Euscorpiops validus sp. nov.

(Figures. 1–32)

Type material: Male holotype, China: Yunnan Province, Honghe Prefecture, 9/IX/2009, Junyun Huang leg, (Ar.-MWHU-YNHH0901). Female allotype (Ar.-MWHU-YNHH0902), 4 male and 4 female paratypes (Ar.- MWHU-YNHH0903-06, Ar.-MWHU-YNHH0907-10), same data as holotype.

Diagnosis: Medium sized scorpions, total length 50.0- 59.8mm. It can be distinguished from other species of Euscorpiops by having thicker chelas. It can be ditinguished from other Euscopiops species from Yunnan by the following features: (1) pedipalp patella with 9 to 10 (rarely 11or 8) ventral trichobothria, whereas in E. shidia there are 11; (2) chela strong, length/width ratio: 2.9-3.2 (mean 3.0 in 3 males and 3.1 in 4 females), whereas on E. vachoni it is 1.5-1.9 and in E. shidian it is 1.6-2.7 (Qi, Zhu & Lourenço (2005)); (3) pectinal fulcra present (obsolete in some females), whereas on E. vachoni and E. shidian they are absent; (4) chela fingers obviously curved with dichotocarpism and on E. shidian they are nearly straight, and in E. yangi they are slightly undulated in both sexes without sexual dimorphism; (5) cheliceral movable finger with 6 or 7 (rarely 4 or 5) basal teeth on ventral edge, whereas in E. yangi there are 5 ventral teeth.

Etymology: The specific name “ validus ” is a Latin adjective, meaning strong or stout and referes to the strong appearance of the new species, especially its remarkable chelae.

Description (based on male holotype): Coloration: Basically dark brown. Carapace dark brown, median and lateral ocular tubercles black. Tergites dark red brown mainly, with red brown parts on posterior margins. Metasomal segments dark red brown to dark brown. Telson vesicle brown with reddish aculeus. Chelicerae yellow brown; with the fingers red brown, being gradually lighter towards the tip. Pedipalp femur and patella dark brown; chela manus dark brown with fingers red brown. Legs red brown with tarsus yellow brown. Claws yellowish brown. Sternum, genital operculum, sternites pale brown. Pectines yellowish.

Morphology: Carapace coarse, with dense, minute granules; lateral furrows broad and flat; anterior median furrow broad and moderately deep; posterior median furrow deep; margins behind lateral eyes with some granules; other margins smooth. Median eyes situated anterior to the center of the carapace; three pairs of lateral eyes, posteriormost smallest. Median ocular tubercle coarse, with a pair of big median eyes and a shallow median furrow. Lateral-eyes tubercles with some granules.

Mesosoma: Tergites coarse, almost completely covered with granules, posterior area of tergites with larger granules; from tergite III to VI with trace of a median carina that gradually becomes distinct; tergite VII with a median carina, and two pairs of lateral carinae. Pectinal tooth count 6/6, fulcra present (Figures. 9, 10). Genital operculums subtriangular. Sternites III-VI almost smooth and shiny; VII with 4 weak carinae.

Metasoma: Length about 3.5 times as long as carapace (mean 3.7 in holotype and 3.3 in allotype); segment I length nearly equal with width; segments II to V longer than wide; segments I to V have 10-8-8-8 -7 carinae, segments II–IV with lateral carinae vestigial; dorsal carinae slightly crenate on segment I, becoming strongly crenate from II to IV; on segment V carinae with smaller crenation dorsally and larger serration ventrally, ventromedian carina posteriorly bifurcated as “I” with several larger granules terminally; with coarse tegument.

Telson: Vesicle rugose, but without granules, with few setae (Figures. 15, 20).

Pedipalps: Femur with external, dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, ventrointernal, ventroexternal and internal carinae granular; tegument with evenly scattered coarse granules dorsally, smooth ventrally. Patella with dorsointernal, dorsoexternal, ventrointernal, ventroexternal and external carinae with big granules; two large spinoid granules present on the internal aspect (Figures. 12, 17); tegument with coarse granules dorsally and with few blunt granules ventrally. Trichobothrial pattern C, neobothriotaxic (Vachon 1974); patella with 18 external trichobothria (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 5 et), 9 or 10 ventral trichobothria (Figures. 13, 14, 18, 19). Chela strong, length/width ratio: 2.9-3.2 (mean 3.0 in 3 males and 3.1 in 4 female), with 4 ventral trichobothria. Chela: dorsal marginal, external secondary, and ventral internal carinae, all granular (Figures. 21–28); ventral median carina with larger granules; tegument with fine granules forming a reticle; fingers strongly curved, sexually dimorphic (fingers not as strongly curved in female as in male) (Figures. 22–24, 26– 28).

Chelicerae: Tegument smooth. Tibiae smooth, with reticulate pigmentation. Movable finger with 4 teeth on dorsal edge and 6 teeth on ventral edge. Fixed finger with 3 teeth on dorsal edge (Figures. 5–6).

Legs: Tegument nearly smooth. Trochanters with few setae. Femora with some small granules dorsally and smooth ventrally, mesally with 2 granular carinae. Patellae dorsally smooth, mesally with 1 dentate carina. Tibiae with few setae, without spurs. Basitarsi with some spinules and 2 lateral pedal spurs. Tarsi ventrally with row of short, strong spinules. Tarsal ungues hook-like.

Measurements: in Table 1.

TABLE. 1: Measurements (in mm) of holotype (Ar.-MWHU-YNHH0901) and allotype (Ar.-MWHU-YNHH0902) of E. validus sp. nov.

Euscorpiops validus sp. nov. Variation: Female and male paratypes: coloration and morphology are very similar to holotype and allotype. Feature datasets in Table 2.

Habitat: Found under the stones in mountain forest.

Distribution: South China (Yunnan Province).

We are grateful to Junyun Huang for collecting the specimens and Prof. Xiaofan Wang for photographing them. Thanks are due to Dr. Lorenzo Prendini and two anonymous referees for valuable comments, Dr. Victor Fet and Dr. Wilson R. Lourenço for providing references. This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (No. 30530140), the 973 program (No. 2010CB529800), and the Basic Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2007FY 210800).