Research Article |
Corresponding author: Wilson R. Lourenço ( wilson.lourenco@mnhn.fr ) Academic editor: Pavel Stoev
© 2018 Wilson R. Lourenço, Ondřej Košulič.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Lourenço WR, Košulič O (2018) A new remarkable species of Alloscorpiops Vachon, 1980 from Myanmar (Burma) (Scorpiones, Scorpiopidae). ZooKeys 775: 47-58. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.775.24248
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Among the genera of the family Scorpiopidae Kraepelin, 1905 Alloscorpiops remains yet rather discrete. New species were added to this genus only recently, increasing its number from two to six. Therefore, species of Alloscorpiops can be considered rare and uncommonly collected. One particular new species, Alloscorpiops viktoriae sp. n., is described based on two females and one pre-adult male collected from the northern part of central Myanmar (Burma). The new species presents most features exhibited by scorpions of the genus Alloscorpiops, but it is characterised by a moderate to small size, very strongly marked granulation, and a particular trichobothrial pattern. Aspects of the ecology and distribution of the new species are discussed and compared with those of other species of genus Alloscorpiops.
Alloscorpiops, biodiversity, Burma, new species, Scorpion, Scorpiopidae , southeast Asia
As already outlined by
In the present note, one additional new species belonging to the genus Alloscorpiops is described from the region of Magway in the northern part of central Myanmar. Specimens were collected in an open sandy riverbed, which is not a common habitat type for this group of scorpions, as all known species are usually found in dry or humid tropical forest ecosystems (e.g.,
Illustrations and measurements were produced using a Wild M5 stereo-microscope with a drawing tube and an ocular micrometre. Measurements follow
Alloscorpiops anthracinus (Simon, 1887), Myanmar
Alloscorpiops lindstroemii (Thorell, 1889), Myanmar
Alloscorpiops calmonti Lourenço, 2013, Laos
Alloscorpiops citadelle Kovařík, 2013, Thailand
Alloscorpiops wongpromi Kovařík, Soleglad & Košulič, 2013, Laos, Thailand
Alloscorpiops troglodytes Lourenço & Pham, 2015, Vietnam
Alloscorpiops viktoriae sp. n., central Myanmar (this study)
The new species shows several of the characteristics already defined for the genus Alloscorpiops (Vachon, 1980). General colouration reddish brown to dark brown. Global size moderate to small in relation to other species of the genus; adult female with 50.9 mm in total length and a very strong overall granulation. The new species is also characterised by the trichobothrial patterns of some ‘territories’ or series. Femur with three trichobothria, d, i and e. Patella with the trichobothria d1 and d2 on the dorsal surface; i on the internal surface, 15-17 V on the ventral surface and only 22 trichobothria on the external surface (6 et, 7 est, 2 em, 2 esb, 5 eb). Chela-hand with an unusual trichobothrial number on the V series of 8-9 on the ventral surface, Dt on the dorsal surface, Db on the external surface, ib and it on the internal surface, five Et, Est, Esb and three trichobothria in the Eb series on the external surface. The annular ring is strongly marked. Pectines with 8-9 teeth in females and 8-8 in the only known male; fulcra reduced.
Myanmar (Burma), Magway region, Kyakhtu District, River Stream, Sandy habitat, GPS 21°27’36”N; 94°16’24”E, 398 m a.s.l., 29/I/2016 (O. Košulič). Female holotype (RS-9122) and male-juvenile paratype (RS-9123) deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. Female paratype (VS-55342) deposited in the Mendel University of Brno, Czech Republic.
The new species is named after a young lady, Viktorie Košuličová, the daughter of O. Košulič. Coincidently, the new species was also found in the region close to the most impressive peak of Central Myanmar, Mt. Victoria.
The general coloration is reddish brown to dark brown. Carapace and tergites reddish brown. Metasomal segments brown to dark brown; telson reddish brown; base of aculeus yellow and tip slightly reddish. Chelicerae yellow with intense variegated brownish spots; teeth reddish. Pedipalps dark brown; granulations on chela fingers almost reddish. Legs reddish brown. Venter reddish to reddish yellow; genital operculum and pectines yellow.
Morphology. Carapace strongly granular, furrows moderately to very deep. Median eyes anterior to the centre of carapace; three pairs of lateral eyes, the third pair only slightly smaller than the first two. Sternum pentagonal, longer than wide. Genital operculum formed by two semi-oval plates in female. Tergites strongly granulated; VII with four moderately marked carinae. Pectinal tooth count 8-8 (9-9) in females, 8-8 in male; fulcra reduced. Sternites smooth and shiny; VII with four weak carinae and some granulations. Metasomal segments I and II wider than long; segments III to V longer than wide; 10-8-8-8-7 carinae present on segments I–V, strongly marked; dorsal carinae on segments I-IV, with strongly marked posterior spinoid granules on segments III-IV; metasomal tegument moderately to strongly granulated; ventral carina on segment V with weak spinoid granules. Telson vesicle almost smooth, with some isolated granulations. Pedipalps: femur with dorsal internal, dorsal external, ventral internal and ventral external carinae moderately to strongly marked; tegument moderately granular. Patella with dorsal internal, ventral internal, dorsal external, ventral external and external carinae strongly marked; several spinoid granules present on internal aspect, two of which are very conspicuous; the interno-ventral being larger than the interno-dorsal granule; tegument moderately granular. Chela with dorsal marginal, external secondary, ventral internal and ventral carinae moderately to strongly marked; other carinae moderately marked; tegument granulated dorsally and ventrally. Chelal fingers with two longitudinal series of granules, almost fused, and a few inner and outer accessory granules. Chelicerae dentition as illustrated in Figure
Although geographically closer to the others species of Alloscorpiops described from Myanmar (Burma) the new species shows some affinities with Alloscorpiops troglodytes from Vietnam, in particular by the reduced number of trichobothria in some territories. Both species can, however, be readily distinguished by the structure of their tegument, which is weakly granular, almost smooth in A. troglodytes and strongly granular in A. viktoriae sp. n. Besides this, they differ in their overall size, pattern of pigmentation, and general morphology (see also the following key).
Morphometric values (in mm) of female holotype. Total length (including telson) 50.9. Carapace: length 8.0; anterior width 4.1; posterior width 7.9. Mesosoma length 17.8. Metasomal segment I: length 2.2, width 3.1; II: length 2.4, width 2.7; III: length 3.2, width 2.6; IV: length 3.6, width 2.4; V: length 6.3, width 2.2, depth 2.2. Telson length 7.4. Vesicle: width 2.2, depth 2.1. Pedipalp: femur length 7.9, width 3.0; patella length 7.2, width 3.3; chela length 15.9, width 4.4, depth 4.3; movable finger length 7.7.
1 | Chela of pedipalp with 3 trichobothria on the Eb series | 2 |
– | Chela of pedipalp with 5 trichobothria on the Eb series | Alloscorpiops (Laoscorpiops) calmonti |
2 | Chela of pedipalp with 10–13 ventral trichobothria; patella with 15–22 ventral trichobothria | 4 |
– | Chela of pedipalp with 8–9 ventral trichobothria; patella with 14–17 ventral trichobothria | 3 |
3 | Tegument of carapace and tergites almost smooth | Alloscorpiops troglodytes |
– | Tegument of carapace and tergites strongly granulated | Alloscorpiops viktoriae sp. n. |
4 | Patella of pedipalp with 15–16 ventral and 23–25 external trichobothria | 5 |
– | Patella of pedipalp with 19–21 ventral and 29–37 external trichobothria | 6 |
5 | Patella of pedipalp with 16 ventral and 23 external trichobothria | Alloscorpiops anthracinus |
– | Patella of pedipalp with 15 ventral and 25 external trichobothria | Alloscorpiops lindstroemii |
6 | Patella of pedipalp with 19–21 ventral and 29–34 external trichobothria | Alloscorpiops citadelle |
– | Patella of pedipalp with 21–22 ventral and 33–37 external trichobothria | Alloscorpiops wongpromi |
The new species A. viktoriae sp. n. was found in Magway region in the northern part of central Myanmar along the border with Chin State. This region is situated on the eastern slopes of the Chin Hills of Arakan Mountains, which includes a large area of tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests (
Type locality of Alloscorpiops viktoriae sp. n. in Magway region of Central Myanmar. A Overall view on natural habitat of the new species B Detail view on the same habitat. All specimens were found under stones located directly in humid riverbed. Photographs by Ondřej Košulič (A); Šárka Mašová (B).
Until now, all species from the genus Alloscorpiops were distributed between 15° and 8° of geographical latitude and 98° to 107° of geographical longitude. This area is located from central Thailand to the eastern region of Indochina along southern Laos and central Vietnam to southern Thailand where the southernmost distribution of this genus is (Figure
Map of southeast Asia showing the known distribution of the species belonging to the genus Alloscorpiops: Alloscorpiops anthracinus (1), Alloscorpiops lindstroemii (2), Alloscorpiops calmonti (3), Alloscorpiops citadelle (4), Alloscorpiops wongpromi (5), Alloscorpiops troglodytes (6) and Alloscorpiops viktoriae sp. n. (7).
With the exception of A. troglodytes, which was found in a cave habitat in a limestone area of central Vietnam (Lourenço 2015), all species were usually discovered in lowland dry dipterocarps or bamboo forests (
In general, most Alloscorpiops species have been collected and observed from similar microhabitat conditions sharing ecological strategies similar to other groups from the family Scorpiopidae (e.g.,
In conclusion, it can be suggested that A. viktoriae sp. n. represents a remarkable species of scorpion for Myanmar and its finding significantly extends the distribution range of this southeast-Asian endemic genus further to the north from its original area. Presumably more species from this group will be found in suitable habitats across southeast Asia.
We are most grateful to Elise-Anne Leguin (Muséum, Paris) and Šárka Mašová (Masaryk University, Brno) for their assistance in the preparation of photos and plates. The second author also expresses his gratitude to Šárka Mašová and Prasit Wongprom for their great companionship during the expedition to Central Myanmar.