VENEZUELAN ARACHNIDES: TWO NEW SPECIES OF THE Tityus GENUS (SCORPIONIDA: BUTHIDAE) IN THE STATE OF LARA

M. A. GONZALES-SPONGA(1)

1 Visiting Professor, Laboratory of Cellular Neuropharmacology, Center of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Investigations (IVIC)

ABSTRACT. Two new scorpion species of the Buthidae family, Tityus ivic-nancor and Tityus sanarensis, are described in this paper. Both species belong to the "androcottoides" group and live from 1300 to 1400 m. above sea level near the town of Sanare (69º42'17.8"W, 9º45'3.9"N) in the southern part of the state of Lara in Venezuela. The number of Tityus species already known in Venezuela increases to 28 with the inclusion of these two new species. This paper includes a descriptive diagnosis and also a differential diagnosis of the species of Tityus that are geographically related to T. ivic-nancor

 and T. sanarensis. Drawings of the significant morphological characteristics of male and female specimens and a morphometric table are also included.

KEY WORDS: Scorpions, systematics, Tityus, new species, Venezuela.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:

M. A. GONZALES-SPONGA - IVIC CBB, Apartado 21827, Caracas 10 20 A, Venezuela.