Description of a new species
of scorpion of the genus Lychas C.L. Koch, 1845 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from
Maharashtra, India
Zeeshan A. Mirza
1 & Rajesh V. Sanap 2
1 Zoology Department, Bhavans College, Andheri (W),
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400058, India.
2 D5/2, Marol
Police Camp, Marol Maroshi
Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400059, India.
Email: 1 snakeszeeshan@gmail.com , 2 rajeshvsanap@gmail.com
Date of publication (online): 26 April 2010
Date of publication (print): 26 April 2010
ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)
Editor: Vinod Khanna
Manuscript details:
Ms
# o2363
Received
10 December 2009
Final
received 03 April 2010
Finally
accepted 05 April 2010
Citation: Mirza, Z.A. & R.V. Sanap (2010). Description of a new
species of scorpion of the genus Lychas C.L. Koch, 1845 (Scorpiones:
Buthidae) from Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(4): 789-796.
Copyright: © Zeeshan A. Mirza
& Rajesh V. Sanap 2010. Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium
for non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate
credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Author Details: Zeeshan A. Mirza is a student currently perusing a Bachelors degree in science
from Bhavans College (Andheri,
Mumbai) and is interested in herpetofaunal and
scorpion documentation and their taxonomy.
Rajesh V. Sanap has graduated with a Bachelors
degree in arts and is interested in the study of reptiles and scorpions.
Author Contribution: ZAM and RVS equally contributed by conducting field, lab and
writing work together.
Acknowledgment: Acknowledgment: We
are grateful to the American Arachnological
Society for a generous grant to conduct field work. Special thanks to Agarwal Jan Seva Charitable Trust and Nisarg
Trust for logistic support. Additionally we sincerely thank the
following people- Jan O. Rein, Dr. Parvish Pandya (Bhavans College), Dr. Anish Andheria, Shardul Bajikar, S.M. Maqsood Javed, Mihir Sule, V. Rathode, E. Das, Varsha Kulkarni, Ashish Jadhav, Gananan Korke, Sunny Patil, Sushil Bajgire and Saunak Pal. We would like to pay our deepest gratitude to Vishal Shah for his help and to all those who assisted with
field work and review. Thanks are also due to the editor and reviewers for
their inputs from which the manuscript benefited. We would sincerely like to
thank Dr. D.B. Bastawade for his noteworthy
contribution on Indian scorpions on which our knowledge is based. ZM wishes to thank Aamod
Zambre for constant encouragement, help and support
throughout the publication and preparation of this manuscript and also for his
suggestions during the survey. We
also thank Varad Giri and
V. Patil for help with registration of specimens.
Abstract: A new species of buthid scorpion
belonging to the genus Lychas C.L.
Koch, 1845 is described from the degraded scrub of Aarey
Milk Colony (Mumbai). Lychas aareyensis sp. nov. is similar to L. nigristernis, but can be differentiated based
on a combination of morphological characters. Notes on natural history are also
presented.
Keywords: Aarey Milk Colony, Lychas aareyensis sp. nov.,
Mumbai, northern Western Ghats, scorpion.
For figures, images & table - click here
Introduction
The
genus Lychas C.L.
Koch, 1845 sensu lato, contains a number of small to medium sized (21 to 69 mm) ground
dwelling or arboreal scorpions characterized by the following set of
characters: basic beta tricobothrial pattern (Sissom 1990); interocular area
being horizontal; mesosomal tergites
with one, two or three carinae; vesicle with a
conspicuous, strong, triangular subaculear tooth (Kovařik 1997).
The genus is represented by at least 37 species (Rein 2009), with
maximum diversity in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Pocock (1900)
in his work listed seven species from India, Tikader
& Bastawade (1983) described L. biharensis
and L. kamshetensis
adding two more
species to the list and also speculated the occurrence of
L. gravelyi in India without referring to any specimen or any published
record and thus the record needs confirmation (Kovařik
1997). Later, Bastawade
(1986) described L. kharpadi making it the eleventh
species. Kovařik
(1997) in his revision of the genus Lychas described another two species L. rackae and L. hillyardi updating the list of thirteen
species. Basu
(1964) described L. decorata from Hazaribagh,
Bihar province but did not provide any distinct character to separate the
species from L. nigristernis. Furthermore he did not preserve the types (fide Kovařik, 1997), hence it was considered a
synonym of L. nigristernis by Kovařik
(1997) as Tikader & Bastawade
(1983) did not include this species in their work and no further specimens were
reported by other authors as well (Kovařik
1997).
The
Western Ghats region is a biodiversity hotspot known for rich endemic diversity
(Myers et. al. 2000) that is not well documented (Giri
& Bauer 2008). Mumbai lies on the western fringe of the northern Western
Ghats, and Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, is home to more than 800
species of flowering plants, 33 of fish, more than 250 of birds, 40 of mammals
(Anon. 1999), 62 of reptiles and 14 of amphibians (Mirza
& Pal 2008). The area is
poorly known for invertebrate fauna, and an extensive survey to document
scorpions has yielded one new species of the genus Lychas described here as Lychas aareyensis sp. nov.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Specimens
in the field were located with the help of ultraviolet light detection by means
of Arachnid™ A28, transferred to plastic jars and preserved in 70% ethyl
alcohol. Photographs of live specimens were taken with a Canon EOS 1000D
camera. Specimens were examined
using a Labomed™ CSM2 stereo binocular microscope and
measured with the help of Mitutoyo™ Dial caliper. The
collection, after identification, has been deposited with the Bombay Natural
History Society, Mumbai (BNHS).
Descriptive terms and abbreviations follows Stahnke (1970) and Sissom et al.
(1990).
Systematics
Order Scorpiones
C.L. Koch, 1850
Superfamily Buthoidea
C.L. Koch, 1837
Family Buthidae
C.L. Koch, 1837
Lychas aareyensis sp. nov.
(Image 1-15, Figs. 1-3)
Material examined
Holotype: Female, 14.iii.2009, 19°8’43.73”N & 72°52’55.39”E,
103m, Aarey Milk Colony, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India,
coll. Rajesh Sanap and Zeeshan
A. Mirza (BNHS SC-23).
Paratype: 2 females (BNHS SC-25/SC-26), 1
male (BNHS SC-24), same data as above.
Etymology
The
specific epithet refers to Aarey, the type and only
known locality for the new species.
Diagnosis
A
small-sized scorpion which differs from other species of the genus as follows:
median eye situated anteriorly in the ratio 1:1.6;
13-13 pectinal teeth; smaller size 31.65mm (maximum);
external granule absent on immovable and present on movable finger of female; trichobothrium db between et
and est situated closer to est; pedipalp
patella in shade of orange with faint brown reticulate markings or spots; metasomal segment I and II with 10 keels and III with
eight.
Description
Measurements in Table 1. Coloration:
Basically in a shade of orange or yellow, symmetrically marbled with brown
producing an overall spotted appearance (Image 13). Carapace dark orange with random dark brown markings; eyes
surrounded with black pigment. Mesosoma: brown with
orange confluent spots on the distal regions of each tergites.
Metasoma: segments I to III light brownish, segment IV more darker and segment V entirely
black. Vesicle brownish-red. Venter yellowish with some diffuse brown spots on sternites V to VII. Chelicerae yellowish with dark variegated
pigmentation; fingers dark brown with some light pigmentation. Pedipalp:
yellowish-orange with the femur and patella spotted or with reticulate
markings; chela hand yellowish-orange; fingers darker and brownish. Legs yellowish with several diffuse spots
Surface of carapace coarsely granular with a few smooth patches
(Image 1). A pair of median eyes situated anteriorly in the ratio 1:1.6. Median anterior and median
central furrows shallow, the former wider; median posterior and post marginal
furrows forming a deep triangular depression. Five pairs of lateral eyes present on anteriolateral
portion with smooth lateral ocular tubercles of which two anterior pairs
directed anterio-laterally. third
pair posterio-laterally and last two pairs dorso-posteriorly and posteriorly
respectively. Interocular portion black. Carinae absent, median lateral carinae
poorly developed with a row of granules. Anterior margin introverted slightly
and smooth; lateral margins finely crenulated and the posterior margin fairly
smooth with some large granules on the periphery. Chelicerae smooth on basal segment (Image 5) with typical buthid dentition except only one tooth on ventral surface
of immovable finger.
Femur
carinae crenulated; the length of femur is shorter
than carapace and patella. Patella carinated and dorso-inferior
carinae evenly crenulated (Image 7). Manus
smooth, without carinae (Image 6) and length of
chelae twice the length of femur.
Fingers as long as patella. smooth. Dentition on fingers
overlapping. External granule absent on the immovable finger but a single
external granule present on the movable finger and a strong apical tooth
present in both sexes. Trichobothrial
pattern on pedipalp as in Figs 1-3. Legs finely granular and carinated on femur and patella. Tibia smooth with very short and
inconspicuous tibial spur on III & IV pairs. Tarsomere I almost as long as tibia but slender. Smooth and clothed
with bristles on ventral portion.
Tarsomere II delicate, thin and smooth covered
thickly with paired bristles on ventral portion. A pair of claws present. Pectines well
developed and more than four times as long as wide, middle lamellae divided
into 8-9 small digits. Fulcra distinct.
Lamellae and fulcra covered with setae. Pectinal
teeth well developed; 13/14 in female (Image 2). Basal piece smooth not much sclerotized and invaginated on
anterior margin forming a distinctive anterior notch as if composed of two
halves fused medially. Genital
operculum wider than long; paired genital papillae
visible at the base of the genital operculum in the male. Cephalothoracic sternum triangular possessing a distinct median furrow and a small
triangular basal pit.
Mesosoma: All tergites sparsely granular, more granular posteriorly (Images 1 & 3). Tergites I-VI monocarinated. Lateral and posterior margins
crenulated. Pretergal portion finely granular. Tergite VIl more granular and with four
crenulated carinae. Lateral and posterior margins granular. Sternites III-VI smooth; each sternite with a pair of book lungs (Image 4). Last sternite granular and carinated. Carinae weakly crenulated and granules obsolete. Lateral margins smooth. Posterior margin
uneven. Presternal portion short and
smooth.
Metasoma slightly more than five times as long as carapace (Image 8). Basal segment longer than wide. All segments carinated. Segments I and II
with all ten carinae (paired ventral, ventrolateral, intermedian, dorsolateral, and dorsal carinae);
all carinae crenulated. Segments III & IV with eight carinae
(intermedian carinae
absent), all carinae crenulated and lateral carinae developed only on half of anterior portion of
segment III; segment V with five (axial, paired ventrolateral
and dorsolateral carinae). Dorsal carinae on segments I-IV weakly tuberculate
posteriorly. Intercarinal portion weakly and much sparsely granular. Anterior and
posterior margins of each segment smooth. Segment V almost as long as carapace;
only inferior lateral and single inferior median carinae
poorly granular and weakly crenulated.
Intercarinal space poorly granular. Anal rim of this segment smooth. Telson (Image
9) slightly shorter than segment V. Vesicle as long as segment IV, weakly granular, ventral
median crest ending posteriorly into a subaculear tubercle, provided with a pair of minute teeth
on inner margin. Aculeus long, as
long as the width of the vesicle; sharp, not much curved and dark on distal
portion.
Variations
The paratypes match the description of the holotype
but the male paratype (BNHS SC24) differs from the holotype as follows: carapace of male less granular than
the female (Image 10); median eyes situated anteriorly
in the ratio 1:1.7; a single external granule present on the immovable finger; pectines 17/18 in number (Image 11); brightly coloured and with more confluent markings (Images 10 &
12). The type series range from
27.19 to 31.65 mm in total length. The granules on the
movable and immovable finger is variable presence and absence of
external in the type series.
Remarks
A
small sized scorpion (average 27 to 31 mm) which closely resembles Lychas nigristernis, but can be easily distinguished (Lychas aareyensis sp. nov.
vs. Lychas nigristernis) as follows- Median eye situated anteriorly in the ratio 1:1.6 or 1:1.7 vs. 1:1.2 in L. nigristermis; female with 13-13 pectinal teeth vs. 14–16 in female L. nigristernis; smaller size 31.65mm (maximum)
vs. 45.2mm in L. nigristernis; trichobothrium
db between et and est situated closer to est vs. trichobothrium db between
dt and et situated closer to et; pedipalp
patella in shade of orange with faint brown reticulate markings or spots vs. pedipalp patella entirely black (Kovařik
1997; Tikader & Bastawade
1983).
Lychas aareyensis sp. nov. may be distinguished
from all other mainland Indian congeners on the basis of (non-overlapping
character): Median eye situated anteriorly in the
ratio 1:1.6 or 1:1.7 (1:2 in L. nigristernis; 1:2.5 in L. gravelyi; 1: to 1:2.1 in L. mucronatus; 1:2.25 in L. rugosus; 1:2.75 in L. hendersoni), mesosomal
tergites mono-carinated (
tri-carinated in L. tricarinatus, L. laeviforns and L. scaber), 13-18 pectines
(21 in L. albimanus; 24 in L. biharensis; 20 in L. kamshetensis), third metasomal
segment with eight keels (six in L. kharpadi), trichobothrium
db between et and est situated closer to est (trichobothrium db between et
and est situated closer to et in L. rackae; trichobothrium
db between dt and et situated closer to et in L. hillyardi).
Distribution and Natural
History
The
type locality Aarey Milk Colony (1908’43.73”N & 72052’55.39”E, 103m) is located to
the south of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Images 18). The habitat in which this species has been found is varied,
from scrub to dense deciduous forest (Images 16 & 17) to open patches in
the forest. As the forest in the
Sanjay Gandhi National Park and adjoining protected areas share a similar
biotype, it is quite possible that this species may yet be found in those areas
as well as other parts of the northern Western Ghats. The scorpions were found mostly under boulders and on roads
during the night. The holotype was found under a boulder from under a tree and
all the paratypes were found on a road in a single
night within ca. 500m. A female
specimen collected on 31 March 2008 was retained in captivity for observations
and on the 14 May 2008 it gave birth 13 juveniles (Image 14). The female started giving birth around
1100hr and continued till 1237hr.
The female while giving birth had spread its pedipalp
wide and open, Metasoma raised, front two pair of
legs were held together to support the juvenile which would emerge from the
genital operculum and climb on its back.
The female would sway its pedipalp and metasoma as the juvenile emerged and would take a pause of
20 to 30 second after giving birth to a single juvenile. The juveniles stayed with the female
until their third molt and later abandoned their mother. The juveniles just at birth were light
colored and turned gradually darker as they grew older. While in captivity, the female was fed
on a diet of cultured beetle larvae which were readily
accepted. The scorpion would hold
the larvae in its pedipalp far away from its body;
sting it repeatedly until the prey ceased all signs of life and initiate the
process of devouring it. We
recorded other females (not collected) with six (Image 15) and another with
eight juveniles in the field in the month of April. Members of this genus are also referred to as bark
scorpions. Although numerous Lychas species have been found mostly under bark of trees, this species
has only been found on the ground. The sympatric species observed at the type
locality were Hottentotta tumulus, Hottentotta rugiscutis, Isometrus sp., Heterometrus phipsoni.
Discussion
The
description of Lychas aareyensis sp. nov. brings the total number
of Lychas species
in India to fourteen. A new
species of scorpion from a city like Mumbai highlights our lack of knowledge on
Indian scorpions. Tikader & Bastawade (1983)
listed and described 99 species of scorpions in Fauna of India, and with an
intense survey this number will certainly increase. Additionally, a detailed revision of Indian scorpions is
needed to popularize scorpion studies in India and assess their role in pest
control. We lack natural history
data on even the most common and widespread species of scorpions (Mirza et al. 2009).
Kovařik (1997) mentions that the position
of the trichobothrium db shows intraspecific
variation in several species, whereas more than 20 specimens of L. aareyensis
sp. nov. were
observed with trichobothrium pattern same as in the
types. Additionally, the presence
and absence of external granules on the movable and immovable fingers has been
found to be variable in this species and hence needs further investigation on
using it as a key taxonomic character at least in several species.
A major contribution towards documentation of Indian scorpions was
made by R.I. Pocock (1900), and eighty-three years
later, Tikader & Bastawade’s
(1983) compilation is the most recent work on Indian scorpions and still
remains a noteworthy reference guide for researchers. Since Tikader
& Bastawade’s (1983) compilation, several new
species have been described and some genera have been revised shedding light on
taxonomy of Indian scorpions (example Kovařik
1997, 2007). Thus there is a need
to update the list of Indian scorpions following new taxonomic changes with
incorporation of the recently described species. Additionally, several Indian species have been synonymized without formal justification and mostly based
on the original description without having examined the type specimens. These synonyms need reassessment to
verify their systematic status.
The
type locality, Aarey Milk Colony (Image 18) is under
severe threat from various anthropogenic activities and is in need of
protection. A detailed survey
conducted by us indicates that the area is rich with respect to its biodiversity
but is poorly documented. Direct
threat to this species includes clearing of forest for agricultural purpose and
for bootlegging activities.
Plantation of exotic trees has contributed towards destruction of
habitat as they are incapable of holding soil and too weak to withhold the
monsoon showers which lead to soil erosion.
Additionally, forest fires cause maximum damage to this and other ground
dwelling species.
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