09 March, 2017

A new species of Opisthacanthus from South-East Madagascar


Wilson Lourenco and co-workers have investigated new hormurid materials from Madagascar and a new species of Opisthacanthus Peters, 1861 (Hormuridae) has been described from the Lavasoa forest in south-eastern Madagascar..

Opisthacanthus lavasoa Lourenco, Wilme & Waeber, 2016

The geographic distribution, biogeography and ecology of the Malagasy species of Opisthacanthus  is also discussed.

Abstract:
A new species, Opisthacanthus lavasoa sp. n., is described from the Lavasoa Forest, in south-eastern Madagascar. The new species shows affinities with both Opisthacanthus madagascarensis Kraepelin, 1894, known from the western portion of the island, and Opisthacanthus ambanja Lourenco, 2014, known only from the extreme north of the island. The new species and O. madagascarensis have similar external morphologies, whereas with O. ambanja the new species shares a similar morphology of the hemispermathophores. Moreover, O. madagascarensis is exclusively found in spiny forest thickets and svannah-like formations, whereas the new species was found in a humid forest. The total number of species in Madagascar is now raised to eleven.

Reference:
Lourenco WR, Wilme L, Waeber PO. One more new species of Opisthcanthus Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Hormuridae) from the Lavasoa Forest, South-Eastern Madagascar. Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2016(29):9-17. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Hormuridae

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