Heterometrus minotaur
| Heterometrus minotaur | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Heterometrus minotaur | ||||||||||||
| Plíšková , Kovařík , Košulič & Šťáhlavský , 2016 |
Heterometrus minotaurus is a scorpion of the Scorpionidae family nativeto Thailand .
features
description
The male holotype has a length of 83 mm. The basic color is black, the underside reddish-brown with yellowish comb organs . The chelicerae are yellowish at the base with reddish-brown tips. The tarsomers of the legs and the telson are also reddish-brown.
The carapace is slightly trapezoidal, with the narrower side and a U-shaped indentation at the front. The sternum is hexagonal and the comb organs have 16-17 teeth in the male. The first segment of the metasoma is wider than it is long. The poison sting is curved and about the same length as the poison bladder.
The chelae , patellae and femora of the pedipalps are long and narrow compared to other scorpions of the genus Heterometrus . The chelae do not have a pronounced round shape. They have numerous granules on the surface, which form distinct keels merging into one another.
Since only a single male animal has been found so far, no information can be given on a possible sexual dimorphism .
Differential diagnosis
Heterometrus minotaurus is very similar in its morphology to Heterometrus longimanus, which is common in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines . Accordingly, the identification keys of the genus Heterometrus published before its description identify it as Heterometrus longimanus . It differs from this species in its smaller size of about 8.5 cm, compared to 9 to 14 cm in the case of Heterometrus longimanus . Its metasoma is shorter and wider, with almost identical length and width. The keels formed from merging granules at the edge of the fourth metasomal segment consist of 12 or more granules in Heterometrus longimanus , and nine or fewer in Heterometrus minotaurus .
Karyotype
The diploid chromosome set of the holotype of Heterometrus minotaurus consists of 54 predominantly metacentric chromosomes . This means that Heterometrus minotaurus has the lowest known number of chromosomes within the genus Heterometrus . The eight species whose karyotypes have been studied so far have 56 to 122 chromosomes. The size of the chromosomes of Heterometrus minotaurus is between 1.06% and 2.82% of the chromosome set. Among the 54 chromosomes are 19 pairs, a trivalent group and a multivalent chain with 13 chromosomes.
distribution and habitat
The terra typica is located in the Phanom district in the southern Thai province of Surat Thani . The place where the only specimen of Heterometrus minotaurus was found lies between a watercourse and a rubber plantation ( 8 ° 52 ′ 0 ″ N , 98 ° 36 ′ 0 ″ E ). The site is overgrown by rubber trees and bushes and has a high level of humidity. It is about 400 m above sea level. There is no information about the size of the distribution area.
Systematics
It was first described in 2016 by Jana Plíšková from Charles University in Prague and three co-authors. It was published in the Annales Zoologici of the Polish Academy of Sciences . The basis for the description was the male specimen found in July 2014. This holotype is in the collection of the Faculty of Science at Charles University.
The specific epithet minotaurus refers to the minotaur of Greek mythology, a being with a human body and a bull's head.
literature
- Jana Plíšková, František Kovařík, Ondřej Košulič and František Šťáhlavský: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae) from Thailand with Remarks about the Utilization of Cytogenetic Data in Taxonomy of the Genus. In: Annales Zoologici 2016, Volume 66, No. 3, pp. 467-476, doi : 10.3161 / 00034541ANZ2016.66.3.011 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 470.
- ↑ Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 471.
- ^ A b Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 472.
- ↑ a b Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 467.
- ^ František Kovařík: Illustrated catalog of scorpions. Part 1. Introductory remarks; keys to families and genera; subfamily Scorpioninae with keys to Heterometrus and Pandinus species. Clarion Production, Prague 2009, ISBN 978-80-904340-0-4 , pp. 47-48, quoted from Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 469.
- ↑ a b c Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 469.
- ↑ Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 474.
- ↑ Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 468.
- ↑ Jana Plíšková et al .: Description of a New Species of Heterometrus, p. 473.