Abstract
A new species of scorpion belonging to the genus Centruroides Marx, 1890 is described from the Coalcomán mountain range, western Michoacán State, Mexico. Its general aspect resembles Centruroidesruana Quijano-Ravell & Ponce-Saavedra, 2016, and C.infamatus (C. L. Koch, 1844), but it is a smaller species having lower pectinal tooth counts; also, males of C.ruana have the pedipalp chelae slightly thicker, whereas C.infamatus has a subaculear tubercle nearer to the base of the aculeus. Another species with similar aspect is Centruroidesornatus Pocock, 1902; however, a preliminary molecular analysis of the mitochondrial gene mRNA 16S showed genetic divergence (measured as p-distance) near to 10% between these species, and lower differences between the new species with respect to C.infamatus (4.63%) and C.ruana (5.07%). The molecular evidence together with the morphological characters (integrative taxonomy) are sufficient for recognizing the Coalcomán population as a separate and valid species.
Highlights
In the present contribution we describe a new species of the genus Centruroides from the Coalcomán Range, based on several specimens of both sexes under an integrative taxonomic perspective, using morphological and molecular evidence
The 16S mitochondrial marker was used successfully by several authors for delimiting several species in the genus Centruroides such as the cryptic species C. exilicauda (Wood) and C. sculpturatus (Ewing) (Gantenbein et al 2001), and C. limpidus Karsch and C. tecomanus Hoffmann (Ponce-Saavedra et al 2009), and for delimiting new species such as C. ruana which was separated from C. ornatus and C. infamatus (Quijano-Ravell and Ponce-Saavedra 2016)
The results showed stronger genetic divergence between the population of C. romeroi sp. nov. and populations of C. ornatus at two localities of the municipality of Morelia, Michoacán (p-distance = 0.076–0.079), and with two populations at Chapala, Jalisco (p-distance = 0.093–0.098), with one population of C. balsasensis (p-distance = 0.128) rather than to C. infamatus from two localities of Michoacán (p-distance = 0.463) and with the type population of C. ruana (p-distance = 0.049)
Summary
Buthid scorpions of the genus Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Buthidae) are widely distributed in Mexican territory, from which 45 nominal species and two subspecies have been recognized (Ponce-Saavedra and Francke 2019), some of them with medical importance (Ponce-Saavedra and Moreno-Barajas 2005, Ponce-Saavedra and Francke 2013a, b, Ponce-Saavedra et al 2016, Quijano-Ravell and Ponce-Saavedra 2016). From Michoacán State, eight species belonging to this genus have been described or recorded (Ponce-Saavedra et al 2016): Centruroides balsasensis Ponce-Saavedra & Francke, 2004; C. bertholdii (Thorell, 1876); C. infamatus L. Koch, 1844); C. limpidus (Karsch, 1879); C. nigrescens (Pocock, 1898); C. ornatus Pocock, 1902; C. ruana Quijano-Ravell & Ponce-Saavedra, 2016 and C. tecomanus Hoffmann, 1932. Centruroides elegans (Thorell, 1876) and C. pallidiceps Pocock, 1902 were mentioned from Michoacán by Beutelspacher-Baigts (2000), but those records were seemingly based on misidentified specimens. In the present contribution we describe a new species of the genus Centruroides from the Coalcomán Range, based on several specimens of both sexes under an integrative taxonomic perspective, using morphological and molecular evidence
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
