The genus Ananteris Thorell , 1891 ( Scorpiones , Buthidae ) in southeast Brazil , with the description of three new species

A new synthesis of the geographical distribution of the genus Ananteris Th orell, 1891 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) in Brazil is proposed. Th ree new species, Ananteris chagasi sp. n., Ananteris kuryi sp. n., and Ananteris bernabei sp. n. are described from the States of Bahia, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais. Only isolated records of Ananteris species where known up to now, for the States of Minas Gerais and Bahia. Th e record of an Ananteris species from the State of Espirito Santo is new. Th e total number of Ananteris species is now raised to 67 and from this, 16 species are found in Brazil. Th e geographical distribution of the genus is considerably enlarged in the country.


Introduction
As already explained in recent publications (Lourenço 2003(Lourenço , 2004a,b;,b;Lourenço et al. 2006), since the genus Ananteris Th orell, 1891 was last revised (Lourenço 1982) the number of species described in it has increased continuously.It now contains 67 known species (see Lourenço 2001Lourenço , 2003Lourenço , 2004a,b;,b;Lourenço et al. 2006;Rojas-Runjaic and De Sousa 2007;Botero-Trujillo 2007, 2009;Rojas-Runjaic et al. 2008).Several recently described species, however, require a revision of their taxonomic status.Th is is particularly true for the 26 species recently described by González-Sponga (2006) from Venezuela.Such a revision is not, however, the aim of this publication.
During a revision of the genus (Lourenço 1982), several new species from Brazil were described in addition to Ananteris balzanii Th orell, the only species known from the country before that date.Th ese species were: Ananteris dekeyseri Lourenço, Ananteris franckei Lourenço, Ananteris mariaterezae Lourenço, Ananteris maury Lourenço and Ananteris pydanieli Lourenço.Subsequently Lourenço (1984) described Ananteris luciae Lourenço, followed by Ananteris maranhensis Lourenço (Lourenço 1987) and Ananteris deniseae Lourenço (Lourenço 1997(Lourenço , 2002)).More recently, other species have been described.Ananteris nairae (Lourenço 2004a) was described from the West of the State Amazonas, showing the most westerly distribution of all Brazilian species in the genus.Th is was followed by the descriptions of Ananteris evellynae Lourenço, 2004, from the State of Bahia, Ananteris cryptozoicus Lourenço, 2005, also from Amazonia and Ananteris cachimboensis Lourenço, Motta & Silva, 2006 from the State of Mato Grosso (Lourenço 2004a,b;Lourenço 2005;Lourenço et al. 2006).Th e recent examination of several scorpions belonging to the genus Ananteris, collected in the States of Bahia, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, has revealed the presence of three new species.Th ese are described here.Only isolated records of Ananteris species where known, for the States of Minas Gerais and Bahia.Th e record of an Ananteris species for the State of Espírito Santo is, however, new.Th e total number of Ananteris species is now raised to 67 and from this, 16 species are found in Brazil.Th e geographical distribution of the genus is considerably enlarged in the country.

Methods
Illustrations and measurements were produced using a Wild M8 stereo-microscope with a drawing tube and an ocular micrometer.Measurements follow Stahnke (1970) and are given in mm.Trichobothrial notations follow Vachon (1974), while morphological terminology mostly follows Vachon (1952) and Hjelle (1990).Diagnosis.Species of small to moderate size when compared with the average size of the other species of the genus (16.3 mm in total length; see Table I).General coloration yellowish with intense variegated dark pigmentation.Pedipalps short and slender; fi ngers with 6 rows of granules; male pectines with 15-15 teeth.Th e new species can be distinguished from other known species of the genus, and in particular from A. balzanii, which is also distributed in the State of Minas Gerais by: (i) a diff erent pattern of pigmentation; fi ngers of pedipalp chela in A. balzanii are yellow, whereas these are very dark in the new species; chelicerae in A. balzanii are totally covered by reticular spots, whereas in the new species these cover only the anterior and lateral edges, (ii) pedipalp fi ngers with have 7 rows of granules in A. balzanii, against only 6 in the new species, (iii) male pectines with 15 teeth, in contrast to 16-19 in A. balzanii, (iv) some distinct morphometric values (see Table I).Th e new species is possibly an endemic element to the state of Minas Gerais.

Checklist of the known
Etymology.Patronym is in honor of Dr. Amazonas Chagas Júnior. of the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Description.Based on male holotype (measurements in Table I).Coloration.Generally yellowish with dark brown to blackish pigmented zones on the body and its appendages.Prosoma: carapace yellowish with dark brown spots on the lateral and posterior edges; eyes surrounded by black pigment.Mesosoma: yellowish with confl uent blackish zones on the posterior and lateral edges of tergites.Metasoma: segments I to V yellowish; all segments intensely marked with dark brown spots.Vesicle yellowish without spots; the base of the aculeus yellowish and the tip reddish.Venter yellowish; sternite VII with very diff used brownish spots.Chelicerae yellowish with variegated blackish spots over the anterior and lateral surfaces; fi ngers with blackish spots; teeth reddish.Pedipalps: yellowish; femur and patella with densely marked blackish-brown spots; chela hand almost entirely blackish-brown; fi ngers very dark.Legs yellowish, with several blackish-brown spots.
Morphology.Carapace with thin but intense granulation; anterior margin not emarginated, almost straight.Anterior median superciliary and posterior median carinae weak or absent.All furrows moderate to weak.Median ocular tubercle distinctly anterior to the centre of the carapace; median eyes separated by approximately one ocular diameter.Th ree pairs of lateral eyes.Sternum subpentagonal to pentagonal.Mesosoma: tergites with thin and sparse granulation.Median carina moderate to weak in all tergites.Tergite VII pentacarinate.Venter: genital operculum divided longitudinally, each plate more or less subtriangular in shape.Pectines: pectinal tooth count 15-15; basal middle lamellae of the pectines not dilated; fulcra absent.Sternites smooth; stigmata weakly elongate; setation moderate; sternite VII with very weakly marked carinae.Metasoma: segments I and II with 10 carinae, moderately crenulate.Segments III and IV with 8 carinae, moderately crenulate.Intercarinal spaces slightly granular, almost smooth.Segment V slightly rounded with 5 carinae.Telson moderately elongated and without granulations; with one ventral carina weakly marked; aculeus short and weakly curved; subaculear tooth strong and spinoid.Cheliceral dentition characteristic of the family Buthidae (Vachon 1963); fi xed fi nger with two moderate basal teeth; movable fi nger with two weak basal teeth; ventral aspect of both fi nger and manus with dense, long setae.Pedipalps: femur pentacarinate; patella and chela with weak to vestigial carinae; internal face of patella with 5 minute spinoid granules; all faces slightly granular, almost smooth.Fixed and movable fi ngers with 6 almost linear rows of granules; two small external and one internal accessory granule present at the base of each row; three granules in the extremity of the fi ngers; Trichobothriotaxy; orthobothriotaxy A-ß-beta (Vachon 1974(Vachon , 1975)).Legs: tarsus with very numerous fi ne median setae ventrally.Tibial spurs moderately developed on leg IV; weak on leg III.Diagnosis.Species of small to moderate size when compared with the average size of the other species of the genus (19.9 mm in total length; see Table I).General coloration yellowish with variegated dark pigmentation.Pedipalps very slender; fi ngers with 6 rows of granules; female pectines with 13-14 teeth.Th e new species can be distinguished from other known species of the genus from the Atlantic forest region of Brazil, and in particular from A. mauryi, which is also distributed in the State of Bahia by: (i) a less dark pigmentation of the body and appendages; chelicerae in the new species are totally covered by reticular pigmentation, whereas in A. mauryi these cover only the anterior and lateral edges, (ii) pedipalp fi ngers with have 6 rows of granules instead of 7 as in A. mauryi, (iii) female pectines with 13-14 teeth, in contrast to 15-16 as in A. mauryi, (iv) some distinct morphometric values (see Table I).Th e new species is possibly an endemic element to the Atlantic forest formation.
Description.Based on female holotype (measurements in Table I).
Coloration.Generally yellowish with dark brown pigmented zones on the body and its appendages.Prosoma: carapace yellowish with brownish spots on the central zone, lateral and posterior edges; anterior edge with two conspicuous yellow zones; eyes surrounded by black pigment.Mesosoma: yellowish with intensely marked confl uent brownish zones on the posterior and lateral edges of tergites.Metasoma: segments I to V yellowish; all segments intensely marked with light brown spots.Vesicle yellowish without spots; the base of the aculeus yellowish and the tip light reddish.Venter yellowish; sternites with diff used brownish confl uent spots.Chelicerae yellowish with variegated blackish spots over the entire surface; fi ngers with blackish spots; teeth reddish.Pedipalps: yellowish; femur and patella with dispersed blackish-brown spots; chela hand almost entirely blackish-brown; fi ngers dark.Legs yellowish, with several blackish-brown spots.
Morphology.Carapace with thin but intense granulation; anterior margin not emarginated, almost straight.Anterior median superciliary and posterior median carinae weak or absent.All furrows moderate to weak.Median ocular tubercle distinctly anterior to the centre of the carapace; median eyes separated by approximately 0.8 of one ocular diameter.Th ree pairs of lateral eyes.Sternum subpentagonal.Mesosoma: tergites with moderately strong and intense granulation.Median carina moderately marked in all tergites.Tergite VII pentacarinate.Venter: genital operculum divided longitudinally, each plate more or less suboval in shape.Pectines: pectinal tooth count 13-13; basal middle lamellae of the pectines not dilated; fulcra absent.Sternites almost smooth; only VII is slightly granular; stigmata moderately elongate; setation weak; sternite VII with four weakly marked carinae.Metasoma: segments I to III with 10 carinae, crenulate.Segment IV with 8 carinae, crenulate.Intercarinal spaces slightly granular.Segment V slightly rounded with 5 carinae.Telson elongated and without granulations; with one ventral carina weakly marked; aculeus moderately short and

Ananteris cachimboensis Ananteris cryptozoicus Ananteris dekeyseri Ananteris deniseae Ananteris evellynae
Ananteris franckei Ananteris kuryi sp.n. -length 1.9 3.2 4.0 weakly curved; subaculear tooth strong and spinoid.Cheliceral dentition characteristic of the family Buthidae (Vachon 1963); fi xed fi nger with two moderate basal teeth; movable fi nger with two weak basal teeth; ventral aspect of both fi nger and manus with dense, long setae.Pedipalps: femur pentacarinate; patella and chela with vestigial carinae; internal face of patella with 4/5 minute spinoid granules; all faces smooth.Fixed and movable fi ngers with 6 almost linear rows of granules; two small external and one internal accessory granule present at the base of each row; three granules in the extremity of the fi ngers; Trichobothriotaxy; orthobothriotaxy A-ß-beta (Vachon 1974(Vachon , 1975)).Legs: tarsus with very numerous fi ne median setae ventrally.Tibial spurs strongly developed on leg IV; moderate on leg III.I).General coloration yellow to reddish-yellow with variegated dark pigmentation.Pedipalps slender; fi ngers with 6-7 rows of granules; male and female pectines with 13-14 teeth.Th e new species can be distinguished from other known species of the genus, also distributed in the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil, by: (i) a paler, reddish-yellow coloration and a distinct pattern of pigmentation on the chelicerae; these are not pigmented in the central zone, (ii) pedipalp fi ngers with have 6-7 rows of granules, (iii) male and female pectines with 13-14 teeth, (iv) anterior margin of the carapace with a sharp and convex projection; this character is better marked in adults.Th e new species is possibly an endemic element to the Atlantic Forest region.

Ananteris pydanieli
Etymology.Patronym is in honor of biologist Tiago Nascimento Bernabé.Description.Based on female holotype (measurements in Table I).
Coloration.Generally yellow to reddish-yellow with dark brown to blackish pigmented zones on the body and its appendages.Prosoma: carapace reddish-yellow with blackish-brown spots on the anterior, lateral and posterior edges; eyes surrounded by black pigment.Mesosoma: reddish-yellow with confl uent blackish zones on the posterior and lateral edges of tergites.Metasoma: segments I to III yellowish; IV-V reddish-yellow; all segments intensely marked with blackish-brown spots.Vesicle reddishyellow without any spots; the base of the aculeus reddish-yellow and the tip reddish.Venter yellowish; sternites with very diff used brownish spots.Chelicerae yellowish with variegated blackish-brown spots over almost the entire surface, with the exception of the central zone; fi ngers with blackish spots; teeth reddish.Pedipalps: yellowish; femur and patella with densely marked blackish-brown spots; chela hand almost entirely blackish-brown; fi ngers yellowish with dark on the extremities.Legs yellowish, with several blackish-brown spots.
Morphology.Carapace with coarse intense granulation; anterior margin not emarginated, almost straight, but with a sharp convex projection.Anterior median superciliary and posterior median carinae weak or absent.All furrows moderate to weak.Median ocular tubercle distinctly anterior to the centre of the carapace; median eyes separated by approximately 0.7 of one ocular diameter.Th ree pairs of lateral eyes.Sternum subpentagonal.Mesosoma: tergites with coarse intense granulation.Median carina moderate in all tergites.Tergite VII pentacarinate.Venter: genital operculum di- vided longitudinally, each plate more or less sub-triangular in shape.Pectines: pectinal tooth count 14-14 in holotype; 13-13 and 14-14 in paratypes; basal middle lamellae of the pectines not dilated; fulcra absent.Sternites V to VII slightly granular; stigmata Cheliceral dentition characteristic of the family Buthidae (Vachon 1963); fi xed fi nger with two moderate basal teeth; movable fi nger with two weak basal teeth; ventral aspect of both fi nger and manus with dense, long setae.Pedipalps: femur pentacarinate; patella and chela with weak to vestigial carinae; internal face of patella with 4-5 minute spinoid granules; all faces slightly granular, almost smooth.Fixed and movable fi ngers with 6-7 almost linear rows of granules; two small external and one internal accessory granule present at the base of each row; three granules in the extremity of the fi ngers; Trichobothriotaxy; orthobothriotaxy A-ß-beta (Vachon 1974(Vachon , 1975)).Legs: tarsus with very numerous fi ne median setae ventrally.Tibial spurs moderately to strongly developed on legs III and IV.

Figure 28 .
Figure 28.Map of distribution of the species of the genus Ananteris in Brazil.

Table I .
Morphometric values (in mm) of the new Ananteris species described in this paper Species of moderate to large size when compared with the average size of the other species of the genus (27.6 mm in total length; see Table moderately elongate; setation moderate; sternite VII more intensely granulated and with four weakly marked carinae.Metasoma: segments I and II with 10 carinae, moderately crenulate.Segments III and IV with 8 carinae, moderately crenulate.Intercarinal spaces slightly granular, almost smooth.Segment V slightly rounded with 5 carinae.Telson moderately elongated, without granulations, smooth; with one ventral carina weakly marked; aculeus short and weakly curved; subaculear tooth strong and spinoid.