A new Heterometrus from India

Heterometrus atrascorpius from Western Ghats in India (Photo: Zeeshan Mirza)

Zeeshan Mirza and co-workers have recently described a new species of Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpionidae) from Western Ghats in India.

Heterometrus atrascorpius Mirza, Joshi, Desouza & Sanap, 2012

Abstract:
A new species of scorpion belonging to the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 is described from the Southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. Heterometrus atrascorpius sp. nov. differs from all other known species of the genus reported from India, in particularly from Heterometrus beccaloniae Kovarík, 2004 by bearing the following set of characters: moderate size in comparison to other members of the genus 91.68 (holotype); body coloration dark blackish brown both dorsally and ventrally, with the exception of the vesicle which is yellowish white and the leg tarsi which are paler; pectines, sternum and pectinal basal piece yellowish brown; pedipalp manus tuberculate with carina; patella and femur dorsally tuberculate; pedipalp femur longer than twice as wide; manus length/width ratio 3.22; pectines with 16-16 teeth.

Reference:
Mirza ZA, Joshi D, Desouza G, Sanap RV. Description of a new species of scorpion of the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Indian Journal of Arachnology. 2012;1(2):1-8. [Free full text]

Thanks to Zeeshan Mirza and Gerard Dupre for sending me this paper and to Zeeshan for allowing me to use his picture of the new species!

Family Buthidae