Another new species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 from the caves of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), with notes on biogeography and cave ecology Gioele Tropea & Roman Ozimec May 2020 — No. 308 Euscorpius Occasional Publications in Scorpiology EDITOR: Victor Fet, Marshall University, ‘[email protected]’ ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Michael E. Soleglad, ‘[email protected]’ TECHNICAL EDITOR: František Kovařík, ‘[email protected]’ Euscorpius is the first research publication completely devoted to scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Euscorpius takes advantage of the rapidly evolving medium of quick online publication, at the same time maintaining high research standards for the burgeoning field of scorpion science (scorpiology).Euscorpius is an expedient and viable medium for the publication of serious papers in scorpiology, including (but not limited to): systematics, evolution, ecology, biogeography, and general biology of scorpions. Review papers, descriptions of new taxa, faunistic surveys, lists of museum collections, and book reviews are welcome. Derivatio Nominis The name Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 refers to the most common genus of scorpions in the Mediterranean region and southern Europe (family Euscorpiidae). Euscorpius is located at: https://mds.marshall.edu/euscorpius/ Archive of issues 1-270 see also at: http://www.science.marshall.edu/fet/Euscorpius (Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia 25755-2510, USA) ICZN COMPLIANCE OF ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS: Electronic (“e-only”) publications are fully compliant with ICZN (International Code of Zoological Nomenclature) (i.e. for the purposes of new names and new nomenclatural acts) when properly archived and registered. All Euscorpius issues starting from No. 156 (2013) are archived in two electronic archives: • Biotaxa, http://biotaxa.org/Euscorpius (ICZN-approved and ZooBank-enabled) • Marshall Digital Scholar, http://mds.marshall.edu/euscorpius/. (This website also archives all Euscorpius issues previously published on CD-ROMs.) Between 2000 and 2013, ICZN did not accept online texts as “published work” (Article 9.8). At this time, Euscorpius was produced in two identical versions: online (ISSN 1536-9307) and CD-ROM (ISSN 1536-9293) (laser disk) in archive-quality, read-only format. Both versions had the identical date of publication, as well as identical page and figure numbers. Only copies distributed on a CD-ROM from Euscorpius in 2001-2012 represent published work in compliance with the ICZN, i.e. for the purposes of new names and new nomenclatural acts. In September 2012, ICZN Article 8. What constitutes published work, has been amended and allowed for electronic publications, disallowing publication on optical discs. From January 2013, Euscorpius discontinued CD-ROM production; only online electronic version (ISSN 1536-9307) is published. For further details on the new ICZN amendment, see http://www.pensoft.net/journals/zookeys/article/3944/. Publication date: 4 May 2020 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A0FEB348-1BB2-4351-8F1D-79F28F833BF8 Euscorpius - Occasional Publications in Scorpiology. 2020, No. 308 Another new species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 from the caves of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), with notes on biogeography and cave ecology Gioele Tropea1 & Roman Ozimec2 1 Via Gavinana 2, 00192 Rome, Italy: e-mail: [email protected] 2 ADIPA: Croatian Society for Natural History Diversity Research & Conservation, Orehovečki ogranak 37, HR 10040 Zagreb, Croatia; e-mail: [email protected] http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A0FEB348-1BB2-4351-8F1D-79F28F833BF8 Summary Another new, subtroglophile scorpion species is described from Croatia, Euscorpius biokovensis sp. n. It is morphologically and ecologically similar to E. feti Tropea, 2013 but can be distinguished from the latter by a lower number of trichobothria (Pv = 8–9, with mostly 8, and usually et = 6) and pectinal teeth (usually Dp = 7 in males and 6 in females). The new species also has a more northern distribution although in some areas the two species overlap. E. biokovensis sp. n. has been found in more than 20 caves in Croatia, which makes it the most common Euscorpius species found in caves. It has also been found in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ecological notes on this species are presented. Introduction Methods, Material & Abbreviations The Croatian scorpion fauna has been little studied. The The trichobothrial notation follows Vachon (1974). Morphological taxonomic position of various scorpion populations remained measurements (given in millimetres) and abbreviations follow doubtful (Di Caporiacco, 1950; Kinzelbach, 1975) until a Tropea et al. (2014), but we use Wchel=WchelA and Dtel=Htel. few years ago, when several publications attempted to clarify Morphological nomenclature follows Stahnke (1971), Hjelle the position of at least some taxa (Graham et al., 2012; (1990) and Sissom (1990); the chela carinae and denticle Tropea, 2013a, 2013b, 2015). Status of some populations is configuration follows Soleglad & Sissom (2001) but we united still to be clarified (Tropea et al., in progress). To date, the ID+IAD. Cave habitats are defined for EU countries following scorpion fauna of Croatia is represented by only one family, EUNIS habitat classification 2007 (Revised Descriptions…, Euscorpiidae, with the following species (not including 2012). However, since this classification does not cover Euscorpius biokovensis sp. n.): Alpiscorpius gamma (Di all the specifics of individual countries, we added the most Caporiacco, 1950), Euscorpius aquilejensis (C. L. Koch, detailed classification for cave habitats following the National 1837), E. borovaglavaensis Tropea, 2015, E. croaticus Di Classification of Habitats of the Republic of Croatia (IV version). Caporiacco, 1950, E. feti Tropea, 2013, E. garganicus Di The map was downloaded from http://d-maps.com and edited. Caporiacco, 1950, E. italicus (Herbst, 1800), E. tergestinus Photographs in Figs. 1–18 by G. T, in Figs. 19–24 by R. O. (C.L. Koch, 1837), and E. hadzii Di Caporiacco, 1950 (Fet & Abbreviations. Dp: pectinal teeth number; Pe: trichobothria on Soleglad, 2002; Gantenbein et al., 2002; Graham et al., 2012; pedipalp patella external surface; L: length; D: depth; Lchel: Scherabon et al., 2000; Tropea, 2013a, 2013b, 2015, 2017; chela length; Wchel: chela width (= WchelA of Tropea et al., Tropea & Ozimec, 2019). Here, a new species, E. biokovensis 2014); Lcar: carapace length; Wcar: carapace width; Lfem: sp. n., is described, based on numerous specimens from femur length; Lpat: patella length; Ltel: telson length; Dtel: more than 20 caves in the West Balkans. In addition, some telson depth (= Htel of Tropea et al., 2014); Lmet: sum of the ecological notes on cave specimens are presented. Discovery length of all metasomal segments; Wmet: sum of the width of of numerous specimens in so many caves suggests that the new all metasomal segments; met.seg: metasomal segment; CarA- species, similarly to E. feti, can easily adapt to, or even prefer, CarP %: distances from centre of median eyes to anterior and cave habitats and thus can be classified as a subtroglophile or posterior margins of the carapace; juv.: juvenile (immature an opportunistic eutroglophile. specimen in any stage of development). 2 Euscorpius - 2020, No. 308 Figures 1–4: Euscorpius biokovensis sp. n. Figures 1–2. Male holotype in dorsal (1) and ventral (2) views. Figures 3–4. Female paratype in dorsal (3) and ventral (4) views. Tropea & Ozimec: Euscorpius biokovensis sp. n. 3 E . biokovensis sp. n. E . biokovensis sp. n. Dimensions (mm) ♂ holotype ♀ paratype Carapace L / W 5.28 / 4.80 5.28 / 4.87 Metasoma + telson L 18.89 16.78 Segment I L / W 1.74 / 1.62 1.56 / 1.56 Segment II L / W 2.10 / 1.47 1.85 / 1.38 Segment III L / W 2.45 / 1.39 2.16 / 1.32 Segment IV L / W 2.82 / 1.32 2.51 / 1.21 Segment V L / W 4.80 / 1.36 4.50 / 1.26 Telson L / W / D 4.98 / 1.92 / 1.95 4.20 / 1.38 / 1.32 Vesicle L 3.60 3.30 Pedipalp L 21.00 24.06 Femur L / W 5.52 / 1.78 5.46 / 1.83 Patella L / W 4.98 / 1.86 4.98 / 1,86 Chela L / W 10.50 / 3.18 10.14 / 3.24 Movable finger L 5.94 5.82 Total L 35.04 33.94 Table 1. Measurements (mm) of Euscorpius biokovensis sp. n. male holotype and a female paratype Specimen depositories. GTC: private collection of Gioele ROC; Gradina (Jujnovića) Cave, Kozica, leg. R. Ozimec, Tropea, Rome, Italy; and ROC: private collection of Roman 25 August 2011, 1♀ (paratype), GTC; leg. R. Ozimec, 6 Ozimec, Zagreb, Croatia. Some type specimens will be November 2017, 1♂juv.1♀ (paratypes), ROC; Gradska deposited in NHMS (Natural History Museum Split, Croatia) Cave, Župa, leg. R. Ozimec, 5 November 2015, 1♂juv.1♀ and MSNB (Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali “E. Caffi”, (paratypes), ROC; Jama za Supinom Pit, leg. R. Ozimec, 4 Bergamo, Italy). November 2015, 1♀ (paratype), ROC; Kukor Cave, Bast, Material examined for comparison. See the examined leg. R. Ozimec, 7 August 2000, 2♀ (paratypes), ROC, 23 June specimens in Tropea (2013a, 2013b, 2015), Tropea & Ozimec 2007, 1♀ (paratype), ROC, 19 August 2008, 1♀ (paratype), (2019). ROC, 4 November 2009, 1♂ (paratype), ROC, 8 November 2015, 1♂juv.1♀1♀juv. (paratypes), ROC, 24 August 2017, Systematics 1♂ (paratype), GTC, 7 October 2018, 3♀ (paratypes), ROC, leg. D. Basara and P. Visković, 7 October 2018, 1♀juv. (paratype), ROC, leg. D. Basara, M. Klisović and T. Tursić, 6 Family Euscorpiidae Laurie, 1896 November 2017, 2♀ (paratypes), ROC; Mala Jama Pit, Bratuš, Genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 leg. R. Ozimec, 11 October 2018, 1♀juv. (paratype), ROC; Subgenus Incertae Sedis Plužina Cave, Zagvozd, leg. R. Ozimec, 15 October 2002, 1♂ (paratype), ROC; Podrum Cave, Podgora, leg. R. Ozimec, 23 Euscorpius biokovensis sp. n. February 2002, 1♀ (paratype), ROC; Rakova Cave, Brela, (Figures 1–20, Tables 1–3) leg. R. Ozimec, 3 November 2015, 1♂juv.1♀juv. (paratypes), http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org: act:DB021E59- ROC; Stara Škola Pit (at the entrance, deep under stones), AE55-4143-BEE0-8D8F94F71B95 leg.