Centruroides franckei Santibáñez-López & Contreras-Félix 2013, n. sp.
Creators: name: Santibáñez-López, Carlos E.
name: Contreras-Félix, Gerardo A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Scorpiones
Buthidae
Centruroides
Centruroides franckei

description: Centruroides franckei n. sp.
(Figs. 1 A–B, 2A–B, 3A–B, 4A–B, E–F, 5, 7)
TYPE MATERIAL. MEXICO. OAXACA: DISTRITO DE JUQUILA. Holotype ♂ (CNAN-T0783), San Pedro Juchatengo 16°21.824’N 97°06.584’W, 845 m, 27.June.2006, O. Francke, G. Villegas, H. Montaño, C. Santibáñez and A. Valdez. Paratypes: 6 ♂, 1 ♀ (CNAN-T0784), 3 ♂, 1 ♀ (AMNH), same data as holotype.
ETYMOLOGY. This species is dedicated to Oscar Francke for his contributions to Mexican arachnology and for all his guidance through all these years.
DIAGNOSIS. The following character combination is diagnostic for C. franckei, n. sp. Total length (adults) 36– 40 mm. Base coloration (adults) yellow to orange yellowish. Pedipalp yellow to brownish orange, weakly infuscated. Pectinal tooth count, 19–21 (♂, n=9, mode= 19) or 18–19 (♀, n=2, mode=19), pedipalp movable finger inner accessory denticle count 23–28 (mode= 24, +/– std= 1.53), movable finger outer accessory denticle count 25– 31 (mode= 26, +/– std= 1.7). Subaculear tooth strong, conical, tip pointing towards the middle of the aculeus. Metasomal segment V length:width ratio, mean= 2.84 (♂), mean= 2.10 (♀), segment V width:height ratio, mean= 1.07 (♂), mean= 1.09 (♀). Vesicle width: metasomal segment V width ratio, mean= 0.84 (♂), mean= 0.73 (♀).
Centruroides franckei, n. sp., is most similar to Centruroides hoffmanni Armas, 1996, and Centruroides nigrovariatus (Pocock, 1898) on the basis of similar pectinal tooth count and the presence of the subaculear tooth. However, they can be distinguished as follows. C. franckei, n. sp. is a small-sized species (adults 36–40 mm), while C. nigrovariatus (adults 40–46 mm) and C. hoffmanni (adults 42–46 mm) are medium-sized species. Metasomal carination is strongly infuscated in C. hoffmanni, and weakly infuscated in C. franckei and in C. nigrovariatus. Telson vesicle ventral surface is moderately to strongly infuscated in C. hoffmanni, weakly to moderately in C. nigrovariatus, and weakly infuscated in C. franckei, n. sp. The subaculear tooth is weakly developed in C. nigrovariatus, and it is strongly developed in C. hoffmanni and C. franckei, n. sp. The pedipalp movable finger inner accessory denticle count in C. hoffmanni is higher (n= 10, mode=30, +/– std= 1.2) than in C. nigrovariatus (n= 8, mode= 27, +/– std= 1.2) and in C. franckei, n. sp. (n= 21, mode= 24, +/– std= 1.5).
DESCRIPTION. Based on holotype ♂ (Fig. 5 A–B) and paratype ♀ (Fig. 5 C–D) with differences in paratype ♀ noted. Measurements in table 1.
Coloration. Carapace yellow to orange, weakly infuscated. Coxosternum pale yellow to orange. Pedipalps yellow to brownish orange, weakly infuscated on the dorsal and external intercarinal surfaces, not infuscated on ventral intercarinal surface. Legs pale yellow to orange, uniformly infuscated. Mesosoma yellowish orange to brown, with two longitudinal bands along the tergites formed by dark marks on the post- tergites only (Fig. 5). Metasoma yellowish orange; carina weakly infuscate, dusky markings present only on ventral intercarinal surfaces of all segments. Telson yellow to orange.
Carapace. Anterior margin moderately granular, straight to weakly emarginated. Carapacial anterior median and central median carinae conspicuous, indicated by small granules, superciliary carina moderate, indicated by small to large granules, other carinae indistinct (Fig. 1 A–B).
Pedipalps. Orthobothriotaxic Type A, femur with alpha configuration of dorsal trichobothria.
Femur. External intercarinal surface, with large granules, all other intercarinal surfaces minutely granular. Dorsointernal, dorsoexternal and ventroexternal carinae strongly developed, granular; ventroexternal carina moderately developed, granular; ventrointernal carina moderate to weak, sparsely granular.
Patella. Internal intercarinal surface with few large conical granules; dorsal, external and ventral intercarinal surfaces minutely granular. Dorsointernal carina moderately developed, sparsely granular; dorsomedial and dorsoexternal carinae moderately to weakly developed, weakly crenulate to granular; ventrointernal carina weakly developed, minutely granular.
Chela manus (Fig. 2 A–B). Slender; intercarinal surfaces minutely granular to smooth, dorsomarginal carina weak to moderately developed, minutely granular; dorsal secondary carina weakly to moderately developed, granular; digital carina weakly developed, granular; other carinae weakly developed to obsolete. Pedipalp fixed fingers with eight oblique rows of denticles, flanked by 24/23 (right/left, ♂), 25/25 (right/left, ♀) internal accessory denticles, and 26/25 (right/left, ♂), 30/27 (right/left, ♀) external accessory denticles; pedipalp movable finger with eight oblique rows of denticles, flanked by 26/27 (right/left, ♂), 26/25 (right/left, ♀) internal accessory denticles, and 26/27 (right/left, ♂), 31/28 (right/left, ♀) external accessory denticles.
Pectines. Pectinal basal piece 1.84 wider than long (♂), 1.82 (♀); posterior margin slightly concave to straight (♂), slightly rounded (♀). Pectinal tooth count 20–21 (♂), 19–18 (♀) (Fig. 3 A–B).
Mesosoma. Tergites I–IV, pre-tergites minutely granular, post-tergites densely granular; tergal median carina on I–VI weakly to moderately developed, granular. Tergite VII granular; VII median carina moderately developed, granular; submedian carinae moderately developed, granular; lateral carinae moderately developed, granular. Sternites smooth; VII submedian carinae weakly developed, granular; lateral carinae weakly to moderately developed, granular.
Metasoma. All intercarinal surfaces smooth to minutely granular. Segments I–IV, dorsolateral carinae moderately developed, granular to serrate on I–III, weakly developed, granular on IV; lateral supramedian carinae moderately developed, granular to slightly serrate on I–III, weakly developed, granular on IV; lateral inframedian carinae moderately developed, granular on I, obsolete on II–IV; ventrolateral carinae moderately developed, granular to slightly serrate; ventrosubmedian carinae moderately developed, granular to serrate. Segment V length:width ratio, 2.95 (♂), 2.13 (♀); dorsolateral carina weakly developed to obsolete, smooth to granular; ventrolateral carina weakly developed, granular; ventromedian carina weakly developed to vestigial, slightly granular to smooth (Fig. 4 A–B, E–F).
Telson. Vesicle slender and long in (#m), oval in (#f). Subaculear tooth strong, conical, its tip pointing towards the middle of aculeus; all surfaces smooth (Fig. 4 A–B, E–F).
Legs. Very long and slender; telotarsi with ventral surface densely covered by fine setae.
DISTRIBUTION. Centruorides franckei, n. sp. is recorded only from type locality in the southern mountain range in Oaxaca (Fig. 7).
ECOLOGY. This species was collected with the aid of UV light at night, roaming on the surface. The area where this species was collected was heavily disturbed, but there were remnants of dry tropical deciduous forest. The habitat and the habitus of Centruroides franckei, n. sp. are consistent with the lapidicolous ecomorphotype (Prendini, 2001).
description: Published as part of Santibáñez-López, Carlos E. & Contreras-Félix, Gerardo A., 2013, Two new species of Centruroides Marx 1890 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Oaxaca, Mexico, pp. 130-140 in Zootaxa 3734 (2) on pages 131-136, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3734.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/216766