A new species of alkali-sink Paruroctonus Werner, 1934 (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae) from California’s San Joaquin Valley

By

Jain, Prakrit
Forbes, Harper
Gorneau, Jacob A.
Esposito, Lauren A.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1185

Pages

199--239

Subjects

Central Valley , CITES , desert , salt flats , threatened

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.103574

 

Abstract

Herein a new species ofParuroctonusWerner, 1934 is described from alkali-sink habitats in the San Joaquin Desert of central California,Paruroctonus tularesp. nov.It can be differentiated from otherParuroctonusby a combination of morphological features including scalloped pedipalp fingers in males, specific setal counts and morphometric ratios, and specific patterns of fuscous pigmentation. It also inhabits a unique distribution allopatric with all otherParuroctonusspecies exceptP. variabilisHjelle, 1982. Photographs of a large series of liveP. tularesp. nov.from across their range and detailed images of several morphological features are provided, their distribution is modeled, a haplotype network is presented, and details about their habitat, ecology, and conservation are discussed.