Alpiscorpius beta ( Di Caporiacco, 1950 ), 2019

Alpiscorpius beta ( Di Caporiacco, 1950) View in CoL , comb. n., stat. n.

( Figures 13–17, 71, Tables 1, 2, 5) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:02256D81-

6FBF-46C0-BB92-5B23BD676CA5

Euscorpius germanus “forma B”: Capra, 1939: 204.

Euscorpius germanus beta Di Caporiacco, 1950: 211 .

Euscorpius germanus germanus: Bonacina, 1980: 58 (in part).

Euscorpius ( Euscorpius) germanus alpha: Fet & Sissom, 2000: 366–368 (in part).

Euscorpius ( Alpiscorpius) alpha: Gantenbein et al., 2000: 858 (in part; Gondo, Fountainemore); Fet & Braunwalder, 2005: 34 (in part; Gondo, Zwischbergental).

Euscorpius alpha: Braunwalder, 2001: 281 (in part; Gondo, Zwischbergental); Vignoli & Salomone, 2008: 206 (in part); Fet, 2010: 6 (in part).

Euscorpius ( Alpiscorpius) alpha Karyotypic race I (Eal 60): ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019: 155.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Italy, Piedmont: Novara, Monte Massone, [ 45.947°N, 8.337°E] ( MZUF 5588), lectotype ♂ designated by Gantenbein et al. (2000: 856, 858). Paralectotypes: 5♂ 5♀ ( MZUF 5589-5593 View Materials ), type locality ; 1♂ 1♀ ( MZUF 5584-5585 View Materials ), Colle della Piccola Mologna , 2000 m ; 2♀ ( MZUF), Lamorano .

MATERIAL EXAMINED ( NMPC): 4♂ 8♀ . Italy, Piedmont: Tavigliano , 45.662°N 8.072°E, 1♀ (S647) GoogleMaps ; Loreglia , 45.902°N 8.370°E, 2♂ (S589-S590) GoogleMaps 1♂ 3♀ GoogleMaps ; Val d’Aosta: Antey-St André , 45.788°N 7.589°E, 1♂ (S098) GoogleMaps . Switzerland, Valais: Gondo , 46.195°N 8.137°E, 2♂ (S547, 589) GoogleMaps 1♀ (S637) GoogleMaps 3♀.

DIAGNOSIS. Alpiscorpius beta is a cryptic species of the “ alpha group” of the “ germanus compleX” defined by ŠtundlovÁ et al. (2019) as “Karyotypic race I (Eal 60)”, which has 2n = 60 chromosomes. The karyotype is composed of 34 metacentric, 14 submetacentric, 2 subtelocentric, and 10 telocentric chromosomes (fig. S1A in ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019). The rDNA clusters are localized in the subterminal region of the long arms of the metacentric chromosome pair 4 (fig. 2A and fig. S1A in ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2019). Number of pectinal teeth (Dp) in male usually 8. Number of patellar ventral trichobothria ( Pv) varies from 5 to 6. Reduction of patellar eXternal trichobothria from 4 to 3 rare in series et (<10%) and more common in series eb a (>10%); see also Notes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MALE. The following description is based primarily on a male from Gondo, Switzerland. Measurements of this specimen are presented in Table 1. Carapace, tergites, and pedipalps reddish-brown; carapace with some darker mottling; metasoma dark reddish-brown with dark mottling; telson, legs, and sternites dark yellow to reddish-brown; chelicerae light, slightly reticulated. Anterior edge of carapace essentially straight; smooth and lustrous, lacking any indication of carinae. There are two lateral eyes. Median eyes and tubercle are small in size. Tergites I–VII essentially smooth; tergite VII lacking lateral and median carinal pairs. Sternites III–VII smooth and lustrous; VII lacking lateral and median carinae. Stigmata are small, narrow elliptical. Metasomal segment V smooth without granulation and carinae. Vesicle of telson swollen and elongated, with short highly curved aculeus. Vesicle essentially void of granules, lustrous. Pectinal teeth number 8/7. Pedipalp carinae well-developed ( Figs. 13–15). Trichobothrial pattern type C, neobothriotaXic: chela ventral = 4/4; patellar eb = 4/5, eb a =4/4, esb = 2/2, em = 3/3, est = 3/3, et = 4/5; patellar ventral = 5/5. Tarsus of legs with single row of spinules on ventral surface.

VARIABILITY. We scored standard phenotypic markers for 7 eXamined specimens ( 5♂, 2♀), with the following variation observed:

Dp in males (n=5): 7/7 (1), 8/8 (3), 8/9 (1); in total, 7 in 20% (2), 8 in 70% (7) and 9 in 10% (1); mean = 7.90, SD = 0.57.

Dp in females (n=2): 6/4 (1), 6/6 (1).

Pv (n=7): 5/5 (3), 5/6 (1), 6/5 (1), 6/6 (2); in total, 5 in 57.14% (8), and 6 in 42.86% (6); mean = 5.43, SD = 0.51.

et (n=7): 4/3 (1), 4/4 (13); in total, 3 in 7.14% (1), and 4 in 92.86% (13); mean = 3.93, SD = 0.27.

eb a (n=7): 4/3 (2), 4/4 (12); in total, 3 in 14.29% (2) and 4 in 85.71% (12); mean = 3.86, SD = 0.36.

DISTRIBUTION. Italy (Piedmont, Val d’Aosta), Switzerland ( Valais: Zwischbergental) ( Fig. 71).

NOTES. This taXon was first informally delineated by Capra (1939) as “Form B” from Val d’ Aosta, including the marginal, westernmost populations of “ Euscorpius germanus ” (sensu lato). It was formally described as a subspecies by Di Caporiacco (1950). Bonacina (1980) synonymized E. g. beta with E. g. germanus and noted that both taXa had five trichobothria on ventral aspect of patella ( Pv =5). This synonymy, however, created a disjunct distribution for E. g. germanus sensu Bonacina (1980) . Italian populations studied by Bonacina (1980) should be reassessed, and their phenotypic markers scored from the material deposited in MCSNB.

Populations from Fontainemore ( Val d’Aosta, Italy) and Gondo, on the Simplon Pass road ( Switzerland, Valais) were studied by Gantenbein et al. (2000) who synonymized E. germanus beta with E. alpha . The Gondo (or Simplon) population was studied in more detail by Braunwalder (2001) and Fet & Braunwalder (2005).

Gantenbein et al. (2000) published a 16S mtDNA sequence ( AJ389379 View Materials ), identical for Gondo and Fontainemore populations, which closely matches those of Eal 60 (= A. beta ) obtained independently by ŠtundlovÁ et al. (2019).

Following Gantenbein et al. (2000), both Braunwalder (2001) and Fet & Braunwalder (2005) addressed the Swiss population from Simplon as E. alpha . However, both Gantenbein et al. (2000) and Fet & Braunwalder (2005) noted morphological features (Pv=5 to 6, mean 5.40) distinguishing it from the more eastern Swiss populations of E. alpha ( Ticino, Grisons), which usually had Pv=6.

Fet & Braunwalder (2005) scored the standard phenotypic markers for 25 specimens of this species from Switzerland (Simplon), with the following results :

Dp in males (n=6): mean= 8.17, SD = 0.58.

Dp in females (n=17): mean = 6.71, SD = 0.52,

Pv (n=25): mean = 5.40, SD = 0.50,

et (n=23): 3 in 2.17% (1), and 4 in 97.83% (45); mean = 3.98, SD = 0.15.

These data are consistent with the 7 eXamined specimens used for karyotype and DNA phylogeny study by ŠtundlovÁ et al. (2019). We confirm that males indeed have a higher Dp value than A. alpha (8 vs. 7), Pv varies between 5 and 6, and reduction of et from 4 to 3 is rare (ca. 2%, only one case out of 46 scored pedipalps).