Neobuthus Hirst, 1911

Kovařík, František & Lowe, Graeme, 2012, Review of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 with description of a new species from Ethiopia (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Euscorpius 138, pp. 1-25 : 2

Neobuthus Hirst, 1911

( Figs. 1–6, 9–74, 86, 89, 92, 95–96, 100–101)

Neobuthus Hirst, 1911: 462 ; Birula, 1917: 101; Borelli, 1919: 365; Werner, 1934: 270; Moriggi, 1941: 90; Vachon, 1960: 245; Bücherl, 1971: 326; Stahnke, 1972: 128; Lamoral & Reynders, 1975: 513; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 186; Lourenço, 2001: 176, 179; Soleglad & Fet, 2003: 88; Fet & Soleglad, 2005: 11; Fet, Soleglad & Lowe, 2005: 10, 12, 22; Lourenço, 2005: 26; Prendini & Wheeler, 2005: 481; Lourenço & Qi, 2006: 93; Dupré, 2007: 7, 13,16.

Butheolus (Neobuthus) : Vachon, 1975: 1598; Francke, 1985: 6, 15; El-Hennawy, 1992: 97, 115.

Butheolus (in part): Kraepelin, 1899: 37; Vachon, 1952: 224; Vachon, 1980: 253; Sissom, 1990: 97, 101; Kovařík, 1998: 117; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 88; Lourenço, 2001: 176, 179; Kovařík, 2003: 137; Kovařík, 2004: 3 ; Lourenço, 2005: 26; Hendrixson, 2006: 56; Lourenço & Qi, 2006: 91; Kovařík, 2009: 31.

TYPE SPECIES: Neobuthus berberensis Hirst, 1911

DIAGNOSIS. Very small scorpions, total length 20 mm (males) – 30 mm (females); carapace strongly trapezoidal, in lateral view distinctly inclined downward from median eyes to anterior margin; surface of carapace granular, with only anterior median carinae developed; ventral aspect of cheliceral fixed finger with single enlarged denticle; tergites with three carinae, of which the lateral pair may be less conspicuous; sternites III–VI with finely micro-denticulate posterior margins, lacking larger non-contiguous denticles; pectines with fulcra, hirsute; metasomal segments I–III with 8–10 carinae; ventrosubmedian and ventrolateral carinae on segments II–III strongly developed with enlarged dentition; segment V with enlarged “lobate” dentition on ventrolateral carinae; telson rather bulbous, vesicle steeply inclined posteriorly, aculeus shorter than vesicle; strong sexual dimorphism in setation, metasomal dentition and granulation; all segments of metasoma and pedipalps sparsely hirsute, with long setae in females, short spiniform setae in males; pedipalps short with stout segments, movable finger of pedipalp with 5–6 rows of denticles; trichobothrial pattern type A, orthobothriotaxic or neobothriotaxic minorante; dorsal trichobothria of femur arranged in β- configuration; trichobothrium d 2 of pedipalp femur present on dorsal surface, but often smaller than other trichobothria or absent even in the same population; d 2 of pedipalp patella either present but often smaller than other trichobothria, or absent even in the same population; d 3 of pedipalp patella internal to dorsomedian carina; tibial spurs present on legs III–IV.