A new species of the genus Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Guatemala
Author
de Armas, Luis F.
Author
Trujillo, Rony E.
text
Euscorpius
2013
172
journal volume
1536-9307
73EA0C25-1792-4147-917E-0C9CC1A0C857
Centruroides caral
Armas et Trujillo
,
sp. n.
(
Fig. 1−3
,
Table 1
)
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F18CC5
2C-1783-4608-B1D5-5B15CB909DB9
Type material
.
Male
holotype
(
MHN
), Firmeza farm
(
510 m
a.s.l., 15.40684° N, 88.69590° W),
Sierra
Caral, Morales
municipality,
Izabal Department
,
Guatemala
, 15 August, 2011, leg.
C. Vazquez Almazán
, at night, in house
.
Figure 1:
Centruroides caral
sp. n
.
Male holotype. Habitus: dorsal (A) and ventral (B).
Distribution
. Only known from the
type
locality (
Fig. 2A
).
Etymology
. The specific name is a noun in apposition, taken from the
type
locality.
Diagnosis
. Male
44.35 mm
in total length; female unknown. Base color light yellow; carapace, tergites and pedipalps (except chelae) with distinct dusky marbling throughout; each tergite bearing a narrow yellow median longitudinal line; cheliceral manus with dark brown reticulations all over; pedipalp chelae with faint spots on the external surface only, with dark brown fingers. Carapace finely granular, with moderate granules on the interocular triangle; anteromedian notch V-shaped. Pedipalp manus slightly wider than patella; movable finger with poorly developed basal lobe. Pectines with 18−19 teeth; basal plate rectangular, wider than long. Metasoma: segments I− IV with dorsolateral carinae, lateral supramedian carinae, ventrolateral carinae and ventral submedian carinae moderately developed, granular to slightly serrate; segments I− IV with two pairs of ventrolateral macrochaetae; intercarinal spaces I− IV coriaceous; vesicle deeper than wide; subaculear tubercle strong, spine-like, with tip pointing towards the apex of the aculeus. Metasomal segment III length/width ratio 1.19; metasomal segment V: length/width ratio 2.83, length/height ratio 2.70; carapace length/metasomal segment V length ratio 0.78.
Description of the male
holotype
.
Coloration.
Base color light yellow. Carapace with lateral and posterior margins infuscate and distinct dusky marbling throughout (
Fig. 2B
). Tergites I− VI with dusky band along posterior margins; anterior portions of tergites with diffuse dusky markings; each tergite bearing a narrow yellow median longitudinal line, and lateromarginal whitish spots (
Fig. 1A
). Metasomal segments I− IV light yellow; V and telson slightly darker. Cheliceral manus with dark brown reticulations all over (
Fig. 2B
). Pedipalps (
Figs. 2D− F
) yellow with moderate dusky markings on femur and patella; chelae with faint spots on the external surface only, with dark brown fingers. Legs pale yellow with faint to moderate dusky markings. Venter yellowish with pale brown diffuse markings on apex of coxapophyses I− II and sternites IV− VII (
Fig. 1B
).
Carapace
(
Figs. 2B− C
) 1.06 times longer than wide; anteromedian notch V-shaped, reaching the posterior margin level of the second pair of lateral eyes; interocular triangle with moderate granules, the rest finely granular. Anterior median carinae vestigial, with disperse moderate granules; superciliary carinae strong, subgranulose; posterior median carinae moderate, subgranulose, other carinae indistinct.
Figure 2:
Centruroides caral
sp. n
.
A, geographical distribution. B− F, male holotype: B, partial view of the carapace, dorsal (in 75% ethanol); C, carapace; D− F, right pedipalp, dorsal aspect: D, femur; E, patella; F, chela.
Pedipalps
orthobothriotaxic
Type
A. Femur (
Fig. 2D
): internal surface with large granules, all other surfaces finely granular; dorsointernal, dorsoexternal and ventrointernal carinae moderate, granular; ventroexternal carina strong, serrate. Patella (
Fig. 2E
): internal surface with few large conical granules; dorsal, external and ventral surfaces finely granular; dorsointernal and dorsoexternal carinae moderate, finely granular; dorsomedian carina weak, granular; ventrointernal carina weak, finely granular. Manus (
Fig. 2F
): oval shaped, 1.1 times wider than patella; intercarinal surfaces almost smooth, dorsomarginal, dorsal secondary and digital carinae weak to moderate, minutely granular; ventroexternal carina strong, almost smooth; other carinae vestigial. Fixed fingers with eight oblique rows of denticles; trichobothrium
et
basal to
db
. Movable fingers with eight principal oblique rows of denticles, plus a distal short one with four denticles.
Figure 3:
Centruroides caral
sp. n
.
Male holotype. A, coxasternal area and pectines; B, sternites VI− VII; C-D, metasomal segments II− V, lateral aspect; E, telson, lateral aspect.
Pectines
(
Fig. 3A
) with 19/18 teeth; basal plate rectangular, 1.7 times wider than long.
Mesosoma
.
Tergites I− VII finely granular, with some larger granules on the posterior one-half of I− VI; longitudinal median carina I− VII weak to moderate, granular. Tergite VII lateral and submedian carinae moderate, subserrate. Sternites III− V smooth; VI− VII finely granular; VII lateral and submedian carinae moderate, granular to subserrate (
Fig. 3B
).
Metasoma
(
Figs. 3C− E
). Intercarinal spaces I− IV coriaceous, with sparse minute granules. Segments II− IV with two pairs of ventrolateral macrochaetae. Segment I, ten carinae; II− IV, eight carinae; V with five carinae; on II, the lateral inframedian carina is only represented by three distal granules; I− IV with dorsolateral, lateral supramedian, ventrolateral and ventrosubmedian carinae moderately developed, granular to slightly serrate. Segment V: intercarinal spaces finely granulate; dorsolateral, ventrolateral and ventromedian carinae moderate, granular. Vesicle with ventral and lateral surfaces finely granular, deeper than wide; subaculear tubercle strong, spine-like, with tip pointing towards the apex of the aculeus.
Legs
with femora finely granular on the prolateral surface. Telotarsi moderately covered by fine setae on the ventral surface.
Natural History
The male
holotype
was collected at night, inside the Ecological Station of Sierra Caral (
510 m
a.s.l.), in a rainforest area. In the same place was collected a nymph I of
C. gracilis
. In the same mountains, but at a higher altitude (
850 m
a.s.l., cloud forest) lives
Diplocentrus landelinoi
Trujillo et Armas, 2012
(
Scorpionidae
: Diplocentrinae).
Sierra Caral is the most biodiverse forest remnant in the Caribbean
Guatemala
. As part of the Merendon Range that stretches from
Guatemala
to
Honduras
, this mountainous system of
26 km
long and
9.5 km
wide is an important remnant of broadleaf evergreen forest,