Notes on the scorpions (Arachnida, Scorpiones) from Xizang with the redescription of Scorpiops jendeki Kovařík, 2000 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae) from Yunnan (China)

Abstract Until now, there are 26 scorpion species of 7 genera of 5 families recorded in Xizang (China). Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet) is the scorpion biodiversity richest area in China (53 scorpion species of 12 genera of 5 families), also the highest altitude habitat of scorpions in the world. We present information of type specimens, an identification key of the scorpion species from Xizang, the distribution, updated feature pictures, and discussion on the disputed species. The redescriptions of Scorpiops jendeki Kovařík, 2000 (Yunnan) and Scorpiops tibetanus Hirst, 1911 (Xizang), comments and feature figures of species of genus Scorpiops are provided for identification.

Description. (based on female specimens: Ar.-MHBU -XZSH0601). Coloration: red brown mainly. Carapace dark red brown. Median and lateral ocular tubercles black. Tergites mostly red brown to dark brown. Metasoma segments dark red brown to dark brown. Vesicle red brown with a reddish aculeus. Chelicerae yellow brown with fingers dark red brown gradually lighter toward the tip. Pedipalp femur and patella dark red brown, chela manus and fingers red brown. Legs red brown with yellow brown tarsi. Tarsal ungues yellowish brown. Sternum, genital operculum and sternites pale brown. Pectines yellowish.
Morphology. Prosoma: Carapace with sparse, coarse granules (Fig. 103); lateral furrow broad; anterior median furrow broad and moderately deep; posterior median furrow deep; margin behind lateral eyes with granules, other margins smooth. Median eyes situated anteriorly compared to center of carapace; three pairs of lateral ocelli, posterior smallest (Figs 103, 106). Median ocular tubercle with granules and a pair of big median eyes and a median furrow. Lateral ocular tubercle with some granules.
Chelicerae: Tegument smooth. Tibia smooth. Movable finger with 4 teeth on dorsal edge, 5teeth on ventral edge. Fixed finger with 3 teeth on dorsal edge (Figs  104, 105). Legs: Tegument coarsely granular dorsally, except basitarsi and telotarsi, smooth ventrally. Trochanters with few setae. Femur dorsal surface with few small granules, external surface with a granular carina, internal surface with two granular carinae. Patella internally with a dentate carina. Tibia with few setae and small granules, without spurs. Basitarsi with some spinules, few setae and 2 lateral pedal spurs. Tarsi ventrally with one row of short spinules and few setae. Tarsal ungues curved and hook-like.
Variation. Both sexes with coloration and morphology very similar to holotype. Sexual dimorphism: adult males, with more pronounced lobes on the movable fingers of the chela, and a more pronounced notch in the fixed finger and bigger pectinal teeth than females. Measurements in Table 2.
Ecology. This species was collected from barren mountain. They were found under stones.

Heterometrus tibetanus
S. jendeki appears to be closely related to S. hardwickei (Gervais, 1843), both species have the same number of external and ventral trichobothria on the patella, and a similar length/width ratio of chela; however, in the latter the fingers of pedipalps are strongly flexed.
Description. (based on female specimen: Ar.-MHBU -YNMH0801). Coloration: mainly yellow. Carapace red brown with yellow stripe. Median and lateral ocular tubercles black. Tergites mostly dark red brown to dark brown with yellow stripe. Metasoma segments dark red brown to dark brown. Vesicle red yellow brown with brown stripe and a red brown aculeus. Chelicerae yellow brown with fingers dark red brown gradually lighter toward the tip. Pedipalp femur and patella dark red brown, chela manus and fingers red brown. Legs red brown with yellow stripe, tarsi yellow brown. Tarsal ungues yellowish brown. Sternum, genital operculum and sternites pale brown. Pectines yellowish.
Morphology. Prosoma: Carapace with sparse, big granules (Fig. 120); anterior edge with big granules, lateral and posterior edges smooth; lateral furrow broad, anterior median furrow broad and moderately deep, posterior median furrow deep; margin behind lateral eyes with granules, other margins smooth. Median eyes situated ante-  riorly compared to center of carapace; three pairs of lateral ocelli, posterior smallest (Fig. 123). Median ocular tubercle smooth with a pair of median eyes which are much larger than lateral eyes, and a median furrow. Lateral ocular tubercle with some granules around eyes.
Pedipalps: Tegument coarse. Femur with external, dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, ventrointernal, ventroexternal and internal carinae with round granules; tegument with few small granules dorsally (Fig. 125)    which also belong to Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Sun and Sun, 2011). We conjecture the vast area of gap of scorpion distribution in the north of Xizang and the south of Qinghai is caused by the cold and clammy climate. So the scorpion fauna of Xizang isn't related to Qinghai and Xinjiang.
In the world, the 7 genera found in Xizang were recorded distributing to the south of Xizang. Modern species of genera Chaerilus, Euscorpiops and Scorpiops are limited to tropical areas of South Asia and Southeast Asia, although they reached considerable altitudes in Kashmir, Nepal, and Tibet (Kovařík, 2000a(Kovařík, , 2000b. The distribution of the species of genera Hottentotta, Isometrus, Heterometrus and the close related genera of Tibetiomachus also suggest the scorpion fauna of Xizang is close to South Asia and Southeast Asia.