Buthacus macrocentrus (Ehrenberg, 1828)

Kovařík, František, 2005, Taxonomic position of species of the genus Buthacus Birula, 1908 described by Ehrenberg and Lourenço, and description of a new species (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Euscorpius 28 (28), pp. 1-13 : 7-9

Buthacus macrocentrus (Ehrenberg, 1828)

( Fig. 8 )

Androctonus (Leiurus) macrocentrus Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1828: pl. 1, fig. 6; Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829: 355 (in part); Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1831: 5 (in part); Moritz & Fischer, 1980: 317 (in part); Braunwalder & Fet, 1998: 32 (in part).

= Buthus tadmorensis Simon, 1892: 84 ; Kraepelin, 1895: 83; Birula, 1905: 136; Habibi, 1971: 43. Syn. n.

Buthus (Buthacus) tadmorensis : Birula, 1910: 172; Birula, 1917a: 229.

Buthacus tadmorensis : Simon, 1910: 76; Vachon, 1966: 210; Farzanpay, 1988: 36; Kovařík, 1997: 49; Kovařík, 1998: 105; Kovařík, 2001: 80; Fet & Kovařík, 2003: 180.

Buthacus tadmorensis tadmorensis : Vachon & Kinzelbach, 1987: 101; Kovařík, 2002: 5;

= Buthus pietschmanni Penther, 1912: 112 (syn. by Birula, 1917a: 229).

Mesobuthus pietschmanni : El-Hennawy, 1992: 128.

= Buthacus yotvatensis Levy et al., 1973: 130 ; Levy & Amitai, 1980: 90; Kinzelbach, 1984: 99; Vachon & Kinzelbach, 1987: 100; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 85; Crucitti & Vignoli, 2002: 439; Soleglad & Fet, 2003a: 5; Soleglad & Fet, 2003b: 7 (syn. by Kovařík, 2001: 80).

Buthacus yotvatensis yotvatensis : Vachon, 1979: 36; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 85.

Buthacus tadmorensis yotvatensis : Vachon & Kinzelbach, 1987: 101; Amr et al., 1988: 374; El-Hennawy, 1992: 114; Kabakibi et al., 1999: 82.

Androctonus macrocentrus : ICZN, 2000: 7.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Sinai (labeled as Androctonus macrocentrus , Sinai, No. 153), 1♀, lectotype of Androctonus (Leiurus) macrocentrus Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1828, ZMHB.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. Iran, Chamak prov. , ca. 17 km NW Bandar-e Gonárer, 10 m, 29°38’32’’N, 50°26’56’’E, 1♀, 13–14.X.1998, leg. P. Kabátek, FKCP ; Bandar-e Gonárer , X. 2000, 2♂, leg. R. Perlík, FKCP . Iraq, Shibchah , Camp, 150 km SW of Hajaf, stone desert, 260 m, 3♀ 3juvs., X–XII.1978, leg. O. Jakeš, FKCP . Syria, Palmyra , 1♀, 1993, leg. D. Modrý, FKCP , 1♀, 3.VII.1994, leg. M. Kaftan, FKCP , 1♀, IV.1994, leg. D. Modrý, FKCP , 1♀, 30.IV.1995, leg. P. Rohlena, FKCP ; As Safirah , Sabkhat Al Jabbul lake env., 9.IX.1998, 1♂, leg. A. Bezděk, FKCP ; Halabiyyeh , 35°41’19’’N, 39°49’31’’W, 17.VI.1998, 1♀, leg. P. Kabátek, FKCP .

DIAGNOSIS: Total adult length 50–75 mm, adult color uniformy yellow to yellowish green. Movable fingers of pedipalps bear 9 or 10 rows of granules that have one internal and one external granule and 4 distal granules. Tarsomeres of first to third legs with bristlecombs. Tibial spurs of legs III and IV strong, larger on IV. Pedipalp smooth, only dorsal surface of femur may bear several granules. Femur with granulate carinae, patella with obsolete carinae, chela without carinae. Female chela as wide as patella. Male chela as wide as or wider than patella, base of male fingers very slightly twisted or straight. Seventh mesosomal segment ventrally with four obsolete or minutely granulate carinae. Pectines long, with 24–29 teeth in females and 28–35 in males. First metasomal segment with 10 carinae, second to fourth segments with eight carinae (on lateral surface of second segment rows of granules cover less than anterior half and do not form discrete carinae). Lateral surface of third metasomal segment with several granules that reach at most one-third of segment length (usually more pronounced and longer in males). Fourth metasomal segment with dorsal carinae either smooth or granulate and ventral carinae strongly granulate. Fifth metasomal segment usually lacks carinae but bears a ventromedian carina and two ventrolateral carinae composed of unevenly sized granules. Much of metasoma between carinae smooth, granulate only on ventral surface of fifth segment. Metasoma and telson densely hirsute.

COMMENTS. Lectotype of Androctonus (Leiurus) macrocentrus ( Fig. 8 ) is hereby designated in order to stabilize the nomenclature. The type series of A. (L.) macrocentrus consists of two females that belong to two species. The paralectotype is a synonym of Buthacus leptochelys .

Type locality “ Sinai “ ( Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829: 355 and label) must be regarded as erroneous .

The ruling of ICZN (2000: 7) for the precedence of Androctonus leptochelys Ehrenberg, 1829 over a disused synonym Androctonus macrocentrus Ehrenberg,1828 is hereby annulled since these two names are found to belong to two different species.

Figures

Figure 8: Buthacus macrocentrus, female lectotype, dorsal aspect.