ZooKeys (Nov 2023)

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

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

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.103574
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1185
pp. 199 – 239

Abstract

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Herein a new species of Paruroctonus Werner, 1934 is described from alkali-sink habitats in the San Joaquin Desert of central California, Paruroctonus tulare sp. nov. It can be differentiated from other Paruroctonus by 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 other Paruroctonus species except P. variabilis Hjelle, 1982. Photographs of a large series of live P. tulare sp. 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.