Another new species in the enigmatic, troglomorphic genus Troglotayosicus from Colombia

Ricardo Botero-Trujillo and co-workers have discovered another species in the rare and enigmatic genus Troglotayosicus Lourenco, 1981 (Troglotayosicidae) in leaf litter in southwestern Colombia.

Troglotayosicus hirsutus Botero-Trujillo, Ochoa, Tovar & Souza, 2012

This scorpion is found in leaf litter, and is not a cave dweller. It has troglomorphies like reduces and eyes and pigmentation.

Abstract:
Troglotayosicus hirsutus, a new species of troglomorphic scorpion, is described based on three adult males, three adult females and eight juveniles captured by ultraviolet light detection in forest leaf litter of the municipality of Buesaco, southwestern Colombia. Though similar to the other Colombian species in the genus, Troglotayosicus humiculum Botero Trujillo & Francke, 2009, T. hirsutus sp. nov. exhibits a combination of distinctive morphological features, including a densely hairy appearance which gives the name to the new species. With this description, the number of known species in the genus Troglotayosicus is raised to three, two of which inhabit leaf litter in forests of Nariño department (Colombia), whereas the type species, Troglotayosicus vachoni Lourenço, 1981, remains known only from Los Tayos Cave in Ecuador. With this new finding, it is plausible that the genus Troglotayosicus is not much rare after all, but that its apparent rarity might be a sampling artifact instead. However, this possibility does not imply that the genus is necessarily common, and only additional studies may tell about the vulnerability of the genus.

Reference:
Botero-Trujillo R, Ochoa JA, Tovar OA, Souza J. A new species in the scorpion genus Troglotayosicus from forest leaf litter in Southwestern Colombia (Scorpiones, Troglotayosicidae). Zootaxa. 2012 (3506):63-76. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Dr. Botero-Trujillo for sending me his article!

Family Trglotayosicidae