Xenobuthus, Lowe, 2018

Lowe, Graeme, 2018, The genera Butheolus Simon, 1882 and Xenobuthus gen. nov. (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Oman, Euscorpius 261, pp. 1-73 : 37-38

Genus Xenobuthus , gen. nov.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CC2E0A92- 2CDF-4D3B-A4A0-66974E8A567D

DIAGNOSIS. Small to medium-sized buthids ( Kovařík, 2009; Sissom, 1990), adults 35–50 mm in length; carapace strongly trapezoidal, ratio of posterior W/ anterior W 2.1 –2.4, preocular area inclined downwards towards anterior margin, surface granular, without distinct carinae; tergites granular, tergites I–III lacking carinae or with weak median carina, IV–VI weakly tricarinate with median and paired lateral carinae; tergite VII with broad median carina, two pairs of lateral carinae; posterior margins of sternites III–VI armed with fringe of noncontiguous digitate denticles that are larger in males; metasoma segments nearly uniform in width and depth, robust with smooth or granulated carinae, sparsely or moderately granular on lateral and ventral intercarinal surfaces; metasoma I–III with 10 carinae, IV with 6 or 8 carinae, V with 3 or 5 carinae; ventrolateral carinae on metasoma V without enlarged lobate dentition; telson with bulbous vesicle, without subaculear tubercle, aculeus shorter than vesicle; pectines with fulcra; hemispermatophore with flagellum separated from a 3-lobed sperm hemiduct, basal lobe a broad, low, axially oriented, curved scoop; chelicerae with characteristic buthid pattern of dentition ( Vachon, 1963), two denticles on ventral aspect of fixed finger; pedipalps orthobothriotaxic, type Aβ ( Vachon 1974, 1975), patella with d 3 internal to dorsomedian carina, manus with V 2 not strongly displaced internally, V 1 – V 2 axis nearly collinear with long axis of chela, chela fixed finger with db on proximal half of finger between esb and est, it near tip; pedipalps short, chelae small with carinae reduced or obsolete, dentate margins of fingers armed with 8–10 non-imbricated linear subrows of primary denticles; subrows flanked by mid-row internal and proximal external accessory denticles; movable finger with 3 enlarged subdistal denticles; males without recess or scalloping of dentate margins at base of pedipalp fingers, with chela manus wider than females; tergites lacking macrosetae; tibial spurs present on legs III–IV; basitarsi I–III with regular series of long macrosetae on retrosuperior, retroinferior and inferior margins; ventral surfaces of telotarsi with paired rows of macrosetae, often reduced to single row on legs I–III; prolateral and retrolateral tarsal spurs present on all legs; size of macrosetae on carapace, pedipalps, legs and metasoma not sexually dimorphic.

ETYMOLOGY. Prefix from Greek ξένος (xénos) meaning alien or strange, i.e. a strange buthid that resembles Butheolus in some features but differs from it in others.

TYPE SPECIES. Buthus anthracinus Pocock, 1895 [= Xenobuthus anthracinus ( Pocock, 1895) , comb. n.], designated here.