Mesobuthus philippovitschi (Birula, 1905)

Kovařík, František, Fet, Victor, Gantenbein, Benjamin, Graham, Matthew R., Aydin, Ersen, Yağmur, Šťáhlavský, František, Nikita, Poverennyi & Novruzov, Nizami E., 2022, A revision of the genus Mesobuthus Vachon 1950 with a description of 14 new species (Scorpiones Buthidae), Euscorpius 348, pp. 1-189 : 114-119

Mesobuthus philippovitschi (Birula, 1905) , stat. n.

( Figures 772–801 , 1155, 1157, Table 9) http: //zoobank. org/urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: DE6B21C0-

6F06-469D-8596-9EBE3D5B942F

Buthus eupeus philippovitschi Birula, 1905a: 122–123 , 125, 127–128, fig. 2.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Iran, Gorgan Province, Qarasu River [estimated at Gorgan] (36.84°N 54.43°E) ; ZISP.

REFERENCES (selected):

Buthus eupeus philippowitschi (incorrect spelling): Birula, 1911b: 165.

Buthus eupeus philippovitschi: Birula, 1917a: 35 ; Birula, 1918: 13–14.

Mesobuthus eupeus phillipovitschi (incorrect spelling): Vachon, 1958: 155.

Mesobuthus eupeus philippovitschi: Fet, 1989: 100 ; Fet, 1994: 527; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 174 (complete references list until 1998); Mirshamsi et al., 2010: 2867 (in part); Mirshamsi et al., 2011a: 8 (in part).

Mesobuthus eupeus: Mirshamsi et al., 2011b: 20 (in part).

Mesobuthus eupeus eupeus: KovařÍk et al., 2011: 1–5 , figs. 1–11, 16, 19, 23 (in part).

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Iran (Persia), Gorgan (former Astrabad) Province, Qarasu River 1♂ (lectotype, designated here) 1♀ (paralectotype), 17 February [1 March] 1904, leg. E. M. Philippovitsch, ZISP No. 378 .

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. Iran, Razavi Khorasan Province, Golestan Forest , 55 km NE Minudast, 37°20'N 56°00'E

(37.33°N 56.00°E), 840 m a. s. l., 19 June. 2000, 1♂, leg. P. Kabátek, NMPC; 37º28'N 56º47'E (37.47°N 56.78°E) , 909 m a. s. l., 17–18 May 2003, 1♂ 2♀ 5juvs., leg. P. Kabátek, NMPC; 10 km E of Teng Rah , 37°23'N 55°50'E (37.38°N 55.83°E) , 13 May 1997, 400–660 m a. s. l., 1♀, leg. M. Kaftan, NMPC .

DNA DATA. This species, in our opinion, was represented among the populations studied by Mirshamsi et al. (2010) in their survey of Iranian Mesobuthus (five DNA sequences from the Mazandaran Province, Savasareh , 36.23ºN 53.54ºE; Table 16) .

DIAGNOSIS. Total length of adults 38 mm (male) to 60 mm (female). Trichobothrium db on fixed finger of pedipalp situated between trichobothria est and esb, near to est. Male with fingers proximally more twisted than in female. Pedipalp chela length/width ratio 3.1–3.3 in male and 3.0– 3.2 in female. Pectinal teeth number 23–26 in male, 18–20 in female. Chelicerae yellow, without reticulation. Pedipalps and metasoma very sparsely hirsute. Carapace and tergites reddish brown, black pigmented, metasoma, telson, pedipalps and legs reddish brown, only part of metasomal segment V black. Femur of pedipalp with 4–5 granulated carinae. Patella with 8 usually smooth carinae, only dorsal carinae can be granulated. Chela lacks carinae. Movable fingers of pedipalps with 11–12 cutting rows of denticles and 5 terminal denticles. Central lateral and posterior lateral carinae of carapace not joined to form a continuous linear series of granules to posterior margin. Sternite VII medially smooth with margins granulated and with 4 well marked smooth or granulated carinae. Metasomal segment I with 10 carinae; segments II to IV with 8 carinae, other two carinae are indicated by incomplete row of denticles on metasomal segments II and III; segment V with 5 carinae. Metasoma with all carinae granulated Intercarinal surfaces on metasomal segments ventral and lateral granulated, more in female. Length to depth ratio of metasoma III 1.1–1.3, metasoma IV 1.3–1.5 in both sexes. Telotarsus III ventral setation represented by short and strong spiniform setae. Tarsi hirsute, in adults with 7–10 retroinferior macrosetae on basitarsus III. Tibial spur on both legs III and IV moderate. Telson elongated. Anal lobe divided into three parts.

HISTORY OF STUDY. Syntypes of Buthus eupeus philippovitschi published by Birula (1905a: 127) were collected in 1903 by N. A. Zarudny and in 1904 by E. M. Philippovich, and deposited at ZISP. The syntype series included four separate labels (lots) (all dates below, Old Style ) from then Astrabad Province listed in Birula’s handwritten catalog as: No. 377, 2♂ 4 juv, env. of Astrabad, 1–4 October 1903 ; No. 378, 1♂ 5♀, Karasu, 17 February 1904 ; No. 379 and 380, 6♂ 6♀, env. of Astrabad, 18 February and May 1904 ; No. 381, Tokhlok on Gurgen [Gorgan] River, 9–10 February 1904 . We designated a lectotype from Karasu (now Qarasu) .

This taxon was synonymized with Mesobuthus eupeus eupeus by KovařÍk et al. (2011: 17), and with M. eupeus by KovařÍk (2019). Here, we restore it from synonymy and elevate to species status, according to our DNA phylogeny.

DISTRIBUTION. Iran (Gorgan, Mazandaran, and Razavi Horasan Provinces) (Figs. 1155, 1157).

Figures

Figures 772–775: Mesobuthus philippovitschi. Figures 772–773. Male lectotype, dorsal (772) and ventral (773) views. Figures 774–775. Female paralectotype, dorsal (774) and ventral (775) views.The labels (ZISP 378) say, in Russian and Latin: top, “Buthus eupeus philippovitschi Birula ♀ + ♂. Det.:A. Birula. Coll.: 17.II.1904, North Persia,Astrabad, Kara-Su, E. Filippovich”; bottom, the same, indicating “5♀ + 4♂”. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 776–781: Mesobuthus philippovitschi. Figures 776–778. Male lectotype, metasoma and telson, lateral (776), dorsal (777), and ventral (778) views. Figures 779–781. Female paralectotype, metasoma and telson, lateral (779), dorsal (780), and ventral (781) views.

Figures 782–797: Mesobuthus philippovitschi. Figures 782–783, 795, 797. Female paralectotype, pedipalp chela, dorsal (782) and external (783). Chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (795) and sternopectinal region and sternites III–V (797). Figures 784–794, 796. Male lectotype, chela, dorsal (784), external (785), and ventral (786) views. Patella, dorsal (787), external (788) and ventral (789) views. Femur and trochanter, dorsal (790), and ventral (791) views. Movable (792) and fixed (793) fingers. Chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (794) and sternopectinal region and sternite III (796). The trichobothrial pattern is indicated in Figures 784–788, 790.

Figures 798–801. Mesobuthus philippovitschi, male lectotype, left legs I–IV, retrolateral aspect.