Abstract
The scorpion genus Vachoniochactas González-Sponga, 1978 is herein recorded for the first time from Colombia, and Vachoniochactas humboldti sp. nov. is described based on three females and 16 males collected at three localities in the Guyanese region of Colombia. The new species is characterized, among other features, by the presence of a ventromedian row of setae flanked by submedian setae in the telotarsus of legs III–IV. The hemispermatophore and several features of the external morphology of the new species are illustrated. With this description, the number of known species of Vachoniochactas is raised to four. A revised diagnosis for the genus based upon specimens of both sexes is given. A map showing the known distribution of the different species, and a key for their identification are included.References
Fet, V. & Soleglad, M.E. (2005) Contributions to scorpion systematics. I. On recent changes in high-level taxonomy. Euscorpius, 31, 1–13.
Flórez, D.E. & Mattoni, C.I. (2007) Los escorpiones del género Chactopsis: ¿euscorpiidos o chactidos? Darwiniana, 45 (Supl.), 83–85.
Francke, O.F. (1985) Conspectus genericus scorpionorum 1758-1982, (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 98, 1–32.
González-Sponga, M.A. (1978) Escorpiofauna de la Región Oriental del Estado Bolívar, en Venezuela. Roto-Impresos, C. A. Caracas, 217 pp.
González-Sponga, M.A. (1984) Escorpiones de Venezuela. Cuadernos Lagoven, Cromotip, Caracas, 126 pp.
González-Sponga, M.A. (1991) Arácnidos de Venezuela. Escorpiones del Tepui "La Neblina", Territorio Federal Amazonas, Venezuela (Scorpionida: Chactidae: Buthidae). Boletín de la Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales (Caracas), 50(163–164), 11–62.
González-Sponga, M.A. (1996) Guía para identificar escorpiones de Venezuela. Cuadernos Lagoven, Caracas, 204pp.
Hernández-Camacho, J., Hurtado, A., Ortiz, R. & Walschburger, T. (1992) Unidades biogeográficas de Colombia. In: Halffter, G. (Ed.). La diversidad biológica de Iberoamérica I. Volumen especial, Acta Zoológica Mexicana. Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo-Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Xalapa, Mexico, pp. 103–151.
Jacob, A., Gantenbein, I., Braunwalder, M.E., Nentwig, W. & Kropf, C. (2004) Morphology and function of male genitalia (spermatophores) in Euscorpius italicus (Euscorpiidae, Scorpiones): complex spermatophore structures enable safe sperm transfer. Journal of Morphology, 260(1), 72–84.
Kovařík, F. (1998) Scorpions. Madagaskar, Jihlava, 175 pp.
Lourenço, W.R. (1986) Diversité de la faune scorpionique de la région Amazonienne; centres d’endémisme; nouvel appui a la théorie des refuges forestiers du Pléistocène. Amazoniana, 9(4), 559–580.
Lourenço, W.R. (1994) Scorpion biogeographic patterns as evidence for a Neblina-São Gabriel endemic center in Brazilian Amazonia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias, 19(72), 181–185.
Lourenço, W.R. (1998) Un nouveau genre de scorpion amazonien appartenant a la famille des Chactidae. Revue Arachnologique, 12 (12), 129–134.
Lourenço, W.R. (2002a) Scorpions of Brazil. Les Éditions de l’If, Paris, 307 pp.
Lourenço, W.R. (2002b) Scorpiones. In: Adis, J. (Ed.). Amazonian Arachnida and Myriapoda. Pensoft Publishers, Moscow, pp. 399–438.
Lourenço, W.R. (2003) Le genre Chactopsis Kraepelin ((Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae (ou Chactidae)) en Amazonie Brésilienne. Biogeographica, 79(4), 167–174.
Lourenço, W.R., Andrzejewski, V. & Cloudsley-Thompson, J.L. (2003) The life history of Chactas reticulatus Kraepelin, 1912 (Scorpiones, Chactidae), with a comparative analysis of the reproductive traits of three scorpion lineages in relation to habitat. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 242, 63–74.
Lourenço, W.R. & Araújo, J.S. (2004) Nouvelles considérations sur le genre Auyantepuia González-Sponga (Scorpiones, Chactidae) et description d´une nouvelle espèce pour la région de Manaus, en Amazonie brésilienne. Acta Biológica Paranaense, Curitiba, 33 (1–4), 1–11.
Nenilin, A.B. & Fet, V. (1992) Zoogeographical analysis of the world scorpion fauna (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Arthropoda Selecta, 1 (2), 3–31.
Prendini, L. & Wheeler, W.C. (2005) Scorpion higher phylogeny and classification, taxonomic anarchy, and standards for peer review in online publishing. Cladistics, 21, 446–494.
Rojas-Runjaic, F.J.M. & de Sousa, L. (2007) Catálogo de los escorpiones de Venezuela (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa, 40, 281–307.
Sissom, D.W. (1990) Systematics, biogeography, and paleontology. In: Polis, G.A. (Ed.). The Biology of Scorpions. Stanford University Press, Stanford, pp. 64–160.
Sissom, W.D. (2000) Family Chactidae. In: Fet, V., Sissom, W.D., Lowe, G. & Braunwalder, M.E. (Eds.). Catalog of the Scorpions of the World (1758-1998). The New York Entomological Society, New York, pp. 287–322.
Soleglad, M.E. & Fet, V. (2003) High-level systematic and phylogeny of the extant scorpions (Scorpiones: Orthosterni). Euscorpius, 11, 1–175.
Soleglad, M.E. & Sissom, W.D. (2001) Phylogeny of the family Euscorpiidae Laurie, 1896: a major revision. In: Fet, V. & Selden, P.A. (Eds.). Scorpions 2001. In memoriam Gary A. Polis. British Arachnological Society, Burnham Beeches, UK, pp. 25–111.
Stockwell, S.A. (1989) Revision of the phylogeny and higher classification of scorpions (Chelicerata). PhD Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.
Vachon, M. (1952) Etudes 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) (2è sér.), 35(2), 161–166.
Vachon, M. (1973) Étude 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) (3è sér.), 104, 857–958.