Abstract
The characters originally used to define the monotypic genus Microananteris Lourenço, 2003 are reanalyzed from the point of view of their usefulness to justify its recognition as a genus apart from Ananteris Thorell, 1891. A study of pectinal morphology conducted with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in six species of Ananteris, along with the results presented by Lourenço (2003) and other authors, demonstrate that both genera cannot be separated based on the shape of the peg sensillae but demonstrate this character’s (and the presence of seta-like structures) immediate usefulness at the species level instead. Such analysis of the morphological attributes of Microananteris as defined by Lourenço (2003) reveals there is no evidence in support of its validity. Therefore, Microananteris is synonymized with Ananteris and Microananteris minor Lourenço, 2003 transferred to this genus. A new species of Ananteris is also described from the Natural Reserve Palmari in the Brazilian Amazon.References
Borelli, A. (1911) Scorpioni raccolti da Leonardo Fea nell’Africa occidentale. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Ser 3, 45(5), 8–13.
Botero-Trujillo, R. (2008) The scorpion genus Ananteris in Colombia: comments on the taxonomy and description of two new species (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Journal of Arachnology, 36, 287–299.
Giupponi, A.P.de L., Vasconcelos, E.G.de & Lourenço, W.R. (2009) The genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) in southeast Brazil, with the description of three new species. ZooKeys, 13, 29–41.
Lourenço, W.R. (1982) Révision du genre Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) et description de six espèces nouvelles. Bulletin du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 4(1/2), 119–151.
Lourenço, W.R. (1985) Le véritable statut des genres Ananteris Thorell, 1891 et Ananteroides Borelli, 1911 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Annals of the Natal Museum, 26(2), 407–416.
Lourenço, W.R. (1988) Ananteris festae Borelli, espèce de scorpion caractéristique du centre d’endémisme "Chimborazo" en Equateur. Journal of Arachnology, 16, 266–267.
Lourenço W.R. (1999) Some remarks about Ananteris festae Borelli, 1899 and description of a new species of Ananteris Thorell from Ecuador (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg, 13(160), 95–100.
Lourenço, W.R. (2003) Humicolous buthoid scorpions: a new genus and species from French Guiana. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 326, 1149–1155.
Lourenço, W.R. (2004a) The genus Ananteris Thorell (Scorpiones, Buthidae) in the Brazilian Amazonia. Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, 9, 137–140.
Lourenço, W.R. (2004b) List of the species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) with the description of a new species from the State of Bahia, Brazil. Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, 10, 163–166.
Lourenço, W.R. (2004c) Humicolous microcharmid scorpions: a new genus and species from Madagascar. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 327, 77–83.
Lourenço, W.R. (2007) Complements to the morphology of Troglokhammouanus steineri Lourenço, 2007 (Scorpiones: Pseudochactidae) based on Scanning Electron Microscopy. Euscorpius, 59, 1–6.
Lourenço, W.R. & Goodman, S.M. (2003) New considerations on the genus Tityobuthus Pocock (Scorpiones, Buthidae), and description of a new species from the Ankarana in northern Madagascar. Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, 8, 13–22.
Prendini, L. (2000) A new species of Parabuthus Pocock (Scorpiones: Buthidae), and new records of Parabuthus capensis (Ehrenberg), from Namibia and South Africa. Cimbebasia, 16, 201–214.
Prendini, L. (2004) The systematics of Southern African Parabuthus Pocock (Scorpiones, Buthidae): revisions to the taxonomy and key to the species. Journal of Arachnology, 32, 109–186.
Prendini, L., Volschenk, E.S., Maaliki, S. & Gromov, A.V. (2006) A ‘living fossil’ from Central Asia: the morphology of Pseudochactas ovchinnikovi Gromov, 1998 (Scorpiones: Pseudochactidae), with comments on its phylogenetic position. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 245, 211–248.
Rojas-Runjaic, F.J.M., Portillo-Quintero, C. & Borges, A. (2008) Un nuevo escorpión del género Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) para la Sierra de Perijá, Venezuela. Memoria de la Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, 169, 65–81.
Sissom, W.D., Polis, G.A. & Watt, D.D. (1990) Field and laboratory methods. In: Polis, G.A. (Ed.). The biology of scorpions. Stanford University Press, Stanford, pp. 445–461.
Teruel, R. & García, L.F. (2007) A new species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891 from Cordillera Central in Colombia, with some notes on the taxonomy of the genus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Euscorpius, 60, 1–8.
Teruel, R. & Roncallo, C.A. (2008) A New Species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Caribbean Region of Colombia. Euscorpius, 72, 1–7.
Thorell, T. (1891) Nova species Brasiliana ordinis Scorpionum. Entomologisk Tidskrift, 12(2), 65–70.
Vachon, M. (1952) Études sur les scorpions. Archives de l’Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, Alger, 482 pp.
Vachon, M. (1963) De l’utilité, en systématique, d’une nomenclature des dents des chélicères chez les scorpions. Bulletin du Muséum national de Histoire naturelle Paris (2e sér.), 35(2), 161–166.
Vachon, M. (1974) Etude des caractères utilisés pour classer les familles et les genres de scorpions (Arachnides). 1. La trichobothriotaxie en arachnologie. Sigles trichobothriaux et types de trichobothriotaxie chez les scorpions. Bulletin du Muséum national de Histoire naturelle, Paris (3esér.), 104, 857–958.
Vachon, M. (1975) Sur l’utilisation de la trichobothriotaxie du bras des pédipalpes des scorpions (Arachnides) dans le classement des genres de la famille des Buthidae Simon. Comptes Rendus des séances de l’Académie des Sciences, Paris (sér. D) 281, 1597–1599.