21 July, 2017

A new genus and species from Myanmar (Burma)


Wilson Lourenco has recently published a new genus and species from a cave in Myanmar (Burma).

Plethoscorpiops Lourenço, 2017 (Scorpiopinae, Euscorpiidae*)

Plethoscorpiops profusus Lourenço, 2017 (Scorpiopinae, Euscorpiidae*)

* The author of this paper is treating Scorpiopinae as a valid family: Scorpiopidae

The new taxa has a unique trichobothrial pattern, but shows no special cave-adaptions (troglomorphic adaptions) like pigment and eye reductions.

Abstract:
Plethoscorpiops profusus gen. n., sp. n., belonging to the family Scorpiopidae Kraepelin, 1905 is described on the basis of two specimens, one adult female and one male juvenile collected in the Saddan Cave, in Kayin State, Hpa-An, Burma (Myanmar). This new scorpion taxon most certainly represents an endemic element for the fauna of Burma and seems to be strictly distributed inside the cave system. The new genus is characterized by a previously unknown and totally unique plethotaxic trichobothrial pattern within the family Scorpiopidae.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. A new genus and species of scorpion from Burma [Myanmar] (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae): Implications for the taxonomy of the family. C R Biol. 2017; In Press. [Open Access]

Family Euscorpiidae

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