Grosphus Simon 1880

Genus Grosphus Simon, 1880

TYPE SPECIES. — Scorpio (Androctonus) madagascariensis Gervais, 1843 by original designation.

DIAGNOSIS. — Scorpions of medium to large size ranging from 35 to 120 mm in total length. The general coloration can present almost all the colour patterns observed among scorpions in general, ranging from pale yellowish to yellow, reddish-yellow to reddish brown, dark brown and blackish, and with dark spots which may be distributed in many different configurations. Body and appendages can vary from weakly to strongly granulated. Dentate margins of pedipalp-chela fingers composed of 11 to 14 oblique rows of granules, but without supernumerary granules. Pectines with 18 to 40 teeth; basal middle lamellae not dilated in males but strongly dilated in females. Subaculear tubercle is absent in adults, but can be present in juveniles.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. — Only known from Madagascar and Mayotte.

KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE GENUS GROSPHUS SIMON, 1880 DISTRIBUTED IN THE SOUTH- WEST OF MADAGASCAR

1. Pectines with a maximum of 20 teeth; coloration yellowish to reddish-yellow, with pale brownish variegated pigmentation present...................................................................................................................................... G. polskyi Lourenço, Qi & Goodman, 2007

— Pectines with more than 23 teeth............................................................................... 2

2. Coloration pale yellow to yellow or reddish-yellow; brownish to blackish pigmentation present or not............................................................................................................. 3

— Coloration blackish throughout; pectines with 30 to 40 teeth; female basal middle lamellae covering up to 8 internal teeth..................................... G. grandidieri Kraepelin, 1900

3. Coloration from pale yellow to reddish, without any brownish to blackish pigmentation................................................................................................................................... 4

— Coloration yellowish with brownish to blackish pigmentation present....................... 7

4. Coloration yellow to reddish; legs without white zones; carapace without an inverted reddish-orange triangle............................................................................................... 5

— Coloration pale yellow; legs with white zones; carapace with an inverted reddish-orange triangle....................................................................................................................... 6

5. Coloration yellow; pectines with 28 to 34 teeth; female basal middle lamellae covering the first internal tooth................................................... G. intertidalis Lourenço, 1999

— Coloration reddish-yellow to reddish; pectines with 31 to 40 teeth; female basal middle lamellae covering the first four internal teeth......................................................................................................... G. mahafaliensis Lourenço, Goodman & Ramilijaona, 2004

6. Male pectines with 28 teeth.................................................... G. rossii Lourenço, 2013

— Male pectines with 36 teeth............................................................. G. magalieae n. sp.

7. Carapace with an inverted blackish triangle; tergites with brownish to blackish longitudinal stripes......................................................................................................................... 8

— Carapace without any blackish triangle; tergites without brownish or blackish stripes...................................................................................................................................... 9

8. Metasomal segment V and telson yellowish....................... G. limbatus (Pocock, 1889)

— Metasomal segment V and telson blackish................................ G. feti Lourenço, 1996

9. Vesicle strongly globular; aculeus shorter than vesicle............. G. annulatus Fage, 1929

— Vesicle pear-like shaped; aculeus longer than the vesicle......... G. olgae Lourenço, 2004

REMARK ABOUT THE KEY

G. limbatus (Pocok, 1889) and G. rossii Lourenço, 2013 are included for comparative purposes,although these species lives in the central region of the island.