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Two new species of the mexicanus group of Vaejovis C.L. Koch are described from the Madrean pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental in the state of Durango, Mexico. These species, Vaejovis sierrae sp. nov. and Vaejovis mcwesti sp. nov., are distinguished from each other and the only other species of the mexicanus group known from this mountain range, Vaejovis montanus Graham and Bryson, by morphometrics, carinal development of the pedipalps, granulation of the metasoma, and body size. A key to the species of the mexicanus group from
the Sierra Madre Occidental is provided.
A new montane species of Vaejovis C.L. Koch (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae) is described from the Sierra Madre Occidental of Durango, Mexico. Vaejovis baggins Azzinnari, Bryson, Graham, Solís-Rojas, and Sissom, new species,is similar to mexicanus group species in the mountain range, including V. montanus Graham and Bryson, V. sierrae Sissom, Graham, Donaldson, and Bryson, and V. mcwesti Sissom, Graham, Donaldson, and Bryson, but differs from these species based on aspects of body size, pedipalp carination, chelae granulation, morphometrics, and setal patterns on the metasoma. A molecular clock estimate indicates that the new species shared a common ancestor with V. mcwesti during the late Miocene or Pliocene.
Presently, only a single species of the genus Diplocentrus is known from northeastern Mexico, D. whitei (Gervais) (Hoffman 1931 ). This species is dark brown to black and is quite large, with adults 65-75 mm long. Recent collecting in the mountains near Monterrey and El Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Mexico has revealed the presence of a much smaller, more lightly-colored species. The description of this new species is the subject of the present paper. Nomenclature and mensuration essentially follows that of Stahnke (1970), with the following exceptions: carinal terminology and cheliceral measurements are after Francke (1975, 1977) and trichobothrial terminology is after Vachon (1974). All measurements were taken with an American Optical Model 569 dissecting microscope equipped with an ocular micrometer calibrated at 10x.
The genus Vaejovis C. L. Koch in the Mexican state of Sonora is reviewed, based on the examination of numerous specimens from United States collections. Four species are reported to occur there: Vaejovis spinigerus (Wood), V. confusus Stahnke, V. sonorae Williams, and V. decipiens Hoffmann. Distributional information for all four species is updated, and a key is provided to facilitate identification. The subspecies V. spinigerus sonorensis Hoffmann is synonymized with V. spinigerus. The record for V. gravicaudus Williams on Isla Tiburon (Williams 1980) is demonstrated to be a misidentification resulting from atypical variation in the closely related V. spinigerus, which is common on the island. A record for V. waueri Gertsch and Soleglad is considered the result of accidental introduction, because additional specimens have not been seen in the well-sampled Alamos area. It is suggested that the genus is probably more diverse than demonstrated here; several species from neighboring Arizona probably occur in Sonora, and new species may eventually be discovered in the poorly sampled interior.
Taxonomic characters of the recently resurrected scorpion genus Serradigitus Stahnke are discussed, leading to changes in the diagnosis and composition of the genus. Four species, S. baueri (Gertsch), S. bechteli (Williams), S. littoralis (Williams), and S. pacificus (Williams) are transferred into Serradigitus from the genus Vaejovis. The diversity of Serradigitus and distribution of its species in the Mexican state of Sonora are investigated. Serradigitus hearnei (Williams) and S. subtilimanus (Soleglad) are reported for the first time there, and four new species are described (two of which also occur in the United States): S. allredi from southern Arizona and central Sonora; S. polisi from Isla Tiburon and the Kino Bay area; S. yaqui from coastal Sonora, and S. agilis from southeastern Arizona, southwestem New Mexico, and eastern Sonora. A record for S. harbisoni (Williams) is referred to S. polisi. A key to the Serradigitus species of Sonora is provided.
A new species of the genus Megacormus Karsch from the Mexican state of Oaxaca is described. The new species is most similar to M. segmentatus Pocock, with which it is compared; the two species are most readily separated by male characters. The male of M. segmentatus is also described, based on material from two new localities in Veracruz. Hemispermatophores of three of the four species in the genus are illustrated, providing evidence of their usefulness in species level taxonomy. Finally, new records for M. gertschi Diaz, including the first accurate localities in Puebla, are given.
A new species of Schizomus is described from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the fourth described schizomid to possess convex ocelli. New information is given regarding some old records attributed to S. cambridgei (Thorell), species inquirenda. The female spermathecae of S. bagnallii (Jackson) and S. biocellatus Sissom are described and illustrated, and other characters of the two species are discussed.
To date, only two references place members of the genus Diplocentrus in Sonora, Mexico. The first was a passing comment by Francke (1975) that D. spitzeri Stahnke occurs in northeastern Sonora. The specimens he examined and used in his systematic studies on that species are the same as the ones reported here for the first time from a specific Sonoran locality. The second reference was by Sissom and Walker (1992) listing a single record of D. gertschi Sissom and Walker from Libertad on the northern coast. Examination of material from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the Academy of Natural Sciences (ANS) indicates that, in addition to D. spitzeri and D. gertschi, another distinct species occurs in the Alamos and Navajoa areas in southern Sonora. This species is described as new below. It should be noted that a juvenile specimen from the vicinity of Benjamin Hill was also examined that was unassignable with certainty to any of the above species. This indicates that the genus has a wider distribution in Sonora than demonstrated even by the specimens listed in this report. Nomenclature and mensuration utilized herein essentially follows that of Stahnke (1970), with the following exceptions: carinal terminology and cheliceral measurements are after Francke (1975,1977) and trichobothrial terminology is after Vachon (1974). Specimens in the senior author's collection are listed in the records sections as "WDS”. Because D. spitzeri and the new species are both quite similar to D. peloncil1ensis Francke, the latter is included in the tables for comparison; in addition, the hemispermatophore of this species is also drawn. D. peloncillensis was described from only 6 males, 1 female, and 1 juvenile. The data presented here for D. peloncillensis are derived from these and new specimens available since the original description was published (Francke 1975), thereby providing a better understanding of variation in this species.
