Tityus moralensis Pinto-Da-Rocha & Cabra-García 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo
name: Cabra-García, Jimmy
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Scorpiones
Buthidae
Tityus
Tityus moralensis

description: Tityus moralensis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 27695CD6-6182-4C1A-8CB6-69468301DA46
Figures 1, 3A–D, 4C–D, 5E–H, 6E–H, 7D–F, 8D–F, 9C, D, 10C, D, 11D–F, 12C, D, 13C, D, 14C, D, 15C, D, 16, 17A, B; Tables 2, 4, 5, 6.
Type material. Holotype: COLOMBIA: Valle del Cauca department: adult male, El Cerrito municipality, Tenerife Pathway, El Moral Sidewalk, La Floresta Farm, 3°40’41.9” N 76°04’29.5” W, 2154 masl, 12.vi.2021, A. Betancourt, S. Forero & J. Cabra leg. (MUSENUV-Ar 2104). Paratypes: two adult females (MUSENUV-Ar 2109, 2111) and one juvenile (MUSENUV-Ar 2110), same data as the holotype; one subadult female (MUSENUV-Ar 2107) and three adult females (ICN 1402, 1403, MUSENUV-Ar 2108), same locality as the holotype, 5.vii.2019, D. Garrido & J. Cabra leg.
Etymology. Named after the El Moral Sidewalk, Cerrito municipality in the Colombian Central Andes where the type material was collected, using the Latin suffix -ensis denoting place of origin. The name was suggested by the owners of La Floresta Farm who detected the presence of the species under fallen logs decades ago.
Diagnosis. Tityus moralensis sp. nov. share with Tityus cuellari, Tityus crassicauda, and Tityus forcipula the presence of i) a metasoma widening towards segment V in both sexes (Figures 12C, D, 13C, D) and ii) a male chela bulkier than female chela (Figures 7D–F, 8D–F). However, Tityus moralensis sp. nov. can be readily distinguished by the presence of moderately protruding rounded granules on the DSM carinae of metasomal segments II–IV (Figure 14C, D). Whereas, in T. cuellari, T. crassicauda, and Tityus forcipula the DSM carinae of metasomal segments II–IV exhibit strongly protruding spinoid granules (Figure 14A, B).
Description. Based on adult male holotype (MUSENUV-Ar 2104) and an adult female paratype (ICN-1402).
Total length. Male holotype: 55.03 mm and female paratype: 57.99 mm (additional measurements in Table 5).
Coloration. General pattern (in 70% ethanol) (Figure 3A–D) dark reddish-brown. Carapace (Figure 3A, C): dark reddish-brown with black variegated pigments; black stripe on anterior margin; lateral and median eyes, surrounded by black variegated pigments. Chelicerae (Figure 3A, C): coxa and hand dark yellow, with abundant black pigments over the hand surface; fingers, blackish-brown. Coxosternal region, Legs, Mesosoma, and Pedipalps (Figure 3A–D): all reddish-brown, covered with black variegated pigments (except for coxosternal region, ventral areas of the pedipalp segments, and chela manus). Chela (Figure 3A–D) fingers blackish. Metasoma (Figure 3A–D): segments dark reddish-brown, progressively darker towards the telson; segments IV–V blackish-brown. Telson (Figure 3A–D): blackish-brown; aculeus dark reddish-brown.
Morphology. Body moderately covered with microsetae (except for the pedipalp that is densely covered with microsetae), white colored under UV light. Carapace (Figure 4C, D): densely covered with fine granulation and few coarse granules; anterior margin with deep median notch; anterior median carinae, central lateral, central median, lateral ocular, posterior, posterior median and superciliary carinae, all well-marked, and furrows (anterior median, anterior marginal, central transverse, lateral ocular, supercialiary, posterior transverse, posterior lateral and posterior marginal), all well-marked; ocular tubercle well-marked, located on the anterior half of carapace; median eyes separated by 0.5 ocular diameters; with three pairs of lateral eyes and two pairs of lateral micro-ocelli (ADMi and PDMi) (pattern 4A).
Chelicerae (Figure 4C, D). Dentition characteristic of the family Buthidae (Vachon 1963), densely covered with setae over the internal and ventral surfaces; anterior half of the manus with a transverse row of fine granules.
Pedipalps. Chela, bulky in male (L/W= 3.18) or slender in female (L/W= 4.35). Trichobothriotaxic pattern Type A, alfa configuration (hand: Eb3:Eb2:Eb1:Esb:Est:Et, fixed finger: eb:esb:est:et:db:dt:it). Femur (Figure 5E–H) with five well-marked carinae: VI, DI, DE and VE crenulate, EM serratocrenulate and complete, with intercarinal areas densely covered with fine granulation and few coarse granules. Patella (Figure 6E–H) with seven carinae well-marked: VI, DI, DE and EM, crenulate and complete; VE obsolete- only present on the distal half of the segment (male) or complete (female) and crenulate; DM crenulate and incomplete; IM serratocrenulate and complete, with a short spur near the segment base; with intercarinal areas densely covered with fine granulation. Chela (tibia) (Figures 7D–F, 8D–F) with eight slightly-marked (obsolete) carinae: VI, VE, D, DS, DMA, IM and ES, crenulate and complete; SA crenulate and incomplete, only present on the anterior half of the hand. Pedipalp movable and fixed fingers each with a basal concavity followed by a well-marked basal lobe (male) (Figure 8D) or movable and fixed fingers with obsolete basal concavities and a slightly-marked basal lobe only present on the movable finger (female) (Figure 7D). Oblique rows of granules: Movable finger with 16–17 (male) and 14–16 (female) rows.
Coxosternal region (Figure 9C, D). Sternum with posterior depression, outer ridge, and apical button, wellmarked; region covered with abundant coarse and fine granulation, and abundant microsetae; genital operculum longitudinally divided, composed of two sub-triangular plates. Male genital papillae are rounded and with sclerotized tips.
Pectines (Figure 9C, D). Pectines are strongly sclerotized and brownish, with white areas (less sclerotized) on the marginal plate (Figures 3B, D, 9C, D). Pectinal basal piece shield-like shaped, with a deep anteromedian notch and without glandular areas (Figure 9C, D); pectinal tooth counts of 17–17 (male) and 16–17 (female). Intermediate plate, marginal plate, and fulcra densely covered with microsetae (Figure 9C, D). Basal middle lamellae, not dilated (male) (Figure 9C) or dilated and ovoid shaped (female) (Figure 9D). Female basal middle lamellae with a vestigial distal glandular area, white colored (Figures 3D, 9D).
Legs. Carinae present; intercarinal areas with fine granulation; ventral telotarsi setae distributed in two rows of ventrosubmedian setae (type II), acute and stout; telotarsi, counts of ventral macrosetae in the left (L) and right (R) legs on prolateral (pro) and retrolateral (retro) rows from leg I to IV (L (pro/retro) R (pro/retro)): 8/8 8/8; 7/8 8/8; 8/8 8/9; 8/11 8/11 (male) and 7/8 7/7; 6/7 6/8; 7/8 -/-; 8/9 7/7 (female). Claws short and symmetrical.
Mesosoma. Tergites I–VI (Figure 3A, C), moderately covered with coarse and fine granulation; pre-tergite well defined, with median carina visible on the posterior margin of the post-tergite; tergite VII with DSM and DL carinae complete and crenulate, and median carina composed of a crenulate anteromedian eminence present on the anterior half of the post-tergite. Sternites densely covered with coarse and fine granulation (Figure 10C, D); sternites III–VI with a pair of elliptic spiracles on the posterior half, which are progressively larger (Figure 10C, D); sternites III–VI with a median longitudinal hyaline suture; sternite V with a large hyaline subtriangular area on the posterior margin (Figure 10C, D); sternite VI with VSM carinae crenulate, present on posterior half; sternite VII with VSM and VL carinae crenulate, present on posterior 2/3 (Figure 10C, D).
Hemispermatophore (Figure 11D–E). Thin and sclerotized; pars reflexa, curved but not folded over itself (Figure 11D, E); foot narrow and flat (Figure 11D–F); pedal flexure inconspicuous (Figure 11D–F); body occupying more than 2/3 of the hemispermatophore total length (Figure 11D–F). Capsular region with a furrow connecting the internal lobe with the medial area of the region (Figure 11D); internal lobe with rounded tip forming an 80º angle (Figure 11E); median lobe inconspicuous (Figure 11E, F); external lobe thin and not overpassing the internal lobe level and with a translucent area between the middle of the basal lobe and the base of the internal lobe (Figure 11F); translucent area narrow but widened basally and distally; basal lobe bifurcate and with a moderate sized projection subovate-shaped (in posterior and ventral views) (Figure 11D, F); basal lobe with a conspicuous visible surface in lateral view (Figure 11E); basal lobe with a “U’’-like shaped curvature between its base and the body (in anterior or posterior views) (Figure 11D, F).
Metasoma (Figures 12C, D, 13C, D, 14C, D). Strongly widening towards segment V (Figures 12C, D, 13C, D). Segments II–V short and robust (male- L/W ratio: II= 1.28; III= 1.29; IV= 1.09; V= 1.08/ female- L/W ratio: II= 1.24; III= 1.24; IV= 1.09; V= 1.10). Segments I–II (Figures 12C, D, 13C, D, 14C, D) with eight complete carinae, parallel and crenulate (paired DL, ML, VL and VSM) and two serratocrenulate (paired DSM); ML of segment II represented by coarse granules; intercarinal areas densely covered with fine granulation and moderately covered with coarse granulation; segments III–IV (Figures 12C, D, 13C, D, 14C, D) with six complete carinae, parallel and crenulate (paired DL, VL and VSM) and two serratocrenulate (paired DSM), intercarinal areas densely covered with fine granulation and moderately covered with coarse granulation; segment V (Figures 12C, D, 13C, D, 14C, D) with five complete carinae and crenulate (VM, paired VL and VSM carinae) and two serratocrenulate (paired DSM), intercarinal areas densely covered with coarse granulation and moderately covered with fine granulation. Segments II–V (Figure 14C, D) with DSM carinae, composed of moderately protruding rounded granules that progressively increase distally (except on segment V), ending in an enlarged distoterminal granule (distoterminal granule not enlarged in segment V).
Metasomal macrosetation. Segments I–IV each with two pairs of VSM macrosetae (2/2): pair VSM1 located in the anterior 1/3, and pair VSM3 located near the posterior margin of the segment, and two pairs of VL macrosetae (2/2): pair VL1 located near the anterior margin, and pair VL2 located in the posterior 2/3 of the segment. Segment V with two pairs of VSM macrosetae (2/2), two pairs of VL macrosetae (2/2), and a single pair of ML macrosetae; pair VSM1 and VL1 located near the anterior margin of the segment; VL2 located on the posterior 2/3, and pair ML1 located dorsolaterally near the posterior margin (behind DSM carinae); anal arch with two pairs of setae on the intercrestal area, one pair of VSM macrosetae (1/1) and one pair of VL macrosetae (1/1).
Telson (Figure 15C, D). Covered with abundant microsetae, white colored under UV light (Figure 15C, D). Vesicle spherical, not elongated (L/H= 1.21 (male)/ L/W= 1.31 (female)), with dorsal surface smooth and a lateral longitudinal furrow on each side; with VM, paired VSM, VL, and DL carinae, vestigial and slightly marked. Subaculear tubercle vestigial pyramidal, with a rounded apex directed to the middle portion of the aculeus (Figure 15C, D); subaculear tubercle with a ventral pair of small rounded granules, pointing to the basal portion of the aculeus; aculeus strongly curved, shorter than vesicle and with a ventral groove.
Variability. Morphometrics. Total length (including telson): 53.38–61.55 (female) (n=5, mean= 57.28, standard deviation (SD)= 3.41) and 55.03 (male) (n=1). Chela L/W ratio: 4.36–4.71 (female) (n= 4; mean= 4.21; SD= 0.59) and 3.18 (male) (n=1). Metasomal segment I L/W ratio: 0.98–1.11 (female) (n= 5; mean= 1.05; SD= 0.05) and 1.08 (male) (n= 1). Metasomal segment V L/W ratio: 1.09–1.17 (female) (n= 5; mean= 1.12; SD= 0.03) and 1.08 (male) (n= 1). Telson vesicle L/H: 1.50–1.68 (female) (n= 5; mean= 1.62; SD= 0.07) and 1.60 (male) (n= 1). Counts. Pectinal tooth counts: females 15–17 (n= 5, mode= 16) and male 17 (n=2, mode= 17). Number of movable finger oblique granule rows: females 14–16 (n= 5, mode= 15) and male 16–17 (n= 2). The variation of the telotarsi ventrosubmedian setae counts is in Table 6.
Natural history. The type specimens recorded herein were hand-captured at day in small patches of montane forests surrounded by deforested grassland. The specimens were collected under large fallen logs or under the loose bark of rotten logs. The new species was found in sympatry with the chactid Chactas vanbenedenii. Distribution (Figure 16). Only known from its type locality in the Cordillera Central (El Cerrito municipality, El Moral Sidewalk), Valle del Cauca department, Colombia.
description: Published as part of Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo & Cabra-García, Jimmy, 2022, On the Tityus forcipula species group: redescription of Tityus forcipula (Scorpiones, Buthidae), description of a new Andean species, and notes on the taxonomy of the group, pp. 151-186 in Zootaxa 5155 (2) on pages 174-178, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5155.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6673332