Open Access
- https://doi.org/10.18590/issn.1536-9307/2009v.2009.issue82
Title not available
- Jan 1, 2009
- Euscorpius
The relict, phylogenetically important scorpion genus Calchas Birula, 1899 (Iuridae) remained monotypic since its description.Its sole species, Calchas nordmanni Birula, 1899, was known only from northeastern Turkey until Kinzelbach (1980) published first records from southern and southeastern Turkey.A few more localities have been reported from Turkey; the species was also found on two Greek islands, Samos and Megisti.We analyzed significant material (63 specimens, including a previously unpublished large series from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien), and concluded that three distinct, disjunct species exist rather than one widespread species as previously thought.Two new species are described: Calchas birulai sp.nov.(southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq; 30 specimens studied) and Calchas gruberi sp.nov.(southern Turkey; Megisti Island and Samos Island, Greece; 23 specimens studied).The type species Calchas nordmanni Birula, 1899 (10 specimens studied) is restricted to northeastern Turkey.p. XIV \ p. XV p. XIV A new species of scorpions for the Russian fauna.A scarce scorpion fauna of the Empire, which hitherto comprised about 10 species, has been supplemented, due to a quite lucky recent travel by K. M. Deryugin to the southwestern portion of Transcaucasia, by one more species, quite interesting in zoogeographical context; this species should be considered a representative of a new genus, remarkable since it belongs to the subfamily Chactinae, hitherto considered to be exclusively American p. XV (Central and South America); it is remarkable that the new genus in its main characters is positioned between the american genera Broteas and Broteochactas.This finding further emphasizes the zoogeographical affinity between the Mediterranean Subregion and Central America, which in scorpiofauna hitherto was expressed in their common family Chactidae, found only in those lands, but previosuly represented there by different subfamilies, Euscorpiinae (Mediterranean Subregion) and Chactinae (S. and C. America).The new scorpion is named by me Calchas nordmanni in honor of the late Professor Nordmann of Helsingfors, who did so much for the study of the fauna of the southern parts of the Empire; its detailed descritpion will be given in due time, while now I submit only a diagnosis: Calchas n. gen.(Chactidarum [Chactidae]) Inferior margin of movable finger of mandibles [chelicerae] with one tooth; maxillae II [gnathobases] more narrow than sternum; all carinae on cauda [metasoma] elevated, granular, in part denticulate; two distinct inferior carinae; tarsi ventrally with two rows of short setae; chela manus flattened, wide, with elevated carinae.Type: Calchas nordmanni n. sp.(with the characters of the genus); locality