Teuthraustes camposi Mello-Leitao 1939, comb. n.
Creators: name: Ochoa, José A.
name: Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Scorpiones
Chactidae
Teuthraustes
Teuthraustes camposi

description: Teuthraustes camposi (Mello-Leitão, 1939) comb. n.
Figures 1A‒D, 2A‒E, 3; Table 2
Chactas camposi Mello-Leitão, 1939: 147 –148, figs. 1–6; Lourenço, 1994: 157; 1995: 68; Kovařik, 1998: 126. Chactas (Euchactas) camposi: Mello-Leitão, 1945: 48 –50, figs. 18–19; Sissom, 2000: 307. Chactas rosenbergi: Mello-Leitão in schedula, misidentification.
Type material. Holotype ♀ (MNRJ 58732): ECUADOR: Cañar Province, Montañas de Cañar, Francisco Campos col. [Labeled as “ Chactas rosenbergi Pocock ”, most certainly by Mello-Leitão].
Diagnosis. This species appears to be most closely related with Teuthraustes whymperi (Pocock, 1893). Both species are similar and may be distinguished from the other species of the genus based on the shape of the anterior margin of carapace, which presents a well developed median notch (strongly excavated) (Fig. 1A); the ventral carination absent or obsolete on metasomal segments I‒III (Fig. 1D); the telson globose with the aculeus elongated (Fig. 1C, 1D); the pedipalp chela with well developed costate granular VE carinae (Fig. 2B); and the chela movable finger with evident subbasal notch on dorsal margin (Fig. 2D). Teuthraustes camposi comb. n. and T. whymperi may be separated by the following respects: the anterior median notch of the carapace is slightly more pronounced in T. whymperi; the telson is weakly granular on ventral and lateral surfaces in T. camposi, whereas in T. whymperi is completely smooth (Fig. 1C, 1D); the pectinal tooth count is 9–10 in T. camposi comb. n. (Fig. 1B), compared with 6–7 in T. whymperi (females). These two species may be further distinguished by means of the granulation and carination of pedipalps; the dorsal intercarinal surfaces of femur and patella are scattered granular in T. camposi comb. n. (Fig. 2A) whereas in T. whymperi these are densely granular; the external carinae of pedipalp chela are slightly more developed in T. whymperi. Finally, the number of median spinules of telotarsi I–IV is 6-6-8- 9 in T. camposi comb. n. compared with 5-6-6-6/ 7 in T. whymperi. Teuthraustes camposi comb. n. may be separated from T. gervaisii (Pocock, 1893), which occurs in close geographical proximity (Cuenca province in central Andes of Ecuador), by means of granulation of carapace and pedipalps; the anterior third of carapace is coarsely granular (Fig. 1A), the dorsal and external surface of pedipalp patella, and the external surface of the chela are granular in T. camposi comb. n. (Fig. 2A, C, D), whereas in T. gervaisii these surfaces are completely smooth. Furthermore, the anterior margin of the carapace possesses a weakly developed median notch in T. gervaisii, whereas in T. camposi comb. n. the median notch is well developed (Fig. 1A); the VE carinae of pedipalp chela is costate granular and well developed in T. camposi comb. n., but smooth in T. gervaisii.
Description. Measurements of the holotype female are recorded in Table 2.
Color: Base color, carapace, tergites and metasoma dark brown, becoming slightly darker on anterior half of carapace; chelicerae chestnut, becoming darker on fingers; pedipalps blackish; legs brownish; coxosternal region, pectines, and sternites brownish. Pigmentation pattern is not evident due the long time preservation in ethanol.
Chelicerae: Manus dorsoexternal surfaces smooth, sparsely setose; ventral and internal surfaces densely setose; with four macrosetae near the base of the fingers. Fixed finger, dorsal margin with four teeth (distal, subdistal, median and basal); median and basal teeth fused into bicuspid. Movable finger, internal distal tooth at most partially overlapping external distal tooth in dorsal view; dorsal margin with five teeth (internal distal, two subdistal, median and basal); ventral surface with small but well developed serrula.
Carapace (Fig. 1A): Anterior margin granular, with a well developed median notch; posterior margin sublinear, slightly granular. Anterior third surface coarsely granular, central lateral and postero-lateral surfaces finely granular. Ocular tubercle well developed, slightly granular, placed slightly ahead the middle of the carapace with two postocular setae. Median eyes well developed, one ocular diameter apart; three pairs of lateral ocelli present, anterior and median pairs largest, posterior pair greatly reduced. Anteromedian longitudinal sulcus broad, well developed, finely granular; posteromedian longitudinal sulcus well developed, finely granular on anterior half; posterolateral and posterior transverse sulci weakly developed.
length 9.0 anterior width 5.1 posterior width 8.5 Chela:
length 14.2 width 4.9 height 6.4 movable finger length 8.7 Patella:
length 6.5 width 3.1 Femur:
length 6.3 width 2.7 Mesosoma:
total length 14.8 Metasoma I:
length 2.8 width 3.9 Metasoma II:
length 3.6 width 3.6 Metasoma III:
length 4.0 width 3.4 Metasoma IV:
length 4.4 width 3.2 Metasoma V:
length 7.3 width 3.3 height 3.0 Telson:
total length 8.3 vesicle length 5.5 vesicle width 3.7 vesicle height 3.1 aculeus length 2.8 Metasoma:
total length 31.5 Total body length: 55.3
Pedipalps (Fig. 2A–E): Femur, DI DE, VI and IM carinae complete, granular, DE and IM more developed; VE carinae restricted to proximal third of segment, granular; EM restricted to distal third, vestigial, comprising fine granulation; dorsal intercarinal surfaces with few scattered granules; internal surface with fine granulation, ventral surface smooth. Patella, DI, VI, and VE carinae complete, granular; DE and EM carinae obsolete, slightly granular; DPP and VPP each with one prominent granule proximally, VPP slightly bigger; dorsal and external intercarinal surfaces with scattered granulation; internal intercarinal surfaces finely granular; ventral intercarinal surfaces smooth. Chela manus swollen, fingers shorter than manus length. External and dorsal intercarinal surfaces between DS-SMA-DI and D-E-VE carinae coarsely and densely granular more so on distal part of manus; surfaces between D and DS carinae smooth on proximal two-thirds, distal third coarsely granular; ventral intercarinal surface smooth; internal intercarinal surfaces mostly smooth with few scattered granules; D and DS carinae complete, identified by weak granulation and subtle differences in angles between surfaces; SD vestigial, comprising three granules proximally; DMA carina complete, coarsely granular; DI carina evident on anterior half, obscured by adjacent granulation on distal half; VI carina vestigial, comprising four granules basally; VE carinae well developed, costate granular; IM carina scarcely granular on proximal three-quarters of manus, obscured by fine scattered granulation on distal quart of manus; E carinae complete, granular, evident by subtle differences in angles between adjacent surfaces on proximal two-thirds of manus. Fingers almost acarinate, only DS and DMA carinae slightly evident; fixed finger, median denticle row comprising six primary subrows of denticles, flanked by six external and seven internal denticles; the basal external denticle greatly enlarged, which corresponds with a well developed subbasal notch in movable finger. Movable finger, median denticle row comprising six subrows of denticles, flanked by seven external and six internal denticles.
Trichobothria (Figs. 2A‒E): Femur with three trichobothria (e, d, i). Patella with 25 trichobothria: five ventral (v 1– v 5); 17 external (et 1 –et 5, est 1– est 3, em 1, em 2, esb 1, esb 2, eb 1– eb 5); two dorsal (d 1, d 2); one internal (i). Chela with 26 trichobothria: 16 on manus, four ventral (V 1 –V 4), 10 external (Et 1– Et 5, Est, Esb, Eb 1– Eb 3), two dorsal (Db, Dt); 10 on fixed finger, four external (et, est, esb, eb), four dorsal (dt, dst, dsb, db), two internal (it, ib).
Legs: femur, patella and tibia with pro- and retrolateral surfaces smooth; tibial spurs absent; basitarsi I–IV scarcely setose; prolateral and retrolateral pedal spurs present; telotarsi I–IV scarcely setose, ventral surface with a median row of spinules, comprising six spinules on I, six on II, eight on III, and nine on IV; ungues well-developed, curved, equal in length.
Tergites: Pre-tergites smooth. Post-tergites I–VI, surfaces smooth. Post-tergite VII with four vestigial carinae, comprising few posterior small granules; posterior margin slightly granular.
Sternum (Fig. 1B): Shape subpentagonal with two well developed lateral lobes; lateral margins sub-parallel; posterior width slightly greater than length; posterior depression deeply marked.
Pectines (Fig. 1B): Pectinal plate with a median sulcus, lateral margins sub-parallel. Lamella comprising six plates; marginal and basal plates occupying more than half of the lamella. Tooth count 9–10; proximal teeth slightly smaller.
Sternites: Sternites III–VI, surfaces smooth, each with pair of small, rounded spiracles, situated lateromedially (Fig. 1B); sternite VII, surface smooth, acarinate.
Metasoma (Fig. 1C, 1D): Segments I–IV: DSM carinae absent, comprising only fine granulation on median third of segment IV; DL carinae complete with the posterior granule bigger, obsolete and sparsely granular on segment I, slightly more developed in segments II–IV; LSM carinae absent; LM carinae complete, coarsely granular on segments I–IV; LIM carinae complete and obsolete on I, absent on segments II-IV; VL carinae absent on I and II, obsolete on III and IV with scarce granules, slightly more developed in IV; VSM carinae absent on segments I‒III, few granules medially on IV; dorsal intercarinal surfaces smooth; lateral intercarinal surfaces mostly smooth, with small scattered granules, ventral intercarinal surfaces smooth on I‒III, with small scattered granules on segment IV. Segment V: dorsal intercarinal surfaces sparsely and finely granular; lateral and ventral surfaces coarsely granular; DL carinae complete, granular; LM carinae granular on anterior two-thirds; VL and VM carinae complete, well developed, costate granular; VSM carinae with sparse granules more evident on anterior half. Segment I with one pair of LM setae, one pair of VL and VSM setae; segments II‒IV with one pair of LM setae, two pairs of VL and VSM setae; segment V with three pairs of LM and VL setae, two pairs of VSM setae.
Telson (Fig. 1C, 1D): Vesicle globose; ventral and lateral surfaces weakly granular, dorsal surface smooth and flat; aculeus elongated, shallowly curved.
Distribution. Teuthraustes camposi comb. n. is currently known only from the Cañar Province of Ecuador (Fig. 3). The label of the specimen refers “montañas de Cañar”, but in the original description Mello-Leitão (1939) indicates only “ Ecuador ” as the type locality. The province Cañar is situated in the Central Andes of Ecuador, the region comprises inter-Andean valleys, currently the largest percentage of its land is dedicated to agriculture; the specimen probably was collected around the village Cañar at 3000 m approximately. Mello-Leitão (1945), in his monograph of South American scorpions, erroneously mentioned Guayaquil as the type locality for T. camposi comb. n. The Ecuadorian species of the genus Teuthraustes are distributed along the inter-Andean valleys and mountain rainforests in eastern and western slopes of the Andes (Lourenço, 1995), and therefore it is doubtful whether this genus occurs in Guayaquil, situated near the Pacific coast.
description: Published as part of Ochoa, José A. & Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo, 2012, On the taxonomic status of Chactas camposi Mello-Leitão, 1939 (Scorpiones, Chactidae), pp. 61-68 in Zootaxa 3210 on pages 63-68, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.215450