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 sierrae
Sissom, Graham, Donaldson & Bryson Jr., 2016
Figures 4
,
35g
,
36g
,
37g
,
38g
,
39g
,
40g
,
41g
,
47
Vaejovis sierrae
Sissom, Graham, Donaldson & Bryson Jr., 2016: 2
–5; Figs: 2–20.
FIGURE 47.
Habitus of
Vaejovis sierrae
(♂):
a—
dorsal view;
b—
ventral view. Scale bar = 1 cm.
Type material.
Holotype
male.
MEXICO
:
Durango
, near
Rancho
Las Margaritas
, SE Mezquital (
N23.31279°
,
W104.30334°
, elev.
2724 m
). VII.18.2010.
Col
:
R. W. Bryson
, Jr. (
CNAN
). Examined.
Paratypes
:
Four adult and two juvenile females with same data as holotype; deposited as follows
:
2 ♀
(
CNAN
), examined
;
1 ♀
, 1 J# (
AMNH
), examined
;
1 ♀
, 1 J# (
CAS
), not examined
.
Other specimens examined.
1 ♂
,
3 ♀
,
MEXICO
:
Durango
, near
Rancho
las
Margaritas, SE
from
Mezquital
(
N 23.312793
,
W 104.303349
, elev:
2661 m
). VII.18.2010|.
Col
:
R. W. Bryson Jr.
(
CNAN
)
Diagnosis.
Small to medium sized scorpions, adult length ranging from
22 mm
to
35 mm
(Fig: 47-a, b). Carapace (Fig: 35-g) on males and females shorter than metasomal segment V and pedipalp femur (Carapace L/MS V 0.86[1.04±0.06]; Carapace L/Femur L 1.08 [1.16±0.04]); anterior margin of carapace, slightly concave, without median notch. Tergite VII lateral carinae granular, composed by an irregular line of rounded granules and not reaching posterior margin; sternite V with a faint white patch at posterior margin; sternite VII bearing a pair of lateral carinae, smooth, and 10 [12] setae. Metasomal segment I wider than long (MSI L/
W 0.78
[0.71±0.03]); intercarinal surfaces on metasoma smooth to shagreened; metasomal segment V wider than deep (MSV W/D 1.11 [1.21±0.09]). Vesicle long and slender (Vesicle L/W 2 [2.09±0.03]; W/D 1.42 [1.32±0.04]), on males dorsal face with a noticeable whitish oval vesicular gland medially (Fig: 36-g), absent on females. Pedipalp femur (Fig: 37-g) usually three or more times longer than wide (Femur L/
W 3.08
[3.08±0.08]), but patella (Fig: 38-g) less than three times longer than wide (Patella L/W 3 [2.77±0.09]); prolateral median carina weak, only marked by 4 large, pointed granules. Chela manus rounded (CM L/
W 1.8
[1.96±0.2]; W/D 1[0.98 ±0.02]), with dorsal prosubmedian, prolateral median and ventral retrolateral carinae feebly granular, but noticeably elevated (Figs: 39, 40-g). Pedipalp chela fingers dentate margins straight.
Hemispermatophore: (Fig: 41–g): Lamelliform (TL: 6; LL: 3.4; LW: 1), lamina wider at the base, with an apical crest on distal third; two pointed hooks bent 90°. Capsular lobe well-sclerotized, with denticles on margin.
Variation:
This species exhibits a wide variation in overall size (male size range 17–30; female size range 20–35) while other morphological characters show little variation; further studies on its life history are needed. Full morphometric variation is given in tables 13 and 14. Setae variation is given in tables 9–12.
Distribution.
This species is only known from the
type
locality in the southeastern mountains of
Durango
(
Figure 4
).
Natural history.
All the known specimens are from a single collecting event in July.