Barbaracurus subpunctatus ( Borelli, 1925 ) Kovařík & Lowe & Šťáhlavský, 2018

Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme & Šťáhlavský, František, 2018, Review of the genus Babycurus Karsch, 1886 (Arachnida, Scorpiones, Buthidae), with descriptions of Barbaracurus gen. n. and two new species from Oman and Yemen, Euscorpius 267, pp. 1-41 : 27

Barbaracurus subpunctatus ( Borelli, 1925) comb. n.

( Figures 4 , 265 )

Babycurus subpunctatus Borelli, 1925: 318–319 ; Lamoral & Reynders, 1975: 498; Kovařík, 1998: 104; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 79–80; Kovařík, 2000: 256, fig. 22, tables 1–3; Kovařík, 2003: 134; Kovařík et al., 2015: 30 , figs. 56–57, 62–63, 66, 78–86, 103–123, table 2.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Somalia, Cuban Cubu , MCSN.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Ethiopia, Somali State, Liben region , between Filtu and Dolo Odo, 04°50'07.5"N 40° 55'13.5"E, 912 m a.s.l. (locality No. 14 EI), 1♂ 1♀, 20.XI.2014, leg. F. Kovařík, FKCP. Somalia, Cuban Cubu , IX.1923, 1♀ (holotype), leg. S. Patrizi, MCSN.

DIAGNOSIS. Total length of adult male 22.5 mm, adult female 32.25 mm. Coloration yellowish brown to orange, chelicerae without reticulation. Pedipalp chela without strong sexual dimorphism, fingers almost straight, chela length/width ratio 4.3–5.1 in both sexes; dentate margin of movable finger armed with 6 rows of granules, and a short apical row of 4 denticles ( Fig. 4 ); most proximal granule row with one external accessory granule. Pectines with 16–17 teeth in both sexes. No sexual dimorphism in length and width of metasomal segments; metasoma I with 10 carinae, II–IV with 8 carinae. Telson setose, bearing numerous long macrosetae and short, pointed subaculear tubercle; vesicle smooth, elongate, ellipsoidal, telson length/depth ratio 2.52–2.83 in both sexes; aculeus slender, curved, shorter than vesicle.

Figures

Figure 265: Map showing the known distribution of genera Barbaracurus gen. n. and Babycurus in the Arabian Peninsula, Horn of Africa, Kenya and partially in Tanzania. The upper photo inset shows the type locality of Barbaracurus winklerorum sp. n.

Figures 1–23: Pedipalp movable finger, comparison of Barbaracurus gen. n. (1–10) and Babycurus (11–23) species. Figures 1–4: Barbaracurus gen. n., species with 6 non-imbricated almost linear rows of granules. Figure 1. B. ugartei comb. n., female holotype. Figure 2. B. sofomarensis comb. n., male paratype. Figure 3. B. somalicus comb. n., female from Somaliland, locality 17SR. Figure 4. B. subpunctatus comb. n., female from Ethiopia, locality 14EI. Figures 5–10: Barbaracurus gen. n., species with 7 non-imbricated almost linear rows of granules. Figure 5. B. exquisitus comb. n., male holotype. Figures 6–7, 10. B. zambonellii comb. n., female (6 and 10) and male (7) from Eritrea, locality 15EH. Figure 8. B. winklerorum sp. n., female paratype. Figure 9. B. yemenensis sp. n., female holotype. Figures 12–14: Babycurus, species with 6 imbricated rows of movable fingers. Figure 12. B. ansorgei, female, Congo, Bukama env., FKCP. Figure 13. B. centrurimorphus, female lectotype. Figure 14. B. pictus, female, Congo, Sampwe env., FKCP. Figures 11, 15–21: Babycurus, species with 7–8 imbricated rows of movable fingers. Figure 15. B. buettneri, female, MCSN. Figure 11, 16. B. dunlopi, male paratype. Figure 17. B. jacksoni, male, Tanzania, FKCP, No. 1189. Figure 18. B. kirki, female, Cote d’Ivoire, Comoe, FKCP. Figure 19. Babycurus melanicus, female holotype. Figure 20. B. taramassoi, female, Somalia, Belet Amin, MCSN. Figure 21. Babycurus wituensis, female lectotype. Figures 22–23: Babycurus, species with 9 imbricated rows of movable fingers. Figure 22. B. gigas, female lectotype. Figure 23. B. multisubaculeatus, female holotype. Numbers in red indicate number of granule rows in series of fingers on the left of each number (red arrows).