Ananteris lourencoi, Byg, 2024

Byg, Eric Ythier, 2024, A new high-altitude scorpion species of the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones: Ananteridae) from the Pico da Neblina, Brazil, Faunitaxys 12 (19), pp. 1-9 : 3-5

Ananteris lourencoi sp. n.

( Fig. 1-11)

ZooBank:https://zoobank.org/ 5473AF7F-EAB3-4730-8079-DB02031B8903

Holotype, ♂, Brazil, Parque Nacional do Pico da Neblina , border with Venezuela, 2000-2300 m alt.,collected by local people (A. Gomez leg.), XII/2001, deposited in the MNRJ.

Etymology. – The specific name honours my colleague Dr. Wilson R. Lourenço, in recognition of his 50 years of scientific publications. Moreover, Dr. Lourenço has described 60% of the species of the family Ananteridae stat. n., including more than half of the species of the genus Ananteris .

Diagnosis. – Species of small size when compared with the average size of the other species of the genus; male with 15.4 mm in total length (see measurements after the description). General coloration yellowish with brownish pigmented zones on the body and appendages; chelicerae pale yellow with only a small variegated dark brown spot anteriorly, at the base of fingers. Chela fixed and movable fingers with 6-7 longitudinal rows of granules, respectively. Pectines of male holotype with 16-17 teeth; female unknown. Telson with a fusiform shape and strong and spinoid subaculear tubercle. Carinae and granulation weakly to moderately marked. Metasomal segments with 10-8-8-8-5 carinae. Trichobothriotaxy of type A- beta.

Description based on male holotype

Coloration. –Generally yellowish with brownish pigmented zones on the body and appendages. Carapace yellowish with brown spots, better marked anteriorly; lateral and posterior edges rather pale, with less spots; median ocular tubercle very dark, almost black. Mesosoma yellowish with confluent dark brown spots on tergites I to VI; tergite VII with a triangular central dark brown spot and dark brown spots with paler centre on lateral sides. Sternites greyish yellow; pectines pale yellow; genital operculum, sternum and coxapophysis yellowish, without pigmented spots. Metasoma with all segments yellowish; dorsal side of segments I to IV with a triangular brown spot; ventral and lateral sides of all segments with dark brown spots, better marked on their posterior half. Telson with vesicle yellowish; base of aculeus pale yellow, tip yellowish. Chelicerae pale yellow with only a small variegated dark brown spot anteriorly, at the base of fingers; fingers yellowish with brown spots on movable finger; teeth reddish. Pedipalp femur with dorsal side almost entirely marked with diffused brown spots, with few yellowish zones posteriorly; patella yellowish with longitudinal brown spots; chela hand yellowish with brownish spots; fingers brownish with tip pale yellow. Legs pale yellow, marked with diffuse brown spots.

Morphology. – Carapace with weakly marked granulation over the entire surface, less marked on the anterior part; anterior margin almost straight, with a minute median convexity; carinae (Vachon, 1952) weak to vestigial; furrows weak; median ocular tubercle distinctly anterior to the center of carapace; median eyes separated by less than one ocular diameter; three pairs of lateral eyes. Tergites with weakly marked granulation, similar to that of carapace, better marked posteriorly; axial carina moderately marked on all tergites; tergite VII pentacarinate, axial carina incomplete, median and lateral pairs of carinae complete. Sternum subpentagonal. Pectinal tooth count 17-18 in male holotype, female unknown; fulcra absent. Sternites weakly granular, almost smooth; spiracles linear, elongated. Metasomal segment I with 10 complete carinae, II-IV with 8 complete carinae, V slightly rounded with 5 complete carinae; all carinae moderately crenulate; dorsal carinae of segments I to IV with a spinoid granule on their posterior part; intercarinal spaces smooth. Telson elongated with a fusiform shape, smooth; ventral median carina marked with spinoid granules; aculeus with a subaculear tooth strong and spinoid. Pedipalp femur with five carinae almost complete; patella with carinae slightly less marked, sometimes incomplete; internal face of patella with 5-6 minute spinoid granules; chela with carinae weak to vestigial, almost always incomplete, made of scattered minute granules; fixed and movable fingers with 6-7 longitudinal rows of granules, respectively, almost straight or slightly oblique; separated by bigger granules; three granules in the extremity of the fingers. Legs with tibial spurs well developed. Cheliceral dentition characteristic of the family (Vachon, 1963). Trichobothriotaxy: orthobothriotaxy of type A- beta (Vachon, 1974, 1975).

Morphometric values (mm) of the male holotype.

- Total length (including the telson) 15.38. - Carapace length 1.97;

anterior width 1.11;

posterior width 1.67.

- Mesosoma: length 3.93.

- Metasomal segments

I: length 0.98, width 1.02;

II: length 1.02, width 0.95;

III: length 1.15, width 0.92;

IV: length 1.51, width 0.89;

V: length 2.43, width 0.89, depth 0.98.

- Telson: length 2.39.

- Vesicle: width 0.72, depth 0.59.

- Pedipalp femur, length 1.84, width 0.46;

patella, length 2.20, width 0.59;

chela, length 2.69, width 0.39, depth 0.43.

- Movable finger: length 2.03.

10

3. Right chelicera, dorsal aspect. 4. Metasomal segment V and telson, lateral aspect. 5 -9. Trichobothrial pattern. 5. Right femur, dorsal aspect. 6 - 7. Right chela, dorso-external (6) and ventral (7) aspects. 8 - 9. Right patella, dorsal (8) and external (9) aspects. 10. Cutting edge of right chela movable finger with rows of granules.

Relationships. – A. lourencoi sp. n. can be readily distinguished from the geographically closest Ananteris species, namely:

A. faguasi Botero-Trujillo, 2009 and A. volschenki Botero-Trujillo, 2009 from Colombia,

A. dekeyseri Lourenço, 1982 , A. pydanieli Lourenço, 1982 , A. nairae Lourenço, 2004 , A. cryptozoicus Lourenço, 2005 , A. roraima Lourenço & Duhem, 2010 and A. palmari Botero-Trujillo & Noriega, 2011 from Brazil,

A. venezuelensis González-Sponga, 1972 , A. turumbanensis González-Sponga ,

1980 and A. chirimakei González-Sponga, 2006 from Venezuela, A. michaelae Lourenço, 2013 from Guyana ( Fig. 12),

by the following main features:

(i) a small size, with a total length of 15.4 mm in male (males bigger with 20.8 mm in A. michaelae , 22.1 mm in A. pydanieli , 22.2 mm in A. chirimakei , 23.0 mm in A.turumbanensis , 23.4 mm in A. roraima , 25.5mm in A. dekeyseri and 40.9 mm in A. venezuelensis ; while male of A. cryptozoicus is smaller with 10.81 mm);

(ii) chelicerae pale yellow with only a small variegated dark brown spot anteriorly, atthe base of fingers (uniformly yellowish withoutany spots in A. cryptozoicus and A.pydanieli ; yellowish with variegated darker spots over the entire surface in A. nairae , A. palmari , A. roraima and A. turumbanensis , over the entire surface excepta thin zone at the base of fingers in A.volschenki , and with an incomplete pattern basally and externally in A. dekeyseri );

(iii) fixed and movable fingers with 6-7 longitudinal rows of granules, respectively (6- 5 in A. cryptozoicus , 6- 6 in A. nairae , A. roraima and A. michaelae );

(iv) pectinal tooth count 17-18 in male (15- 15 in A. volschenki );

(v) telson with a fusiform shape, with length/depth ratio 4.05 (more elongated in A. dekeyseri with length/depth ratio 6.0, less elongated in A. turumbanensis with length/depth ratio 3.14),

(vi) metasomal segment II without any median lateral carinae (present, even incomplete, in A. palmari , A. roraima , A. turumbanensis , A. faguasi and A. michaelae );

(vii) quite different trichobothrial pattern of dorsal aspect of femur, notably from A. cryptozicus , A. venezuelensis , A. palmari and A. turumbanensis ( Fig. 11);

(viii) moreover, the new species was found at high altitude (between 2000-2300 m a.s.l.) while all other species were found between 50-260 m altitude, except A. chirimaki (895 m) and A. venezuelensis (between 900-1400 m) ( Fig. 12, 13).