Pandinus (Pandinurus) awashensis Kovařík, 2012

Kovařík, František, 2012, Review of the subgenus Pandinurus Fet, 1997 with descriptions of three new species (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae, Pandinus), Euscorpius 141, pp. 1-22 : 6-9

Pandinus (Pandinurus) awashensis Kovařík , sp. n.

( Figs. 9–28, 60–62, 64)

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Ethiopia, Awash, Awash N. P., 08°52'35.15"N 40°05'39.8"E, 981 m a.s.l.; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL. Ethiopia, Awash , Awash N. P., 08°52'35.15"N 40°05'39.8"E, 981 m a.s.l., 20.VII.2011, 1♂ (holotype), leg. F. Kovařík; Awash, 09°00'34.5"N 40°17'56.5"E, 1012 m a.s.l. ( Figs. 27–28), 19.VII.2011, 1♀ (allotype) 5juvs. ca. 35 mm long (paratypes, 4 of them still alive), leg. F. Kovařík and P. Novák. All types are in the author´s collection ( FKCP) .

ETYMOLOGY. Named after Awash National Park, the type locality. The male holotype was with the help of the park’s manager removed dead from a water-capture hole ( Fig. 26). Other specimens (paratypes) were collected outside the park.

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 83–110 mm. Movable finger of pedipalp without noticeable sexual dimorphism. Color uniformly reddish black, only legs, telson and chela reddish brown, slightly lighter-colored than body. Chelicerae brown, reticulate, with black fingers and anterior margins. External trichobothria on patella number 15 (5 eb, 3 esb, 2 em, 1 est, 3 et); ventral trichobothria on chela number 9 to 11. Pectinal teeth number 18–22. Spination formula of tarsomere II = 6/5: 7/5: 7-8/5: 7- 8/5. Tarsomere II legs with 3 spines on inclined anteroventral surface. Tarsomere I legs I–III with spina but leg IV with seta distal prosuperior. All body sparsely hirsute, chela hirsute densely. Dorsal surface of manus with evenly sized conspicuous granules. External surface of chela smooth, with several granules in anterior part and with two granulated carinae. Chela of pedipalp length to width ratio ca. 2.1 in both sexes.

DESCRIPTION. The adults are 80–105 mm long. The habitus is shown in Figs. 9–10 and 14–15. For position and distribution of trichobothria of pedipalps see Fig. 22. External trichobothria on patella number 15 (5 eb, 3 esb, 2 em, 1 est, 3 et); ventral trichobothria on chela number 9 to 11. The male has a slightly larger telson than the female ( Figs. 11 versus 16). Movable fingers of pedipalps do not show any noticeable sexual dimorphism. COLORATION ( Figs. 9–18). The color is uniformly reddish black, only the legs, telson and chela are reddish brown, slightly lighter-colored than the body. The chelicerae are brown, reticulate, with black fingers and anterior margins.

CARAPACE. The carapace ( Figs. 12 and 18) lacks carinae but has a deep sagittal furrow with a forked furrow on each side in the posterior part. The surface is smooth, with sparse granules and punctures. The anteromedial margin of the carapace is strongly concave. Present are a pair of median eyes and three lateral eyes, one of them smaller. The distance ratio of the pair of median eyes from the anterior or the posterior margin of the carapace is, respectively, 0.55 or 0.45.

MESOSOMA. The tergites are tuberculate and finely granulated and bear an incomplete, smooth sagittal carina and shallow, symmetrical furrows. The sternites are smooth, lack carinae and bear two pronounced furrows. The pectinal teeth number 19–20 in males, 18 in females and 19–22 in juveniles. The pectines have three marginal lamellae and four middle lamellae. The fulcra are long and bear numerous white setae.

METASOMA AND TELSON. The first throught fourth segments bear eight carinae. Most of the carinae are smooth. The dorsal carinae are composed of three to seven teeth of similar size. The fifth segment bears five to seven carinae of which the lateral carinae may be incomplete. All carinae on the fifth metasomal segment are composed of granules. The surface between the carinae is smooth, with solitary granules. The telson is elongate, slightly larger in the male ( Fig. 11) than in the female ( Fig. 16). The surface of the telson is smooth, hirsute, with several granules which compose incomplete carinae.

LEGS. The legs are smooth, hirsute, without carinae and granules. The spination formula of tarsomere II = 6/5: 7/5: 7-8/5: 7-8/5. Tarsomere II bears 3 spines on the inclined anteroventral surface ( Fig. 60). Tarsomere I of legs I–III bears a spina, but on leg IV it bears a seta distal prosuperior (see red arrow on Fig. 61).

PEDIPALPS ( Figs. 19–22). The pedipalps are hirsute. The femur and patella bear several large granules. The femur bears four carinae composed of several large, round granules, only the externoventral carina is smooth. The patella bears five complete carinae with granules or smooth. Several granules are only on the external surface of the patella. The chela is lobate and bears only two smooth ventral carinae. The dorsal surface of the chela bears granules that are neither conical nor pointed and whose summits may be confluent. The external surface of the chela is smooth, with several conical granules in anterior part and without carinae. The chela has a lobe. The dentate margins of the movable and fixed fingers are armed with two parallel rows of denticles extending the entire length of the finger, with larger granules which indicate five or six subrows on the movable finger and the fixed finger. The dorsal surface of the manus bears evenly sized conspicuous granules. The internal surface of the chela is smooth, with several granules in anterior part and with two granulated carinae. The dorsal and external surfaces of the chela bear four carinae; the total number of carinae on the is nine, but some of them are incomplete.

MEASUREMENTS IN MM. Male holotype. Total length 110; carapace length 13.8, width 15.1; metasoma and telson length 55.1; first metasomal segment length 6.4, width 6.1, depth 5.1; second metasomal segment length 7.4, width 5.5, depth 4.8; third metasomal segment length 8.3, width 5.0; fourth metasomal segment length 9.3, width 4.5; fifth metasomal segment length 12.0, width 4.1; telson length 11.7; telson width 5.3; pedipalp femur length 11.1, width 4.9; pedipalp patella length 10.8, width 5.4; chela length 23.4; manus width 11.1; movable finger length 14.8.

Female allotype. Total length 83; carapace length 12.9, width 12.9; metasoma and telson length 39.5; first metasomal segment length 4.8, width 4.5, depth 4.1; second metasomal segment length 5.5, width 4.1, depth 3.9; third metasomal segment length 5.9, width 3.8; fourth metasomal segment length 6.6, width 3.3; fifth metasomal segment length 8.7, width 3.2; telson length 8.0; telson width 3.2; pedipalp femur length 8.5, width 4.0; pedipalp patella length 9.0, width 4.5; chela length 19; manus width 9.2; movable finger length 11.3.

AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish Pandinus awashensis sp. n. from all other species of the subgenus Pandinurus . The shape and granulations of the chela distinguish P. awashensis sp. n. from P. magrettii (see key) with which it shares sexual dimorphism (the male has a larger telson than the female but movable fingers of pedipalps do not show any noticeable sexual dimorphism). This distinguishes the new species from the other two species in the region, P. exitialis and P. sudanicus , whose males have a more pronounced tooth on the movable finger of pedipalp. It appears that the most similar species is P. somalilandus sp. n., which can be distinguished by the characters given in the key below.