A new species of Chiromachetes from India

 

Akshay Khandekar and co-workers have described yet another species from the interesting and diverse Indian scorpion fauna. Their recent article described a new species of Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Hormuridae) from the southern Western Ghats, India.

Chiromachetes agasthyamalaiensis Khandekar, Thackeray, Pawar, Gangalmale & Waghe, 202

A very beautiful scorpion! :)

Abstract:
A new species of the genus Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Hormuridae Laurie, 1896) is described based on a single male and two female specimens collected from Agasthyamalai Mountains in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, southern Western Ghats, India. The new species can be easily distinguished from all five known congeners by combination of non-overlapping morphological characters such as chela length-width ratio, femur length-width ratio, chela length-movable finger length ratio, the number of pectinal teeth, and subtle color differences of both the sexes respectively. Chiromachetes agasthyamalaiensis sp. n., represent the sixth described species, the fifth from the Western Ghats, and the first to be reported from the state of Tamil Nadu of this peninsular Indian endemic genus.

Reference:
Khandekar A, Thackeray T, Pawar S, Gangalmale S, Waghe V. A new species of Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Scorpiones: Hormuridae) from southern Western Ghats, India. Euscorpius. 2022(354):1-13. [Open Access]

Family Hormuridae

Two new species in the genus Chiromachetes from India

 
Shauri Sulakhe and several co-workers recently published an article presenting two new species in the small genus Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Hormuridae) from India, raising the number of species in the genus to five.

Chiromachetes parakrami Sulakhe, Deshpande, Dandekar, Ketkar, Gowande, Padhye & Bastawade, 2020

Chiromachetes ramdasswamii Sulakhe, Deshpande, Dandekar, Ketkar, Gowande, Padhye & Bastawade, 2020

Abstract:
Two new species of Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Hormuridae) are described from the northern Western Ghats of India using an integrated taxonomic approach. Chiromachetes parakrami sp. n. and C. ramdasswamii sp. n. are closely related and differ from each other and C. sahyadriensis by morphological features and raw genetic divergence of 7.9–9.4 %.

Reference:
Sulakhe S, Deshpande S, Nikhil D, Ketkar M, Gowande G, Padhye A, et al. Two new species of Chiromachetes (Scorpiones: Hormuridae) from the northern Western Ghats, India. Euscorpius. 2020(320):1-27. [Open Access]

Family Hormuridae

A new species in the enigmatic genus Chiromachetes from India

I'm a great fan of the scorpions in the family Hormuridae after having kept a colony of parthenogenetic Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775) for more than 15 years. It is therefore great to see new species described in this special family. Zeeshan Mirza and co-workers have recently described a new species in the enigmatic genus Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Hormuridae) from Western Ghats in India.

Chiromachetes sahyadriensis Mirza, Sanap & Zambre, 2015

The article has an unpdated identification key for the genus.

Abstract:
A new species of hormurid scorpion is described from the Western Ghats of India. Chiromachetes sahyadriensis sp. nov. differs from other members of this genus in the following set of characters: medium sized scorpions, total length reaching 62.9 mm, carapace flat, three pairs of lateral eyes, manus length/width ratio in males 4.6–4.8 and 3.4 in females, tarsi of leg ventrally with three spinoid setae at the base of tarsi. Dentate margin of pedipalp manus finger with two rows of granules fused at base. Pectines 8–9 in males, 6–8 in females. Lamellar hook positioned distinctly in basal half of hemispermatophore in proximity to the lamellae.

Reference:
Mirza Z, Sanap R, Zambre A. A New Species of the Enigmatic Genus Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Scorpiones: Hormuridae) from Western Ghats, India, with a Key to the Genus. Euscorpius. 2015 (212):1-10. [Open Access]

Family Hormuridae