First species of Surazomus (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) from North America illuminate diversification of short-tailed whipscorpions in the New World

Abstract

Three new species of the short-tailed whipscorpion genus Surazomus Reddell & Cokendolpher (Hubbardiidae Cook, 1899) are described from Mexico: Surazomus chiapasensis sp.n., from Chiapas, Surazomus escondido sp.n., and Surazomus peregrinus sp.n., both from Oaxaca. Surazomus was previously known primarily from South America, its northernmost record reported from Costa Rica. The placement of the new species within Surazomus is tested and verified with a phylogenetic analysis, integrating morphology and DNA sequence data for a representative sample of ingroup and outgroup taxa. Biogeographical implications are discussed.

Keywords and Taxa

• Surazomus
• Scorpiones
• Arachnida
• Schizomida
• Hubbardiidae
• new species
• taxonomy
• systematics
• phylogeny
• biogeography
• North America
• South America
• Costa Rica
• Mexico
• Evolutionary biology