Chiromachetes sahyadriensis Mirza & Sanap & Zambre 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Mirza, Zeeshan A.
name: Sanap, Rajesh V.
name: Zambre, Amod M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Scorpiones
Hormuridae
Chiromachetes
Chiromachetes sahyadriensis

description: Chiromachetes sahyadriensis Mirza, Sanap et
Zambre, sp. nov.
(Figs. 1–8, Table 1)
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D872BC FA-90E6-4F28-85DA-6AA162ACD8D4
Holotype: male NCBS AG-873, INDIA, Maharashtra State: Pune District, Tamhini Ghat, 18.764720°N, 73. 367294°E, 558 m a.s.l., under boulders along a dry stream bed, 8 November 2013, coll. Rajesh Sanap, Varun Vaze, Devavrat Joshi and Zeeshan Mirza.
Paratypes: 2 males (NCBS AG-876–877) and 3 females (NCBS AG-872, 874, 875), same label as holotype.
Diagnosis: Medium-sized scorpions, total length reaching 62.9 mm, carapace flat, three pairs of lateral eyes, manus length/width in males 4.6–4.8 and 3.4 in females; leg tarsi with three very small spinoid setae at the base (Fig. 3D); the ventral tarsal spines in males are stout, unlike those in other related genera. Dentate mar- gin of pedipalp chela finger with two rows of granules fused at the base (Fig. 3C). Pectinal teeth number 8–9 in males, 6–8 in females. Lamellar hook positioned distinctly in basal half of hemispermatophore in proximity to the lamellae.
Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the Sahyadri hills synonymous to the Western Ghats where the type locality is situated.
Description of holotype male NCBS AG873 (Figs. 1A–B, Table 1):
Coloration (when alive) (Figs. 6 & 7): Carapace, mesosoma, and metasoma deep brown to black with a beady gloss. Edges of each segment darker than the central portions. Legs, vesicle, pectines, genital operculum yellow to tan.
Carapace: Brown throughout with dark blackish brown reticulations throughout; anterior border, region near lateral eyes, and median eyes almost black (Fig. 2A). Smooth with a beady gloss with the exception of a few small sparse granules overall. Anterior margin with a moderately deep U-shaped indentation. Carapace horizontal, median eyes not on elevated tubercle. Lateral ocular tubercle with three eyes, first and the second lateral eyes are placed at a distance from the third lateral eye (Fig. 3B). Carapace lacks carinae. Lateral margins of carapace parallel posteriorly for more than half of its length. Cheliceral fixed finger with median and a basal bifid denticle; cheliceral movable finger dorsal edge with four denticles: distal denticle, one subdistal, one median, and one basal (Fig. 3A).
Mesosoma: Tergites tan-brown overall with dark reticulations; sternites paler, almost tan except for the last sternite, which is darker. Sternum, genital operculum and pectines pale yellow; legs tan with a brownish tinge. All segments smooth, lacking carinae. Each segment medially with a longitudinal elevation. Sternum pentagonal with a median longitudinal furrow. Genital operculum sub-pentagonal; basal piece with a median furrow (Fig. 2B). Pectines well developed, their teeth 8/ 9 in number, with fulcra; lamellae indistinct.
Legs: Two apical spinoid setae and one median spinoid seta present on tarsi of all legs; the ventral tarsal spines are stout, unlike those in other related genera; tarsi with three very small spinules at the base (Fig. 3D).
Pedipalp: Manus with five carinae, patella and femur each with four carinae. Patella and femur smooth throughout, with beady gloss, manus lacking beady smooth gloss but smooth throughout. Prolateral aspect of patella with a large spine-like protrusion along with a few blunt spines along the anterior ridge. Trichobothrial pattern of type C (Figs. 5). Trichobothrium Db present on the external aspect of manus and not on dorsal aspect; dt positioned on the internal aspect of the fixed finger; patellar trichobothrium est located on ventral side of the external surface.
Metasoma: smooth throughout, lacking granulation and carinae on segments I–IV. Ventrolateral carinae on segments II–IV present merely as depressed ridges. Segment V with ventrolateral carinae present, composed of rounded and spine-like granules. Anal arch with sparsely placed spine-like tubercles. Each segment dorsally with a shallow median furrow. Ventrally with sensory pits as in the genus Liocheles. All segments laterally compressed. Telson bulbous, hirsute ventrally. Aculeus short, nearly one-fourth the length of vesicle.
Hemispermatophore: lamelliform with a complex capsule; distal lamella slender and long. Lamina length twice that of the capsule region and trunk. A single lamellar hook arising from above the transverse ridge; hook short, curved and pointing upwards. Lamella arising from the posterior lobe is clearly apart from the lamellar hook, vertical in orientation. Lamellar hook positioned distinctly in basal half of hemispermatophore in proximity to the lamellae.
Variation. The species exhibits a high degree of sexual dimorphism, especially in the length and robustness of the pedipalp manus. Manus length/width in males 4.6– 4.8 and 3.4 in females. Females are darker in coloration as opposed to the males, and the leg coloration in males is much lighter. Tarsal spines in males are thick and long whereas they are short and thin in females. For other details see Table 1.
Ecological Notes
The new species is presently known only from the type locality where it occurs under boulders along forest streams (Fig. 8). The type locality lies close to the Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary, which supports similar habitats and it is likely that the new species is also distributed in the adjoining protected areas. The type specimens were collected within an hour at around 2200 hours with the aid of a flashlight. Most individuals were found sitting at the entrance of small slit-like burrows under boulders with their pedipalp chelae exposed. Several of these burrows had remains of conspecific pedipalps around the entrance indicating that the species might be highly cannibalistic. This is further attested by the fact that specimens maintained in captivity preferentially fed on smaller individuals of the same species leaving pieces of pedipalps (Devavrat Joshi, pers. comm.).
description: Published as part of Mirza, Zeeshan A., Sanap, Rajesh V. & Zambre, Amod M., 2015, A new species of the enigmatic genus Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Scorpiones: Hormuridae) from Western Ghats, India, with a key to the genus, pp. 1-10 in Euscorpius 212 on pages 1-6, DOI: 10.18590/euscorpius.2015.vol2015.iss212.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5508103