,
type
species, by original designation.
Syntropis
Kraepelin, 1900: 16
, 17;
Birula, 1917a: 163
;
Werner, 1934: 281
;
Kästner, 1941: 272
;
Mello-Leitão, 1945: 118
;
Stahnke, 1965: 257
, 258;
Williams, 1969: 285
;
1974: 15
(part);
Stahnke, 1974: 113–120
; Vachon, 1974: 914, 916;
Díaz Nájera, 1975: 3
, 6;
Williams, 1980: 47
;
Francke, 1985: 13
, 18, 20;
Sissom, 1990: 110
, 114; 1991b: 26;
Williams and Savary, 1991: 284
;
Nenilin and Fet, 1992: 9
;
Stockwell, 1992: 408
;
Kovařík, 1998: 146
;
Beutelspacher, 2000: 55
, 70, 152, plate IId;
Sissom, 2000: 526
; PonceSaavedra and Beutelspacher, 2001: 20;
Soleglad and Fet, 2003: 15
, 36, 67, 144, 163, figs. 66, 79, 80, D-4,
tables 3
, 4, 9;
Fet and Soleglad, 2005: 4
, 6, 7;
Prendini and Wheeler, 2005: 482
, table 10;
Soleglad and Fet, 2005: 4
, 7;
Soleglad et al., 2007: 119–136
, figs. 1–37, tables I, II;
Soleglad and Fet, 2008: 1
, 4, 13, 27, 30, 32, 38, 46, 51, 69, 71–74, 82, 84, 85, 89–92, 95, 104, figs. 10, 27, 53, 82, 106, 110, 139, 151, 180, 203,
tables 1–3
, 9.
DIAGNOSIS:
Syntropis
differs from other
Syntropinae
in the carination of metasomal segments I–IV, where the vsm carinae are absent (indicated by pairs of macrosetae only, no difference in ornamentation evident from the adjacent intercarinal surfaces), and the vm carinae distinct (protruding above the adjacent intercarinal surfaces), smooth to finely granular, and unpigmented (fig. 24C). Additional characters that separate
Syntropis
from other genera in the subfamily are as follows. The pedipalps, legs, and metasoma are greatly elongated and slender in adult male
Syntropis
, although less so in females and immatures.
Syntropis
is the only genus in the subfamily that consistently exhibits eight prolateral denticles on the movable finger of the pedipalp chela (fig. 12B). Although
Balsateres
and some
Thorellius
species occasionally exhibit eight prolateral denticles, the basal prolateral denticle is situated adjacent to the preceding prolateral denticle, and up to three adjacent prolateral denticles are often observed (fig. 20A, B), compared with
Syntropis
, in which the prolateral denticles are separate. Adult male
Syntropis
display a whitish glandular area between the vsm carinae of mesosomal sternite VII, extending almost the entire length of the segment (fig. 23B), that is reduced but still evident in females. The dl and lm carinae of metasomal segments I–IV do not project posterolaterally in
Syntropis
, and the terminal granules of these carinae are not noticeably larger than the preceding granules, unlike most genera in the subfamily. Macrosetal counts on the leg basitarsi (23–28) and telotarsi (19–22) of
Syntropis
are greater than those on the basitarsi (
14–27 in
Chihuahuanus
,
gen. nov.
, and
16–21 in
Kochius
) and telotarsi (
14–17 in
Chihuahuanus
,
gen. nov.
, and
15–18 in
Kochius
) of other genera in the subfamily.
Syntropis
shares with
Kuarapu
,
Vizcaino
,
gen. nov.
, and some species of
Paravaejovis
elongated pedipalp chela fingers and distally displaced trichobothria on the fixed finger, as a consequence of this elongation. However, the positions of trichobothria
ib
and
it
on the fixed finger, with respect to the prolateral denticles, differ among these genera as follows:
ib
and
it
are situated at PD
6 in
Syntropis
, whereas
ib
is situated at or closer to PD6 and
it
is situated between PD5 and PD
6 in
Kuarapu
,
Vizcaino
,
gen. nov.
, and some species of
Paravaejovis
, such as
P. confusus
,
comb. nov.
, and
P. waeringi
,
comb. nov.
Fig. 26.
Syntropinae
Kraepelin, 1905
, telson, dorsal aspect illustrating glandular areas on dorsal surface (demarcated by dotted lines).
A.
Chihuahuanus coahuilae
(
Williams, 1968
)
,
comb. nov.
, ♂ (AMNH).
B.
Maaykuyak waueri
(
Gertsch and Soleglad, 1972
)
,
comb. nov.
, ♂ (AMNH). Scale bars
=
1 mm (
A
), 0.5 mm (
B
).
Syntropis
shares with
Konetontli
,
gen. nov.
,
Kuarapu
,
Maaykuyak
,
gen. nov.
,
Vizcaino
,
gen. nov.
,
Chihuahuanus bilineatus
,
comb. nov.
,
C. coahuilae
,
comb. nov.
, and
Thorellius cristimanus
the presence of a secondary hook on the hemispermatophore (fig. 8H), created by an extension of the axial carina of the distal lamina, that forms a pronounced bifurcation with the primary hook.
INCLUDED SPECIES:
Syntropis aalbui
Lowe et al.
, in
Soleglad et al., 2007
;
Syntropis macrura
Kraepelin, 1900
;
Syntropis williamsi
Soleglad, Lowe, and Fet, 2007
.
DISTRIBUTION:
Syntropis
is endemic to the
Baja California
Peninsula,
Mexico
, and recorded from the states of
Baja California
and
Baja California Sur
(fig. 4).
NATURAL HISTORY:
Hjelle (1974)
described the parturition and postparturition behavior of
Syntropis
.
Syntropis
species have been collected in rocky desert habitats, from sea level to
556 m
altitude, with
S. aalbui
taken at the highest elevation. All three species of
Syntropis
are lithophilous, inhabiting the cracks and crevices of cliffs and rock walls, and hiding in loose rock piles or under exfoliating rock flakes. The habitat and habitus, particularly the slender, elongated pedipalps, legs, and metasoma, well-developed superciliary carinae of the medial ocular tubercle, and the tarsal morphology, are consistent with the lithophilous ecomorphotype (
Prendini, 2001a
). Jiménez-Jiménez and Palacios-Cardiel (2010) reported capturing species in pitfall traps, indicating that these scorpions will disperse between rocky habitats.
Syntropis macrura
was reported to be synanthropic in the vicinity of the Comondús (
Williams, 1980
;
Jiménez-Jiménez and Palacios-Cardiel, 2010
) and observations suggest that population densities are greater at such oases.
MATERIAL EXAMINED:
Syntropis aalbui
Lowe et al.
, in
Soleglad et al., 2007
:
MEXICO
:
Baja California
:
Municipio de Ensenada
: Blue Palm Canyon (intermittent river La Bocana),
5 km
N Cataviña,
13.vii.1979
,
R
. Aalbu,
holotype
♀
(
MHNG
).
Syntropis macrura
Kraepelin, 1900
:
MEXICO:
Baja California Sur
:
Municipio de Comondú
: San José Comondú,
27.viii.2006
, C. Palacios, 18,
1♀
(
CAECIB
).
Syntropis williamsi
Soleglad, Lowe, and Fet, 2007
:
MEXICO
:
Baja California Sur
:
Municipio de La Paz
: N of Los Aripes,
25.vi.1985
, W.
R
. Lourenço and G.A. Polis,
holotype
♀
(
MHNG
).
Municipio de La Paz
:
El Pilar
, ca.
20 km
NE
Las Pocitas
,
24
°
28.7616
′
N
111
°
01.12
′
W
,
92 m
,
25.vi.2008
,
H. Montaño
and
E. González
, 18,
1♀
(
AMNH
[
ARA 2825
]).