Hottentotta tamulus (Fabricius, 1798)

Ranawana, Kithsiri B., Dinamithra, Nandana P., Sivansuthan, Sivapalan, Nagasena, Ironie I., Kovařík, František & Kularatne, Senanayake A. M., 2013, First report on Hottentotta tamulus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Sri Lanka, and its medical importance, Euscorpius 155 (155), pp. 1-8 : 3-6

Hottentotta tamulus (Fabricius, 1798)

( Figures 1–12 , Table 1)

Scorpio tamulus Fabricius, 1798: 294 .

Hottentotta tamulus: Kovařík & Whitman, 2005: 108 ; Kovařík, 2007: 76 (complete references and synonymy list until 2007); Teruel & Rein, 2010: 7.

= Buthus nigrolineatus Dufour, 1856: 570 (syn. by Kraepelin, 1899: 20).

= Buthus grammurus Thorell, 1889: 567 ; Kraepelin, 1899: 20; Vachon, 1940: 248 (syn. by Pocock, 1900: 23).

= Buthus tamulus concanensis Pocock, 1900: 25 (syn. by Kovařík, 2007: 76).

= Buthus tamulus sindicus Pocock, 1900: 25 (syn. by Kovařík, 2007: 76).

= Buthus tamulus gujaratensis Pocock, 1900: 25 (syn. by Kovařík, 2007: 76).

= Buthus tamulus gangeticus Pocock, 1900: 25 (syn. by Kovařík, 2007: 76).

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. “ India orientalis”; original type lost. Neotype from India, Maharashtra State, Bombay env., designated by Kovařík,2007: 76; deposited in National Museum ( Natural History ) of Prague, Czech Republic.

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 50–90 mm. Trichobothrium db on the fixed finger of pedipalp chela situated between trichobothria et and est, may be level with est. Male with fingers proximally twisted, manus of pedipalps wider than female. Pectinal teeth number 30–39 in males ( Fig. 7 ), 27–34 in females ( Fig. 12 ). Chelicerae yellow, reticulate. Pedipalps densely hirsute, legs and metasoma sparsely hirsute. Setae on patella of pedipalps are short. Color uniformly yellow to reddish, mesosoma dark. Ventral carinae on metasomal segments usually black. Femur of pedipalp with 5 carinae. Patella with two or 4 carinae on internal surface, no other carinae. Chela lacks carinae. Movable fingers of pedipalps with 13–15 rows of granules and 5 or 6 terminal granules. Seventh sternite with 4 well marked black carinae. First to third metasomal segments with 10 carinae; fourth metasomal segment with 10 or rarely 8 carinae; fifth segment with 5 or 7 carinae. Metasoma sparsely to densely granulated between carinae. Dorsal surface densely and very finely granulated, often bears two short, inconspicuous marginal carinae. Telson also granulated. Dorsal carinae of metasomal segments bear terminal granules of size approximately equal to preceding granules. First metasomal segments of adult female wider than long (in male usually as long as wide), second metasomal segment longer than wide for both sexes. Second to fourth metasomal segment width ratio about 1.1. Length to width ratio of fourth metasomal segment about 1.5. Telson bulbous, especially in large females.

D ISTRIBUTION. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (first record).

VARIABILITY. The male specimen, pectinal teeth count 3 2, total length 60–65 mm. Female specimen, pectinal teeth count 27, total length 70–75 mm. Complete set of measurements are given in the Table 1.

Figures

Figure 1: Hottentotta tamulus, male in its original habitat living in crevices. Sri Lanka, Palali, 9°44'16.83"N 80°05'2.88"E.

Figure 2: Collection sites of the scorpions within the Jaffna Peninsula.

Figures 3–7: Hottentotta tamulus, male. 3–4. Dorsal and ventral views. 5. Metasoma with telson and seventh sternite. 6. Chelicera, carapace and three segments of mesosoma. 7. Pectinal area. Sri Lanka, Palali, 9°44'16.83"N 80°05'2.88"E, FKCP (František Kovařík, private collection, Praha, Czech Republic).

Figures 8–12: Hottentotta tamulus, female. 8–9. Dorsal and ventral views. 10. Metasoma with telson and seventh sternite. 11. Chelicera, carapace and one segment of mesosoma. 12. Pectinal area. Sri Lanka, Palali, 9°44'16.83"N 80°05'2.88"E, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.