An illustrated dichotomous key is provided for the identification of adults of the pseudoscorpion species found in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, based on morphological and morphometric characters. The pseudoscorpion fauna of Slovakia includes 51 species in 7 families, and that of the Czech Republic includes 38 species in 7 families. New country records are provided: Mundochthonius carpaticus Rafalski and Microbisium brevifemoratum (Ellingsen) in the Czech Republic and Microbisium suecicum Lohmander in Slovakia.
2 February 2015 in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
A new species of the genus Heterometrus is described on the basis of a specimen recently collected in Thailand. Heterometrus minotaurus sp. nov. is morphologically closest to H. longimanus. The newly described species is well distinguished by its smaller overall size (83 mm) and shorter and less narrow metasoma with specific dorsolateral carinae on the fourth metasomal segment consisting of 9 or fewer granules. No females are known and so knowledge of sexual dimorphism in this species is currently lacking. In addition to the morphological characterization of H. minotaurus sp. nov., we present here also a description of the male holotype's karyotype. The diploid set of H. minotaurus sp. nov. consists of 54 chromosomes with a predominance of metacentrics, which gradually decrease in size. The presence of two types of multivalent association observed in postpachytene and metaphase I is commented on. Current knowledge of karyotypes of Heterometrus species is briefly summarized and compared with our ...