Table Of Content2001. The Journal of Arachnology 29:173–188
FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SCORPION FAUNA
OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Lorenzo Prendini: Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch
7700, South Africa
ABSTRACT. Theresultsofastudyofnewscorpionmaterial,comprisingninespeciescollectedduring
a recent field trip to Trinidad and Tobago, are presented. The Trinidad population of Tityus discrepans
(Karsch 1879) is described as a new species, Tityus tenuicauda, endemic to Trinidad, and more closely
related to Tityus arellanoparrai Gonza´lez-Sponga 1985 than T. discrepans, both from Venezuela. A key
to the identification of the three species is provided. New records are provided for Ananteris cussinii
Borelli 1910, Microtityus rickyi Kjellesvig-Waering 1966, Tityus clathratus C.L. Koch 1844 and Tityus
melanostictus Pocock 1893. Specimens of Microtityus collected on Tobagoprovideevidenceforthesyn-
onymy of Microtityus starri Lourenc¸o & Huber 1999 with M. rickyi. Previously unreported ecological
observations are presented, including the burrowing biology of Broteochactas laui Kjellesvig-Waering
1966, and themicrohabitat ofChactasraymondhansorumFrancke&Boos1986,whichisapparentlynot
restricted to water-filledspaces between the leaf sheaths of bromeliads.
Keywords: Scorpiones,Trinidad and Tobago, Tityus, Microtityus
Kjellesvig-Waering (1966) provided the The author conducted a collecting trip to
firstsynopsisofthescorpionfaunaofTrinidad Trinidad and Tobago during July 1999 for the
and Tobago, wherein herecognizedeightspe- purpose of acquiring tissue samples and
cies in two families, Buthidae and Chactidae, voucher specimens of Neotropical scorpions
anddescribedanewbuthidgenusandspecies, forDNAisolationandsequencing.Thisyield-
Microtityus rickyi Kjellesvig-Waering 1966, ed163specimens,classifiedintoninespecies,
and a newchactidspecies,Broteochactaslaui fromseverallocalities,someofwhicharenew
Kjellesvig-Waering 1966. Francke & Boos records. The findings of this trip are reported
(1986) subsequently revised the chactid scor- here.NewrecordsareprovidedforA.cussinii,
pions of the islands, and described another M. rickyi, Tityus clathratus C.L. Koch 1844
new species, Chactas raymondhansi Francke
and T. melanostictus. Specimens of Microti-
& Boos 1986, from Trinidad. Sissom (2000)
tyuscollectedonTobagoprovideevidencefor
changed this name to Chactas raymondhan-
the synonymy of M. starri with M. rickyi. In
sorum Francke & Boos 1986, in accordance
addition,previouslyunreportedecologicalob-
withArticle31(a)(ii)oftheInternationalCode
servations are presented, including the bur-
ofZoologicalNomenclature(1985),sinceitis
rowingbiologyofB.lauiandthemicrohabitat
namedaftertwopeople(RaymondA.Mendez
of the ‘‘bromeliad-dwelling scorpion’’
and Hans Boos).
(Francke & Boos 1986; Rudd 1996; Ward
Recently, Lourenc¸o & Huber (1999) pub-
1996), C. raymondhansorum, which was re-
lished additional records of scorpions from
collected on Mt. El Tucuche.
Trinidad and Tobago, based on a large series
The main finding presented here is the ob-
of new material. These authors described an-
servation that the Trinidad population of T.
other new buthid, MicrotityusstarriLourenc¸o
discrepans is an undescribed species, quite
& Huber 1999, and provided a brief account
of the taxonomic status and geographical dis- distinct morphologically (and genetically)
tribution of six of the other nine species from the typical Venezuelan population. This
known from Trinidad and Tobago: Ananteris newspecies,endemictoTrinidad,isdescribed
cussiniiBorelli1910;M.rickyi;Tityusdiscre- asTityustenuicauda.Itismostcloselyrelated
pans (Karsch 1879); Tityus melanostictus Po- to Tityus arellanoparrai Gonza´lez-Sponga
cock1893;TityustrinitatisPocock1897;Bro- 1985, which is endemic to the highlands of
teochactas nitidus Pocock 1893. northeastern Venezuela (Gonza´lez-Sponga
173
174 THE JOURNALOF ARACHNOLOGY
1985, 1996). A key, modified fromGonza´lez- All specimens examined (including the
Sponga (1996: 140), is provided for the iden- type specimens of T. tenuicauda) are depos-
tification of T. arellanoparrai, T. discrepans ited in the collection of the American Mu-
and T. tenuicauda. seum of Natural History, New York. Tissue
Nine species are now recorded from Trini- samples of each species, stored in absolute
dad and Tobago, six of which are apparently ethanol, have been retained separately for
DNA isolation and sequencing in the Am-
endemic to the islands (Table 1). As noted by
brose Monell Collection for Molecular and
Francke & Boos (1986), the high percentage
MicrobialResearchattheAmericanMuseum
of scorpion endemism (67%) in Trinidad and
of Natural History. Illustrations of T. dis-
Tobago supports Kjellesvig-Waering’s (1966)
crepansandT.tenuicaudawereproducedus-
hypothesis of speciation after faulting and
ing a stereomicroscope and camera lucida.
subsequent erosion had isolated the islands
Measurements were made with digital cali-
from the South American mainland.
pers. Color designation follows Smithe
(1974, 1975, 1981), trichobothrial notation
METHODS
follows Vachon (1974), and mensuration fol-
lows Stahnke (1970) and Lamoral (1979).
Except where noted, all specimens listed
Morphological terminology follows Couzijn
were collected at night with the use of a por-
(1976) for the segmentation of legs, Hjelle
table ultraviolet light, comprising two mer-
(1990) and Sissom (1990) for the segmenta-
cury-vapor tubes attached to a chromium par-
tion of pedipalps, and Stahnke (1970), La-
abolicreflectorandpoweredbyarechargeable
moral (1979), and Sissom (1990) for other
7 Amp/h, 12 V battery. A few others were
features. However, the terms used by previ-
collected during the day by turning stones,
ous authors (Stahnke 1970; Lamoral 1979;
logs, tree bark, and inspecting other potential
Sissom 1990) for certain metasomal carinae
diurnal retreats. UV detection is known to
have been replaced with terms deemed more
greatly increase collecting yields and has led
consistent and implying specific homology
to the discovery of numerous undescribed
between carinae on segment V and those on
species, even in previously well-collected ar- the preceding segments. The term ‘‘ventral’’
eas (Lamoral 1979; Williams 1980; Sissom et (segments I–V) is replaced with ‘‘ventrosub-
al.1990).Manyscorpions,especiallyfossorial median’’ (segment I only) and ‘‘ventrome-
and humicolous forest species, cannot be col- dian’’ (segments II–V only), and the term
lected with normal daytime collecting tech- ‘‘dorsal’’ (segments I–IV only) is replaced
niques. with ‘‘dorsosubmedian.’’
KEY
Key to the identification of Tityus arellanoparrai Gonza´lez-Sponga 1985, Tityus discrepans
(Karsch 1879) and Tityus tenuicauda new species (modified from Gonza´lez-Sponga 1996: 140),
all of which are characterized by the presence of a single ventromedian carina on metasomal
segments II–IV.
1. Chelamanusofadult(cid:63)bulbous(Fig.1),ofadult(cid:47)slender(Fig.2),with15–16rowsofdenticles
on movable finger; metasomal segments of adult (cid:63) and (cid:47) short and stout, with large conical
spiniform granules on dorsosubmedian carinae of segmentsII-IVand dorsolateralcarinaeofseg-
ment V (Figs. 5, 6); telson globose in (cid:63) and (cid:47) (Figs. 5, 6) ..................Tityus discrepans
Chela manus of adult (cid:63) and (cid:47) slender (Figs. 3, 4), with14rowsofdenticlesonmovablefinger;
metasomal segments of adult (cid:63) elongate and narrow (Fig. 7), of adult (cid:47) short and narrow (Fig.
8), with weakly developed rounded spiniform granules on dorsosubmedian carinae of segments
II-IVanddorsolateralcarinaeofsegmentV(Figs.7,8);telsonmoderatelyglobosein(cid:47),subadults
and juveniles (Fig. 8), but distinctly elongated in adult (cid:63) (Fig. 7)......................... 2
2. Metasomal segments I-II with lateral carinae obsolete; endemic to Venezuela ............
............................................................ Tityus arellanoparrai
MetasomalsegmentIwithlateralcarinaefullydeveloped,segmentIIwithlateralcarinaereduced
to a few granules in distal third; endemic to Trinidad ...................... Tityustenuicauda
PRENDINI—SCORPIONFAUNAOF TRINIDADAND TOBAGO 175
Table 1.—Scorpion species recorded from Trinidad and Tobago. All except three are endemic to the
islands. Species indicated with an asterisk have also been recorded from northern South America.
Family Species Trinidad Tobago
Buthidae: Ananteris cussinii* x x
Microtityus rickyi x x
Tityus clathratus* x
Tityus tenuicauda x
Tityus melanostictus* x
Tityus trinitatis x x
Chactidae: Broteochactas laui x
Broteochactas nitidus x x
Chactas raymondhansorum x
FAMILY BUTHIDAE 10(cid:56)39(cid:57)49(cid:48)N, 61(cid:56)23(cid:57)56(cid:48)W, 30 June 1999, R. Pinto-
da-Rocha; 1(cid:63), Mt. St. Benedict, 9 July 1999, L.
Ananteris cussinii Borelli 1910 Prendini&I.Samad;4(cid:63)2(cid:47),GasparGrandeIsland,
Ananteris cussinii Borelli 1910: 1–3. 7 July 1999, L. Prendini, H. Guarisco & I.Samad.
Ananteris cussinii: Mello-Leita˜o 1932: 28; Hum- Tobago: 2(cid:63), Speyside, 1 km N on road to Char-
melinck 1940: 144, 145, figs. 19, 20; Roewer lotteville,11(cid:56)18(cid:57)20(cid:48)N,60(cid:56)32(cid:57)15(cid:48)W,4July1999,L.
1943: 218; Mello-Leita˜o 1945: 243, 247, 248; Prendini & H. Guarisco.
Scorza 1954a: 159; Scorza 1954b: 189, 200;
Kjellesvig-Waering 1966: 125, 128; Bu¨cherl Microtityus rickyi Kjellesvig-Waering 1966
1969: 767; Gonza´lez-Sponga 1971: 6–14, pl. 1–
Microtityus rickyi Kjellesvig-Waering 1966: 125,
8; Vachon 1977: 298, figs. 10–14; Lourenc¸o
131–134, figs. 3–8.
1982: 138, 145, 146, figs. 31, 32, 44, 101; Gon-
Microtityus starri Lourenc¸o & Huber 1999: 253–
za´lez-Sponga1984:61,62,fig.;Armas1988:43,
259, figs. 11–22 (new synonym).
44, 92, figs. 15, 16; Flo´rez 1991: 118; Lourenc¸o
Microtityusrickyi:Vachon1977:285,286,figs.1–
1993: 698, fig. 7; Rudloff 1994: 8; Gonza´lez-
8;Lourenc¸o&Eickstedt1983:71;Santiago-Blay
Sponga 1996: 118, 120, 121, figs. 276–278; Ko-
1985: 2; Lourenc¸o 1986a: 232, fig. 1; Lourenc¸o
vaˇr´ık 1998: 103; Lourenc¸o & Huber 1999: 250,
1986b: 561, fig. 1; Armas 1988: 66; Santiago-
251; Fet & Lowe 2000: 61.
Blay et al. 1990: 117; Kovarik 1998: 115; Lour-
Ananteris cussini: Scorza 1954c: 165; Caporiacco
enc¸o & Huber 1999: 250, 252, 253;Fet&Lowe
1951: 4; Esquivel de Verde & Machado-Allison
2000: 184.
1969: 28; Armas 1977: 3; Cekalovic 1983: 189.
Microtityus ricky: Armas 1988: 93; Rudloff 1994:
Ananteris cusinii: Gonza´lez-Sponga1971: 9.
8; Lourenc¸o & Huber 1999: 256, tab. I.
This species was reviewed by Kjellesvig- Microtityus (Microtityus)rickyi: Armas 1974: 3.
Waering (1966), Lourenc¸o (1982), Gonza´lez-
Microtityus rickyi, previously considered
Sponga (1996), and Lourenc¸o & Huber
endemic to Trinidad and the islands off its
(1999). It occurs on the South American
northwestern peninsula, was reviewed by Va-
mainland (recorded from Colombia and Ven-
chon (1977) and Lourenc¸o & Huber (1999).
ezuela) and onTrinidad,buthasnotprevious-
Lourenc¸o&Huber(1999)describedM.starri,
ly been reported from Tobago or fromGaspar
a new species from Little Tobago, an island
Grande Island, off the northwestern peninsula
just off the northeast coast of Tobago, but did
ofTrinidad.ItwasfoundinsympatrywithM.
not record that species, or M. rickyi, fromTo-
rickyi, T. trinitatis and B. laui at Speyside,
bago itself.
with M. rickyi, T. clathratus and T. melanos-
The author collected several specimens of
tictus on Gaspar Grande, and with M. rickyi,
MicrotityusfromSpeyside,onTobagodirectly
T. trinitatis and B. nitidus atMt.St.Benedict.
opposite Little Tobago. These specimens of
All specimens personally collected were
Microtityus, the first to be collected from To-
found running on open, stony ground in ex-
bago, demonstrate that M.starri shouldbere-
posed areas (near paths and forest margins).
garded as a junior synonym of M. rickyi, and
Material examined.—TRINIDAD AND TO- extendtherangeofthatspeciestoTobagoand
BAGO: Trinidad: 1(cid:63), Mt. St. Benedict, adjacent islands.
176 THE JOURNALOF ARACHNOLOGY
Figures1–4.—Externalaspectofdextralpedipalpchelaefromadult(cid:63)and(cid:47)Tityusdiscrepans(Karsch
1879) and Tityustenuicauda newspecies, showingtrichobothria,carinaeandgeneralshape.Scalebar(cid:53)
1 mm. 1. T. discrepans: (cid:63) (AMNH), Venezuela, Edo. Miranda, 3 km E of Oraira, 400 m, 20 October
1969, M.A. Gonza´lez-Sponga; 2. Tityrus discrepans: (cid:47) (AMNH), same data; 3. Tityus tenuicauda: par-
atype(cid:63)(AMNH),Trinidad,ChancellorHill,PortofSpain,1500ft,August1966,E.N.Kjellesvig-Waering;
4.Tityustenuicauda:paratype(cid:47)(AMNH),Trinidad,4FourthStreet,SaddleRoad,Maraval,3April1957,
T.H.G. Aitken.
PRENDINI—SCORPIONFAUNAOF TRINIDADAND TOBAGO 177
AccordingtoLourenc¸o&Huber(1999),M. lotteville, 11(cid:56)18(cid:57)20(cid:48)N, 60(cid:56)32(cid:57)15(cid:48)W, 3–4 July 1999,
starri and M. rickyi can be reliably separated L. Prendini & H. Guarisco.
by examination of the trichobothria of the
pedipalp femur. The trichobothrial pattern of Tityus clathratus C.L. Koch 1844
M. starri is orthobothriotaxic, with d present
2 Tityus clathratus C.L. Koch 1844: 22–24, pl.
on the internal surface of the femur, whereas
CCCLXVI,fig. 861.
the pattern of M. rickyi is neobothriotaxic, Tityus quelchii Pocock 1893a: 314, 315, pl. XIV,
withd absent(Vachon1977).Inaddition,the fig. 1 (synonymized by Kraepelin1899: 85).
2
coloration of M. starri is darker overall, with Tityus fahrenholtziRoewer1943:223,224,figs.6,
metasomal segments IV, V and telson darker 6a-e (synonymized by Lourenc¸o 1984a: 357).
than segments I-III, and the pectinal tooth Tityus guianensis Caporiacco 1947: 20 (synony-
mized by Lourenc¸o 1984a: 352).
count is slightly lower (Lourenc¸o & Huber
Tityus clathratus: C.L. Koch 1850: 91; Kraepelin
1999).
1899:75,85,86;Kraepelin1901:269;Kraepelin
The latter differences in color and pectinal
1908: 187, 190, 193, 194; Mello-Leita˜o 1931:
tooth count are well within the normal range 119, 141; Mello-Leita˜o 1932: 29; Mello-Leita˜o
of geographic variation for a given scorpion 1939: 58, 64, 67; Roewer 1943: 224; Mello-Lei-
species—e.g., seeLourenc¸o&Huber’s(1999: ta˜o1945:299,304,320–322,figs.129,130;Wa-
264) table III, showing pectinal tooth count terman 1950: 168; Caporiacco 1951: 4; Scorza
variationinT.trinitatisfromTrinidadandTo- 1954a: 161; Scorza 1954b: 191, 201, fig. 20;
Scorza 1954c: 166; Bu¨cherl 1967: 111; Bu¨cherl
bago.Thesedifferencescannot,alone,provide
1969:767;EsquiveldeVerde1969:217,218,fig.
species status for M. starri. Accordingly, rec-
5; Esquivel de Verde & Machado-Allison 1969:
ognitionofM.starriasdistinctfromM.rickyi
34;Bu¨cherl1971:327;Bu¨cherl1978:372;Gon-
rests on the consistent presence of d , a tiny
2 za´lez-Sponga 1978: 197, 201, figs. 9, 273, 274;
trichobothrium that is reduced or lost in a Cekalovic 1983: 190; Lourenc¸o 1983: 777, figs.
numberofapparentlyunrelatedbuthids.How- 19–25, 118; Lourenc¸o 1984a: 350, 352, figs. 1–
ever, in some of the newly collectedSpeyside 3,15–18,tab.I,II;Brignoli1985:415;Lourenc¸o
specimens, an atrophied trichobothrium is ev- 1986a: 232, fig. 2; Lourenc¸o 1986b: 562, fig. 2;
ident in the position of d , while this tricho- Armas 1988: 74, 75, 93; Lourenc¸o 1991: 116;
2 Lourenc¸o 1992: 476, fig. 5,tab.I;Rudloff1994:
bothrium is absent in other specimens from
9; Gonza´lez-Sponga 1996: 118, 154, figs. 357–
the same locality. The observation that the
359;Lourenc¸o1997:591;Kovaˇr´ık1998:120;Fet
presence or absence of d is polymorphic in
2 & Lowe 2000: 238, 239.
the Speyside population casts doubt on the Tityusquelchii:Kraepelin1895:92;Pocock1897a:
utility of this character for the separation of 363; Pocock 1897b: 520; Kjellesvig-Waering
Microtityus species and provides myrationale 1966: 125, 129.
for the synonymy of M. starri with M. rickyi. Tityusguianensis:Caporiacco1948:610,611,figs.
Microtityus rickyi was found in sympatry 4, 5.
Tityus quelchi: Lourenc¸o 1984a: 352, tab. I.
with A. cussinii, T. clathratus and T. melan-
ostictus at Gaspar Grande, with A.cussinii,T.
This species was reviewed by Kjellesvig-
trinitatis and B. nitidus at Mt. St. Benedict,
Waering (1966), Lourenc¸o (1984a) and Gon-
and with A. cussinii, T. trinitatis and B. laui za´lez-Sponga (1996). It is evidently wide-
at Speyside. All specimens were found mo- spread in South America east of the Andes
tionless on rocks, tree trunks or bare soil (recorded from Brazil, French Guiana, Guya-
banks, often with only the carapace and ped- na, Suriname, Venezuela and Trinidad), but
ipalpsprotrudingfromholesorcrevicesinthe has not previously been reported from the is-
substratum. Specimens were observed from lands between the northwestern peninsula of
ground level to several meters up tree trunks. TrinidadandthePariaPeninsulaofVenezuela.
It was found in sympatry with A. cussinii, M.
Material examined.—TRINIDAD AND TO-
BAGO: Trinidad: 11(cid:63)17(cid:47), Mt. St. Benedict, rickyi and T. melanostictus at Gaspar Grande.
10(cid:56)39(cid:57)49(cid:48)N, 61(cid:56)23(cid:57)56(cid:48)W, 28 June 1999, L. Prendi- All specimens were found motionless on bare
ni; 4(cid:47), Mt. St. Benedict, 9 July 1999, L. Prendini soil banks or leaf litter in exposed areas (near
& I. Samad; 4(cid:63)9(cid:47), Gaspar Grande Island, 7 July pathsandforestmargins).Nospecimenswere
1999, L. Prendini, H. Guarisco & I. Samad. Toba- collected above ground level (cf. T. melan-
go: 13(cid:63)27(cid:47), Speyside, 1 km N on road to Char- ostictus).
178 THE JOURNALOF ARACHNOLOGY
Lowe 2000). Kjellesvig-Waering (1966: 128)
Material examined.—TRINIDAD AND TO-
BAGO: Trinidad: 8(cid:47), Gaspar Grande Island, 7 reported the first records of T. discrepans
from Trinidad, noting that the ‘‘Trinidadform
July 1999, L. Prendini, H. Guarisco & I. Samad.
differs slightly from those in Venezuela and
Guyana ... as both the male and femalehave
Tityus melanostictus Pocock 1893
well developed lobes on the free finger of the
Tityus melanostictus Pocock1893b:377,381,382,
pedipalp [and the] number of rows of denti-
pl. XXIX, figs. 4, 4b.
cles almost always is 15, as against 16.’’
Tityusmelanostictus:Kraepelin1895:92;Kraepelin
Lourenc¸o(1982)laterdescribedTityusgas-
1899: 74, 84; Kraepelin 1901: 269; Kraepelin
ci Lourenc¸o 1982 from French Guiana,which
1908: 190, 193; Mello-Leita˜o 1931: 120, 141;
Mello-Leita˜o 1939: 60, 64, 72; Werner 1939: he maintained was most closely related to T.
352;Mello-Leita˜o1945:300,309,339–341,figs. discrepans, while Gonza´lez-Sponga (1981)
2,137–139;Caporiacco1951:40;Scorza1954a: described Tityus pittieri Gonza´lez-Sponga
162;Scorza1954b:191,202;Scorza1954c:166; 1981, and subsequently (Gonza´lez-Sponga
Weidner 1959: 104; Kjellesvig-Waering 1966: 1985) T. arellanoparrai, two closely related
125, 128,129;EsquiveldeVerde1969:220,fig. species from Venezuela. Gonza´lez-Sponga
7; Esquivel de Verde & Machado-Allison 1969:
(1996) provided a detailed key to the identi-
28;Bu¨cherl1971:327;Bu¨cherl1978:372;Lour-
fication of T. arellanoparrai, T. discrepans,
enc¸o 1984a: 354, 355, figs. 7–18, tables I, II;
and T. pittieri. Recently, Lourenc¸o & Huber
Lourenc¸o 1986a: 232, fig. 3; Lourenc¸o 1986b:
(1999: 259) provided additional records of T.
562,fig.15;Lourenc¸o&Eickstedt1987:89,90,
tab.I;Armas1988:78,79,93;Gonza´lez-Sponga discrepans from Trinidad, but noted that the
1989: 218; Rudloff 1994a: 9; Gonza´lez-Sponga species ‘‘remains poorly known.’’
1996: 118, 155, figs. 360–362; Kovarˇ´ık 1998: As part of a separate study investigating
121; Lourenc¸o & Huber 1999: 259, 260; Fet & scorpion higher phylogeny, a tissue sampleof
Lowe 2000: 250. T. discrepans was obtained from the type lo-
Tityus melanosticus:Waterman 1950: 168. cality, Caracas, for DNA isolation and se-
Tityus melanostrihus:Cekalovic1983b: 190.
quencing. When the resultant sequences were
This species was reviewed by Kjellesvig- comparedwithsequencesofhomologousgene
Waering (1966), Lourenc¸o (1984a), Lourenc¸o regions obtained from tissue samples of T.
& Eickstedt (1987), Gonza´lez-Sponga (1996) discrepans and T. trinitatis from Trinidad,
and Lourenc¸o & Huber (1999). It occurs on greaterpercentagesimilaritywasobservedbe-
theSouthAmericanmainland(Venezuela),on tweenthelattertwosamplesthanbetweenthe
Trinidad, Tobago, and the islands betweenthe samples of T. discrepans from Venezuela and
northwestern peninsula of Trinidad and the Trinidad. On closer inspection of T. discre-
Paria Peninsula of Venezuela. It was found in pans specimens from Venezuela and Trinidad
sympatry with A. cussinii, M. rickyi and T. in the collection of the AMNH, it became
clathratus at Gaspar Grande. All specimens clear that the Trinidad population is not con-
were found motionless on tree branches, at specific with T. discrepans, but constitutes an
least 1 m above ground level, indicating that undescribed species, differing quite consider-
this is an arboreal species (cf. T. clathratus). ablyfromthelatterinexternalmorphology.It
is here described as Tityus tenuicauda.
Material examined.—TRINIDAD AND TO-
Types.—TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO:
BAGO: Trinidad: 2(cid:63)1(cid:47), Gaspar Grande, 7 July Trinidad: Holotype (cid:47), Trinidad Regional Vi-
1999, L. Prendini, H. Guarisco& I. Samad.
rus Lab. Building, Wrightson Road, Port of
Spain, 14 March 1955, T.H.G. Aitken. Para-
Tityus tenuicauda new species types: 1(cid:63), 1 juv (cid:47) [DNA sample], Mt. El
Figs. 3, 4, 7, 8; Table 2
Tucuche(summit),8July1999,L.Prendini&
Tityus discrepans (misidentification): Kjellesvig- I. Samad; 1(cid:63), 1 juv (cid:63), 1 juv (cid:47), Chancellor
Waering 1966: 128; Kovaˇr´ık 1998: 120 (part); Hill,PortofSpain,1500ft,August1966,E.N.
Lourenc¸o&Huber1999:259;Fet&Lowe2000: Kjellesvig-Waering; 1(cid:47), 4 FourthStreet,Sad-
242, 243 (part).
dle Road, Maraval, 3 April 1957, T.H.G. Ait-
Tityus discrepans was described from Ca- ken.
racas, Venezuela, but has also been reported Etymology.—The specific name refers to
from Brazil, Guyana and Suriname (Fet & the long, slender metasoma of the adult male.
PRENDINI—SCORPIONFAUNAOF TRINIDADAND TOBAGO 179
Relationships.—Tityus tenuicauda occurs discrepans,thechelaearebulbous(Fig.1)and
in the discrepans group of Tityus, which also the metasomal segments are short and stout
includes T. arellanoparrai, T. discrepans and (Fig. 5). Tityus discrepans can be further dis-
T. pittieri, all of which are characterized by tinguished by the presence of large conical
the presence of a single ventromedian carina spiniformgranulesonthedorsosubmedianca-
on metasomal segments II-IV (Gonza´lez- rinae of metasomal segments II-IV and dor-
Sponga 1996). This unusual character is hy- solateral carinae of segment V (Figs. 5, 6); in
pothesizedtobesynapomorphicforthesespe- T. arellanoparrai and T. tenuicauda, the spi-
cies, as most other species of Tityus display niform granules are small and rounded, espe-
paired ventrosubmedian carinae on these seg- cially on segment V (Figs. 7, 8). Finally, T.
ments (although, in certain species,thesemay discrepanscanbedistinguishedbythegreater
be partially fused into a single ventromedian number of rows of denticles on the movable
carina on some segments). fingerofthepedipalpchela(Table2;notethat
Although the hypothesis that a single ven- the counts reported by Kjellesvig-Waering
tromedian carina on metasomal segments II- [1966] and Gonza´lez-Sponga [1996] included
IVissynapomorphicforthediscrepansgroup the apical row).
remainstobetestedcladistically,theavailable Tityus tenuicauda can be readily separated
evidence refutes Lourenc¸o’s (1982) claimthat fromT.arellanoparraibythepresenceofful-
T. discrepans is the closest relative of T. gas- ly developed median lateral carinae of meta-
ci. Tityus gasci displays paired ventrosubme- somalsegmentI;inT.arellanoparraitheme-
dian carinae on segments I-IV (the hypothe- dian lateral carinae of segment I are obsolete.
sized plesiomorphiccondition forTityus),and Description.—The following descriptionis
no other potential synapomorphies were pro- based primarily on the holotype (cid:47) and a par-
videdforthetwospeciesbyLourenc¸o(1982): atype (cid:63) (Chancellor Hill).
‘‘A notre avis, la seule espe`ce qui se rappro- Color: Carapace, tergites, metasomal seg-
che de Tityus gasci est Tityus discrepans ments I-IV, pedipalps, and dorsal surfaces of
(Karsch, 1879) qui a e´te´ signale´e en Guyane legs: Maroon No. 31. Metasomal segment V,
franc¸aise par Mello-Leita˜o, en 1945. Elles telson and chela fingers: Warm Sepia No.
peuvent ne´anmoins eˆtre distingue´es l’une de 221A. Chelicerae, sternites, and ventral sur-
l’autreparladispositiondescare`nesventrales facesoflegs:Cinnamon-BrownNo.33.Distal
du metasoma: chez Tityus gasci ces care`nes edges of post-tergites and post-sternites: Buff
cv (fig. 10 [illustrating paired ventrosubme- No. 124. Pectines and genital operculum:
dian carinae on metasomal segments I-IV]) Cream Color No. 54. Metasomal segment V,
sont paires dans les anneux I a` IV, alors que telson and chela fingers distinctly infuscated,
chezTityusdiscrepansiln’existequ’uneseule whereas distal edges of tergites and sternites
care`neventraleaxiale,cva(fig.11[illustrating distinctlylighterincolor.Slightinfuscationin
pairedventrosubmediancarinaeonmetasomal interocular region of carapace.
segment I, and a single ventromedian carina Carapace: Carapace coarsely and sparsely
on segments II-IV]).’’ granular, mainly on interocular and postero-
Diagnosis.—The presence of a single ven- lateral surfaces. Anterior and posterior mar-
tromedian carina on metasomal segments II- ginsofcarapaceprocurved.Threepairsoflat-
IV serves to distinguish T. tenuicauda from eral ocelli. Median ocelli considerably larger
all other Tityus species in Trinidad (Kjelles- than lateral ocelli, situated anteromedially.
vig-Waering 1966; Lourenc¸o & Huber 1999). Ocular tubercle with pair of smooth supercil-
AlthoughithasbeenreferredtoT.discrepans, iarycarinae,protrudingslightlyabovemedian
T. tenuicauda is actually more closely related ocelli. Superciliary carinae connected anteri-
to another member of the discrepans group, orly to pair of granular anteromedian carinae,
T. arellanoparrai, from the highlands of but disconnected from pair of granular pos-
northeast Venezuela (Gonza´lez-Sponga 1985, teromedian carinae. Weakly developed, gran-
1996). ular carina extending posteriorly from proxi-
Both species are readily separated from T. mal lateral ocellus on each side of carapace.
discrepans by the slender pedipalp chelae Anteromedianfurrowmoderatelydeep,ovate;
(Fig.3)andslender,elongatedmetasomalseg- posteromedian furrow narrow, shallow ante-
ments (Fig. 7) of the adult (cid:63); in adult (cid:63) T. riorly, deep posteriorly;posterolateralfurrows
180 THE JOURNALOF ARACHNOLOGY
Figures 5–8.—External aspect of metasomal segments IV-V and telson from adult (cid:63) and (cid:47) Tityus
discrepans (Karsch 1879) and Tityus tenuicauda new species, showing carinae, spiniform granules, and
general shape. Scale bar (cid:53) 3 mm. 5. T. discrepans: (cid:63) (AMNH), Venezuela, Edo. Miranda, 3 km E of
Oraira, 400 m, 20 October 1969, M.A. Gonza´lez-Sponga; 6. T. discrepans: (cid:47) (AMNH), same data; 7.
Tityus tenuicauda: paratype (cid:63) (AMNH), Trinidad, Chancellor Hill, Port of Spain, 1500 ft, August1966,
E.N. Kjellesvig-Waering; 8. Tityus tenuicauda: paratype (cid:47) (AMNH), Trinidad, 4 Fourth Street, Saddle
Road, Maraval, 3 April 1957, T.H.G. Aitken.
PRENDINI—SCORPIONFAUNAOF TRINIDADAND TOBAGO 181
shallow, wide, curved; posteromarginal fur- medially ((cid:47)); I-VII each with an obsolete,
row narrow, deep. smooth median carina; VII additionally with
Chelicerae: Movable finger with distal ex- paired, costate granular ventrosubmedian and
ternal and distal internal teeth equal, appos- ventrolateralcarinae.DistaledgeofsterniteV
able.Ventralaspectoffingersandmanuswith with smooth projection medially.
long, dense macrosetae. Pectines: First proximal median lamella of
Sternum: Subtriangular. Median longitudi- each pecten slightly dilated in (cid:47). Pectinal
nal furrow Y-shaped, shallow anteriorly, deep teeth: 18/18 ((cid:63)), 17/19 ((cid:47)). The left pecten
and narrow posteriorly. of the holotype is damaged, but the pectinal
Pedipalps: Femur pentacarinate; carinae tooth count for the paratype (cid:47) from Maraval
distinct,costategranular,withspiniformgran- is 19/19.
ules on internomedian carina;intercarinalsur- Genital operculum: Completely divided
faces finely and uniformly granular. Patella longitudinally. Genital papillae present ((cid:63)),
with seven distinct, costate granular carinae; absent ((cid:47)).
intercarinal surfaces smooth; internomedian Legs: Tibia III-IV without spurs. Basitarsi
carina with several large spiniform granules each with paired rows of fine macrosetae on
proximally, becoming smaller distally; basal retrolateral, and to a lesser extent, prolateral
tubercle moderately developed. Chela with margins.Telotarsieachwithpairedventrosub-
nine carinae; intercarinal surfaces smooth; median rows offinemacrosetae.Telotarsalla-
dorsal and external carinae distinct, costate terodistallobestruncated;mediandorsallobes
granular; internal carinae obsolete, weakly extending to ungues. Telotarsal ungues short,
granular((cid:47))tosmooth((cid:63)).Digitalcarinadis- distinctly curved, and equal in length.
tinct, costate granular, and discontinuous me- Metasomaandtelson:Metasomalsegments
dially(Figs.3,4).Externalsurfacewithshort, I-Vprogressivelyincreasinginlength,andde-
costate granular accessory carina. Chela long creasing in width, with segment V 19% nar-
andslender,lengthalongventroexternalcarina rower than segment I; width percentage of
39% ((cid:63)) to 44% ((cid:47)) greater than chela width length 36% ((cid:63)) to 46% ((cid:47)) for I, 27% ((cid:63)) to
and 47% ((cid:63)) to 49% ((cid:47)) greater than chela 39% ((cid:47)) for II, 24% ((cid:63)) to 34% ((cid:47)) for III,
height; length of movable finger 47% ((cid:63)) to 22% ((cid:63)) to 29% ((cid:47)) for IV, and 19% ((cid:63)) to
48% ((cid:47)) greater than length along ventroex- 29%((cid:47))forV,givingthemetasomaaslender
ternal carina. Chela with small proximal lobe appearance. Telson oval (Figs. 7, 8), height
on movable finger and shallow notch in fixed 38% ((cid:63)) to 45% ((cid:47)) of length, with flattened
finger. Dentate margins of chela fingers with dorsal surface and rounded ventral surface;
13 obliquegranularrows on fixedfinger,each moderately globose in (cid:47), but distinctly elon-
rowterminatinginalargegranuleattheprox- gated in (cid:63); vesicle not distinctly narrower
imal and distal ends, and with 14 rows on than metasomal segment V, width 95%((cid:63))to
movablefinger,plusashortapicalrowoffour 98% ((cid:47)) of metasomal segment V. Metasoma
granules;supernumerarygranulesabsent;che- withintercarinalsurfacessmooth,butwithca-
la fingers each with a terminal denticle. rinae granular to costate granular. Metasomal
Trichobothria:Orthobothriotaxic,typeA,(cid:97) segments II-IV with distal granules of dorso-
configuration, with the following segment to- submedian carinae enlarged, spiniform. Ten
tals:femur11(5dorsal,4internal,2external), carinaeonsegmentI,ninecarinaeonsegment
patella13(5dorsal,1internal,7external)and II, seven carinae on segments III-IV, and five
chela15(8manus,7fixedfinger).Totalnum- carinae on segment V. Segment I with paired
ber of trichobothria per pedipalp, 39. Tricho- ventrosubmedian carinae; segments II-V with
bothrium d ofpedipalp femurdistinctlybasal singleventromediancarina.Medianlateralca-
5
to e . rinae fully developed on segment I, reduced
1
Mesosoma:Tergitesentirelygranular,finely toafewgranulesinthedistalthirdofsegment
on pretergites, coarsely on post-tergites, be- II, and absent in segments III-V. Segment V
coming more so distally; I-VII each with a with paired dorsolateral and ventrolateral ca-
strongly developed, granular median carina; rinae. Telson with five obsolete granular ca-
VII additionally with distinct pairs of costate rinae, and a well developed, spinoid subacu-
granular dorsosubmedian and dorsolateral ca- lear tubercle, directed towards the base of the
rinae. Sternites smooth ((cid:63)) to finely granular aculeus, and unevenly bifurcated distally
182 THE JOURNALOF ARACHNOLOGY
(Figs. 7, 8). Aculeus long, 56% ((cid:63)) to 66% Tityus androcottoides (misidentification): Pocock
((cid:47)) of vesicle length, and sharply curved. 1893b: 377, 378, pl. XXIX, figs. 3, 3b (part).
Hemispermatophore: Flagelliform. Tityustrinitatis:Kraepelin1899:71,78;Mello-Lei-
Geographic variation: The paratype (cid:63) ta˜o 1931: 136, 147; Mello-Leita˜o 1939: 62, 65,
66; Mello-Leita˜o 1945: 302, 304, 432–434, figs.
from Mt. El Tucuche has a higher pectinal
176–182; Waterman 1950: 168, 171, fig.; Capo-
tooth count (19/19) than the paratype (cid:63) from
riacco 1951: 41; Scorza 1954a: 161; Scorza
Chancellor Hill.
1954b:190,207,figs.22,23;Scorza1954c:166;
Ontogenetic variation: As in other species Scorza 1954d: 7, 8, fig.; Bu¨cherl 1959: 259;
of Tityus, (cid:63) resembles (cid:47) very closely until Bu¨cherl1964:59;Kjellesvig-Waering1966:125,
the final instar. However, juveniles and sub- 129, 130; Bu¨cherl 1969: 768; Esquivel de Verde
adults can be readily sexed by examinationof &Machado-Allison1969:35;Bu¨cherl1971:327,
the pectines and genital aperture. 330, 332, fig. 4; Gonza´lez-Sponga 1974a: 58;
Sexual dimorphism: In addition to above- Bu¨cherl1978:372,375;Lourenc¸o1984b:15–19,
mentionedcharacters,adult(cid:63)areslightlylon- figs. 1–10, tab. I; Kjellesvig-Waering 1986: 86,
ger than adult (cid:47). The increased length of (cid:63) figs. 31C, D; Armas 1988: 82, 83, 93, figs. 31,
32A, 35; Rudloff 1994: 9; Lourenc¸o 1995: 29;
is attributed mainly to the longer metasomal
Kovaˇr´ık 1998: 122; Lourenc¸o & Huber 1999:
segments: metasomal length approximately
259, 261–263; Fet & Lowe 2000: 263, 264.
69% of total length ((cid:63)); approximately 66%
((cid:47)). Adult (cid:63) are considerably more slender This species was reviewed by Kjellesvig-
than adult (cid:47), with sternite VII length:width Waering (1966), Lourenc¸o (1984b) and Lour-
ratio 32% lower. enc¸o & Huber (1999). It is endemic to Trini-
Measurements: As in Table 2. dad, Tobago, and the islands off the
Distribution.—Tityus tenuicauda is en- northwestern peninsula of Trinidad. The Ve-
demic to, and evidently widespread in Trini- nezuelanrecordofScorza(1954b:207)ispre-
dad. In addition to the type localities at Port sumably erroneous, and the specieswasomit-
of Spain, Maraval, and Mt. El Tucuche, this ted by Gonza´lez-Sponga (1996). Tityus
species has been recorded from Petit Valley, trinitatis is the most common species of scor-
Comuto, Sangre Grande, Bush-Bush Forest pion in Trinidad and Tobago, and has been
(Nariva Swamp), and Mayaro by Kjellesvig- collected in sympatry with A. cussinii, M.
Waering (1966), and from Mt. St. Benedict rickyi and B. laui at Speyside, and with A.
(Tunapuna) by Lourenc¸o & Huber (1999). cussinii, M. rickyi and B. nitidus at Mt. St.
Ecology.—As noted by Kjellesvig-Waering Benedict. Most specimens were found mo-
(1966), this species is uncommon, probably tionless on bare ground, leaf litter, rock faces,
because it is arboreal and thus seldom col- logs and branches close to ground level. Sev-
lected. The only specimens personally col- eral adult specimens were observed preying
lected, from cloud forest at thesummitofMt. on M. rickyi, and on juvenile conspecifics.
El. Tucuche, were located with UV light sit-
Material examined.—TRINIDAD AND TO-
ting motionless on tree branches about 2 m BAGO: Trinidad: 1(cid:63), Arima road, 10(cid:56)42(cid:57)22(cid:48)N,
above the ground. Kjellesvig-Waering (1966: 61(cid:56)17(cid:57)29(cid:48)W,29June1999,L.Prendini&R.Pinto-
128)reportedthatthisis‘‘aforestspecies,and da-Rocha,inpalmleafbase;1juv(cid:63),Arima,8km
hasbeentakenfromtreesasmuchasfiftyfeet N,29July1999,B.Cutler,infernfrond;2(cid:47),2juv,
[16 m] above ground.’’ Ward (1996: 76) re- Mt.St.Benedict,10(cid:56)39(cid:57)49(cid:48)N,61(cid:56)23(cid:57)56(cid:48)W,28June
ported collecting three specimens of this spe- 1999, L. Prendini; 1(cid:47), 2 juv, Mt. St. Benedict, 9
July1999,L.Prendini&I.Samad.Tobago:2(cid:63)5(cid:47),
cies from bromeliads, Glomeropitcairnia er-
Speyside, 1 km N on road to Charlotteville,
ectiflora, on the summit of Mt. El Tucuche,
11(cid:56)18(cid:57)20(cid:48)N, 60(cid:56)32(cid:57)15(cid:48)W, 3 July 1999, L. Prendini
but noted that it can also be found ‘‘under & H. Guarisco; 1(cid:63)4(cid:47), 2 juv, same data, except 4
debris.’’ Tityus tenuicauda was collected in
July 1999.
sympatry with B. nitidus and C.raymondhan-
sorum on the summit of Mt. El Tucuche.
FAMILY CHACTIDAE
Tityus trinitatis Pocock 1897 Broteochactas laui Kjellesvig-Waering 1966
Tityus trinitatis Pocock 1897b: 514, 517, 518. Broteochactas laui Kjellesvig-Waering 1966: 125–
Isometrus androcottoides (misidentification): Po- 128, figs. 1, 2.
cock 1889: 57. Broteochactas laui: Gonza´lez-Sponga 1974b: 5;
