Mesobuthus caucasicus przewalskii ( Birula, 1897 )

Sun, Dong & Zhu, Mingsheng, 2010, A new species of the genus Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) from Xinjiang, China, ZooKeys 37 (37), pp. 1-12 : 4-5

Mesobuthus caucasicus przewalskii ( Birula, 1897)

Figs 3, 14–16

Buthus caucasicus przewalskii Birula, 1897: 387–388 .

Buthus przewalskii: Kishida, 1939: 44 .

Mesobuthus caucasicus intermedius: Vachon, 1958: 150 , Fig. 31.

Olivierus caucasicus intermedius: Farzanpay, 1987: 156 .

Material examined. Type material not examined. China: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region: Tuokexun County, Xia Village , 4/VIII/2008, M. S. Zhu & D. Sun leg., 9 females, 6 males and 10 juveniles ( MHBU) ; Turpan City, near the Flaming Mountain scenic spot, 4/VIII/2008, M. S. Zhu & D. Sun leg., 1 female, 1 male ( MHBU) ; Shanshan County, Lianmuqin Town, Vineyard , 4/VIII/2008, M. S. Zhu & D. Sun leg., 3 males ( MHBU) ; Hami City, 10 km S of downtown area, Huayuan Village , 2/ VIII/2008, M. S. Zhu & D. Sun leg., 6 females, 1 male ( MHBU) ; Hami City , 5 km E of downtown area, under stover in a village, 1/VIII/2008, M. S. Zhu & D. Sun leg., 1 juvenile ( MHBU) ; Shanshan County, 18 km E of country town, 3/VIII/2008, M. S. Zhu & D. Sun leg., 2 juveniles ( MHBU) ; Shanshan County, 4 km W of county town, Vineyard , 3/VIII/2008, M. S. Zhu & D. Sun leg., 2 females ( MHBU) ; Korla City , near the downtown area, 12/IV/2008, C. L. Zhang leg., 1 female, 1 male, 1 juvenile ( MHBU) ; Luntai County, in the Populus euphratica Forest Park , 12/VIII/2006, F. Zhang & H. X. Ma leg., 8 females, 6 males ( MHBU) ; Ruoqiang County, near the county town, 30/VII/2006, F. Zhang & H. X. Ma leg., 5 females, 4 males, 1 juvenile ( MHBU) ; Qiemo County, near the county town, 1/VIII/2006, F. Zhang & H. X. Ma leg., 1 female, ( MHBU) ; Turpan City, 7.5 km SW of the downtown area, Vineyard , 8/VIII/2007, D. Sun & L. Zhang leg., 3 females, 22 juveniles ( MHBU) ; Turpan City, near the Flaming Mountain scenic spot, 27/VII/2006, F. Zhang & H. X. Ma leg., 1 female, 1 male ( MHBU) ; Tuokexun County, Xia Village , 6/VIII/2007, D. Sun & L. Zhang leg., 33 females, 18 males, 10 juveniles ( MHBU) ; Kuqa County, near the county town, 11/VIII/2006, F. Zhang & H. X. Ma leg., 1 female, 1 male ( MHBU) ; Luntai County, Lunnan Town, near the Tarim River Bridge, 27/ V /2009, D. Sun & Y. W. Zhao leg., 1 female, 1 male ( MHBU) ; Kuqa County, Tarim Village, the Second Brigade site, 31/ V /2009, D. Sun & Y. W. Zhao leg., 5 females, 2 males ( MHBU) ; Hami City, Xiheba site in the downtown area, 5/ V /2009, D. Sun & Y. W. Zhao leg., 7 females, 6 males ( MHBU) .

Diagnosis. Coloration. Basically brownish-yellow; all carinae and posterior edges of carapace and tergites with blackish-brown to black pigments; dorsal surfaces of segments I–V on metasoma and ventral surface of segment V with irregular netlike dark pigments. Pedipalps: brownish-yellow; femur and patella with dark pigments, especially around carinae; manus with irregular netlike dark pigments; fingers without pigment, rows of granules on dentate margins of the fingers blackish-brown. Legs: pale yellow to yellow; tip of femur with some dark spots.

Morphology. Total length 68–78 mm in females and 50–68 mm in males. Prosoma: anterior margin with a weak median convexity, finely serrate; all carinae strong, granular and granules markedly biggish; Mesosoma : Tergite: I to VI tricarinate; all carinae strong, granular, except the median carina on I, weak; the intercarinal surfaces relatively smooth, except for the segments I–III with sparse and fine granules; exterior surfaces coarsely granular. Pectinal teeth number 15–19 in females and 19–23 in males. Metasoma: Segments I–V with 10-8-8-8-5 complete carinae; median lateral carinae complete on segment I, only with sparse granules and covered 1/2 length of segment on II and 1/3 on III; ventrolateral carinae strong, serrate, becoming stronger gradually from anterior to posterior; lateral and dorsal surfaces with some fine granules and ventral with sparse large granules. Aculeus about equal to a half of telson length. Pedipalps: Orthobothriotaxic A-β ( Vachon, 1974, 1975). Manus of chela relatively robust. Dentate margins of movable and fixed fingers with 11 and 10 oblique rows of granules respectively; outer accessory denticles becoming smaller from base to tip, and smaller than inner accessory denticles on the tip. Legs: Tarsus ventrally with two moderate to long longitudinal rows of setae.

Distribution. China (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), Mongolia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan ( Fet and Lowe, 2000).