Genus Paravaejovis Williams 1980 

Synonymy.

Paravaejovis Williams, 1980: 29-30, fig. 32A-D; type species Vejovis pumilis Williams, 1970 [=Paravaejovis pumilis (Williams, 1970)]. 

REFERENCES:

Paravaejovis: Haradon, 1984b: 319; Francke, 1985: 11, 18, 21; Sissom, 1990a: 110, 114;     Nenilin & Fet, 1992: 9; Stockwell, 1992: 409, 416, fig, 62-63; Kovarík, 1998: 143;     Beutelspacher, 2000: 56, 63, 151; Sissom, 2000:504; Soleglad & Fet, 2003a: 15, 36, 41, 48,
67, 104, 163, 164, figs. 66, 79, 80, D-5, Tabs. 3, 4, 9.

Description.

       Prosoma. –  Anterior carapacial margin evenly convex. 

Mesosoma. – Pectinal tooth counts  12-16 in males, 7-8 in females. All female pectinal teeth similar in size and shape, and with sensorial areas. 

Metasoma. –  Dorsal carinae of segments I-IV evenly granular; terminal denticle not enlarged.  Ventral submedian carinae of segments I-IV paired; obsolete to smooth on I, smooth on II, and smooth to crenulate on III-IV.  Segment V with linear ventromedian carina (i.e., not bifurcated distally). 

Chelicerae. –  Ventral margin of the cheliceral movable finger with or without denticles or crenulations; fixed finger lacking ventral denticles.  Serrula absent.

Pedipalps. – Patella:  Inner face with basal tubercles moderate; inner longitudinal carina present, consisting of several granules.  Chelal carinae:  all carinae absent; underside of chela rounded. Chela dentition: Terminal denticles not prominent, subconical.  Chela fixed finger with primary denticle row divided into four to five subrows of denticles, these are flanked by four to five inner accessory denticles.   Chela movable finger with primary denticle row divided into five subrows of denticles, these flanked by seven inner accessory denticles. Denticles of denticle row subconical, rounded to subserrate. 

Trichobothrial Pattern. Patella with two ventral trichobothria along ventroexternal carina (the third ventral trichobothrium is positioned on the external face).  Chela with a row of 15-16 trichobothria extending from base of external face to underside of chela manus (this row includes Db, Eb₁-Eb₃, V_1-4, and 7-8 accessory trichobothria).  Chelal trichobothrium ib positioned at the base of the fixed finger.  Chela finger trichobothrium est about equidistant between et and esb. 

Legs. –  Basitarsi and telotarsi with setal combs.  Telotarsi ventrally with a median row of small spinules that are flanked distally by one pair of slightly larger spinules.  Ventromedian spinule row flanked laterally by setae. 

Hemispermatophore. –  Mating plug present, with spines along ental process; lamellar hook rounded, slightly displaced from base of distal lamina (after Stockwell, 1992).

Included species. - P. pumilis (Williams, 1970).

Remarks. - Williams (1980) created this monotypic genus for P. pumilis, a psammophilous burrower endemic to Baja California Sur that may be related to members of the Paruroctonus borregoensis group, e.g. P. pseudopumilis (Haradon 1984).

Literature Cited:

Haradon, R.M. 1984. New and redefined species belonging to the Paruroctonus baergi group (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae). Journal of Arachnology 12: 205–221.

Stockwell, S. A. 1992. Systematic observations on North American Scorpionida with a key and checklist of the families and genera. Journal of Medical Entomology, 29(3): 407-422.

Williams, S.C. 1980. Scorpions of Baja California, Mexico, and adjacent islands. Occasional Papers of the Califorinia Academy of Sciences 135: 1–127.