Buthacus mahraouii Lourenço, 2004
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.18590/euscorpius.2005.vol2005.iss28.1 |
publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:87554E85-E282-4823-A4FC-600E813891AC |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DC53CD39-FF81-FFF9-FF78-FBF4FA85F91A |
treatment provided by |
Felipe |
scientific name |
Buthacus mahraouii Lourenço, 2004 |
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Buthacus mahraouii Lourenço, 2004 View in CoL , nomen dubium
Buthacus mahraouii Lourenço, 2004b: 226 View in CoL .
COMMENTS. Lourenço based this species on a single male from Morocco, near to the border with Algeria northwest of Béni-Abbés and Igli. He concluded that it belongs in the Buthacus leptochelys complex (see Lourenço, 2004b: 226) and prepared a key to the northwestern African species belonging to this complex, in which he incorrectly defined Buthacus leptochelys (see the above introduction and diagnosis of Buthacus leptochelys , and Lourenço, 2004b: 229). Even a more serious problem, however, is fig. 3 in Lourenço (2004b: 227), which shows the position and number of external and internal granules on the dentate margins of the pedipalp chela movable finger in the holotype of Buthacus mahraouii . It is apparent from this figure that the specimen lacks external granules, whose presence determines assignment to the Buthacus leptochelys complex (see Fig. 2 View Figures 1–2 ). Conversely, the absence of these granules determines assignment to the Buthacus arenicola complex ( Fig. 1 View Figures 1–2 and Lourenço, 2004b: 227, fig. 3). Because of unavailability of the MNHN type, I can only speculate about the taxonomic position of Buthacus mahraouii . There appear to be only two possibilities:
1) Fig. 3 View Figure 3 of Lourenço (2004b: 227) faithfully depicts the absence of external granules in the holotype of Buthacus mahraouii , in which case Lourenco’s assignment of the species to the Buthacus leptochelys complex is erroneous and B. mahraouii may be a synonym of e.g. Buthacus spatzi (Birula, 1911) in the Buthacus arenicola complex, with which it was not compared.
2) Fig. 3 View Figure 3 of Lourenço (2004b: 227) is not a faithful rendition of the situation in the holotype, in which case B. mahraouii belongs in the Buthacus leptochelys complex but possesses characters other than those given in the original description.
Only a careful redescription of the holotype of Buthacus mahraouii can resolve the situation, and until then the name must be regarded as a nomen dubium.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Buthacus mahraouii Lourenço, 2004
Kovařík, František 2005 |
Buthacus mahraouii Lourenço, 2004b: 226
LOURENCO 2004: 226 |