Vaejovis debilis C.L. Koch, 1840: 21 Waejovis debilis Rhopalurus debilis : Borelli, 1910: 5–8 Physoctonus physurus Mello-Leitão, 1934 b: 76 Physoctonus debilis : Lourenço, 2007: 360 Systematic Revision of the Neotropical Club-Tailed Scorpions, Physoctonus, Rhopalurus, and Troglorhopalurus, Revalidation of Heteroctenus, and Descriptions of Two New Genera and Three New Species (Buthidae: Rhopalurusinae) Lauren A. Esposito Humberto Y. Yamaguti Cláudio A. Souza Ricardo Pinto-Da-Rocha Lorenzo Prendini Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2017 2017-06-26 415 1 134 4HHR8 (C. L. Koch, 1840) C.L. Koch 1840 C. L. Koch 1840 [167,575,228,252] Arachnida Buthidae Physoctonus GBIF Animalia Scorpiones 93 93 Arthropoda species debilis    Figures 1E, 2D, 9B, 10D, 11G, 12F, 16A, 20A, 21G, 22G, 24S–U, 48A, B, 49–51; table 3    Vaejovis debilisC.L. Koch, 1840: 21, 22, pl. CCLIX, fig. 605; 1850: 89; Kraepelin, 1899: 96.   Waejovis debilis: Gervais, 1844b: 458.   Rhopalurus debilis: Borelli, 1910: 5–8, fig. 1; Mello-Campos, 1924a: 252, 275, 276, 277; 1924b: 318, 341, 342, 343; Mello-Leitão, 1932: 14, 30; Meise, 1934: 42; Prado, 1940: 26, 29–30; Mello-Leitão, 1945: 266, 272, 273; Bücherl, 1959: 268; 1971: 327; Francke, 1977a: 127–134, figs. 1–15; Lourenço, 1982a: 133, 136, fig. 78; 1986a: 133, figs. 12, 16; 1986b: 165, fig. 7; 1990: 161; 1992: 55; Kovařík, 1998: 118; Fet and Lowe, 2000: 219; Ubinski et al., 2016: 122.   Physoctonus physurus Mello-Leitão, 1934b: 76, 77, figs. 1–7 (synonymized by Francke, 1977a: 127); 1942: 129; 1945: 129–132, figs. 40, 41; Bücherl, 1967: 115; 1969: 768; Stahnke, 1974: 129.   Physoctonus debilis: Lourenço, 2007: 360, figs. 4–5, 14–25; Prendini et al., 2009: 222; Brazil and Porto, 2010: 50; Porto et al., 2010: 293, 295, fig. 1F, table 1.  TYPE MATERIAL: BRAZIL:  Vaejovis debilis: Holotype?♀ (ZSM) [lost].  Physoctonus physurus: Holotype ♂ (MNRJ), Paraíba: Santa Luzia.  DIAGNOSIS:  Physoctonus debilisdiffers from its sister species,  P. striatus, sp. nov., as follows. The mesosomal tergites of  P. debilisare uniformly pale, except for the infuscate dorsomedian carinae, which form a thin stripe longitudinally, whereas the tergites of  P. stria- tusare darker, with transverse bands of infuscation. The intercarinal surfaces of the carapace and metasomal segments II–IV are more coarsely and densely granular in  P. debilisbut weakly granular to smooth in  P. striatus. The carinae of the carapace, pedipalps, and metasoma are more pronounced in  P. debilisthan in  P. striatus: for example, the lateral inframedian carinae of metasomal segments II and III are complete in  P. debilisbut restricted to the posterior third of the segment in  P. stria- tus; and the retromedian and secondary accessory carinae of the pedipalp chela manus are complete and granular in  P. debilisbut vestigial or absent in  P. striatus. Pedipalp chela fixed finger trichobothrium dbis situated distal to trichobothrium etin  P. debilisbut aligned with etin  P. striatus.  DISTRIBUTION:  Physoctonus debilisis endemic to Brazil, where it has been recorded in the states of Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Piauí (fig. 9B).  ECOLOGY: The known locality records are situated in the Brazilian caatinga (fig. 2D). Specimens collected by the authors were found under stones during the day or with UV light detection at night. The habitus is consistent with the lapidicolous ecomorphotype ( Prendini, 2001b).  REMARKS:  Physoctonus debiliswas originally placed in the nonbuthid genus  VaejovisC.L. Koch, 1836, but was transferred to  Rhopalurusby Borelli (1910), where it remained until Lourenço (2002)revalidated the genus  Physoctonus. As noted by Fet and Lowe (2000), the true date of publication of C.L. Koch’s name is 1840 (see Brignoli, 1985), not 1841 as commonly quoted. This species has a junior homonym,  Vaejovis debilisL. Koch, 1865, from Mexico, the identity of which is unknown.  MATERIAL EXAMINED: BRAZIL: Pernambuco: Exu, 18 km N, 5.iii.1977, L.J. Vitt, under leaf of granite on boulder, caatinga habitat, 1 ♀ (AMNH); Exu, 5 km N, 4.x.1977, L.J. Vitt, 1 ♀ (AMNH), 18.i.1978, L.J. Vitt and K.E. Streilein, 1 ♀ (AMNH); Fazenda Batente, 13 km E Exu, 10.xi.1977, L.J. Vitt and K.E. Streilein, 1 ♀ (AMNH); Fazenda Caterino, 10 km NE Exu, 9.vii.1977, L.J. Vitt, 1 ♀ (AMNH), 25.ix.1977, L.J. Vitt, 1 ♀ (AMNH). Piauí: Castelo do Piauí, 05°13′43″S 41°41′57″W, 13.viii.2008, R. Pinto-da-Rocha et al., 2 ♀ (MZSP 30868/AMCC [LP 9680]), MZSP 31158/AMCC [LP 9931]); Oeiras, 06°58′28″S 42°06′31″W, 2–3. vi.2008, H.Y. Yamaguti et al., 1 ♀ (MZSP 31162/ AMCC [LP 9940]), 1 subad. ♀ (MZSP 31164/ AMCC [LP 9962]), 3.vi.2008, H.Y. Yamaguti et al., 1 ♀ (MZSP 30866/AMCC [LP 9678]); near Parque Nacional Sete Cidades, Brasileira e Piracuruca, 04°10′0 2″S 41°41′56.7″W, 16.viii.2008, R. Pinto-da- Rocha and L.S. Carvalho, 1 ♀ (MZSP 30867/ AMCC [LP 9679]).