Abstract
Tityus trivittatus is considered the most medically important scorpion species of southern South America. In this contribution we redefine its taxonomy, redescribe the species and separate the southern populations as a new species Tityus carrilloi n. sp. As a consequence of this description, the most medically important species of the region turns to be the new species herein described. We also clearly establish the phylogenetic position of both species through a dated molecular phylogenetic analysis based on four genes. Finally, we discuss the differences of the venom between species, and the epidemiologic implications of our results on the scorpionism problem in the region.
Highlights
We have studied the scorpion collection of the Inventario Biológico Nacional de Paraguay (IBNP), which includes a large collection of T. trivittatus from all the country
We have studied high quality photos of the best preserved syntype of this species kindly sent by Nadine Dupérré, curator of the Zoologischer Museum Hamburg (ZMH), and we could clearly observe the most important external diagnostic characters of the Paraguayan specimens, that separate them from the Argentinean specimens
All southern species of the trivittatus complex are closely related to northern species of the nominotypical subgenus (Fig. 1), and seem to have evolved after dispersal in these recently emerged lands following a northern-southern pattern of distribution through the Chaco-CerradoCaatinga corridor (Lourenço 1986; OjangurenAffilastro et al, 2017a)
Summary
The scorpion genus Tityus includes all medically important species of southern South America, being responsible for several deaths every year in this region (de Roodt et al, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2019; de Roodt, 2014; Ministerio de Salud, 2011; Docampo & Fernández, 2011; Blanco et al, 2016). Tityus trivittatus Kraepelin, 1898 is considered the most medically important scorpion species south of the 24o parallel in South America, with a distributional range occupying eastern Paraguay, southern Brazil, part of Uruguay, and especially, most of central and northern Argentina, including all major cities of this country (Borges & Rojas de Arias, 2019; Ojanguren-Affilastro et al, 2019). We have studied high quality photos of the best preserved syntype of this species kindly sent by Nadine Dupérré, curator of the Zoologischer Museum Hamburg (ZMH), and we could clearly observe the most important external diagnostic characters of the Paraguayan specimens, that separate them from the Argentinean specimens Due to all this we concluded that the Paraguayan specimens are conspecific with the syntypes of T. trivittatus, and that Argentinean specimens correspond to the species described as T. carrilloi n. Due to all this we concluded that the Paraguayan specimens are conspecific with the syntypes of T. trivittatus, and that Argentinean specimens correspond to the species described as T. carrilloi n. sp
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