Buthus Leach, 1815

Kovařík, František, Šťáhlavský, František & Elmi, Hassan Sh Abdirahman, 2020, Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida Scorpiones) Part XXIII Buthus (Buthidae), with description of two new species, Euscorpius 307, pp. 1-32 : 1-3

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.4648379
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:881B2577-F367-469A-AB81-8AF742E7D00C
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4770176
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/863187DA-DC5F-401F-6C10-F984FD9957AD
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Buthus Leach, 1815
status

Treatment

Buthus Leach, 1815 View in CoL

( Figures 1–211 View Figures 1–4 View Figures 5–6 View Figures 7–15 View Figures 16–24 View Figures 25–28 View Figures 29–36 View Figures 37–53 View Figures 54–61 View Figures 62–65 View Figures 66–73 View Figures 74–89 View Figures 90–99 View Figures 100–101 View Figures 102–105 View Figures 106–113 View Figures 114–131 View Figures 132–139 View Figures 140–143 View Figures 144–151 View Figures 152–167 View Figures 168–175 View Figures 176–190 View Figures 191–194 View Figures 195–209 View Figures 210–211 , Tables 1–3 View Table 1 View Table 2 View Table 3 )

Buthus Leach, 1815: 391 View in CoL ; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 91–97 (complete references list until 1998); Sousa et al., 2017: 15–84 View Cited Treatment , figs. 1–16.

TYPE SPECIES. Scorpio occitanus Amoreux, 1789

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 25–90 mm. Carapace with distinct carinae joined to form a lyre-shaped configuration, in lateral view with entire dorsal surface horizontal or nearly so. Five pairs of lateral eyes and eyespot present. Pectines with fulcra. Pectine teeth number ca 20–40. Mesosoma tergites I–VI with three carina which do not project beyond posterior margin as distinct spiniform processes. Telson without subaculear tubercle. Chelicera with typical buthid dentition, fixed finger with two ventral denticles. Orthobothriotaxic type B, dorsal trichobothria of pedipalp femur arranged in beta -configuration. Patellar trichobothrium d 2 located externally to dorsomedian carina. Trichobothrium eb located on fixed finger of chela. Dentate margin of pedipalp chela movable finger with distinct granules divided into 9–14 rows, 3 terminal granules and one basal terminal granule. Tibial spurs present on third and fourth pairs of legs.

REMARKS ON KARYOTYPES ( Figs. 195–209 View Figures 195–209 ). We analyzed male karyotypes of four Buthus species from the Horn of Africa ( Table 3 View Table 3 ). The cytogenetic characteristics of all species correspond to the typical features of the family Buthidae such as holocentric organization, achiasmatic meiosis in males, and lower number of chromosomes (e. g. Mattos et al., 2013). All examined specimens of Buthus awashensis , B. pococki sp. n. and B. zeylensis possess 2n=22 ( Figs. 195, 201, 204, 205, 208 View Figures 195–209 ). We found only 21 chromosomes in karyotype of analysed Buthus berberensis ( Fig. 198 View Figures 195–209 ). The reduction of the diploid number is probably consequence of heterozygous fusion of chromosomes. This type of chromosomal rearrangement forms conspicuous trivalent during postpachytene ( Fig. 199 View Figures 195–209 ). Moreover, fusion of two chromosomes form one extra large chromosome in the karyotype of this species ( Fig. 200 View Figures 195–209 ). Except Buthus awashensis , the karyotypes of the all analysed species are typical with one pair of chromosomes with distinctive length whereas the subsequent chromosomes are shorter and gradually decrease in length ( Figs. 200, 203, 206, 209 View Figures 195–209 ). Similar one longer pair of chromosomes is known also in karyotypes of all karyotyped Androctonus species ( SadÍlek et al., 2015). This similarity of karyotypes may reflect phylogenetic relationships that was already proposed in previous phylogenetic analysis ( Fet et al., 2003). We observed multivalent association (ten chromosomes of different length) in Buthus awashensis during postpachytene ( Figs. 196–197 View Figures 195–209 ). This chain of chromosomes is consequence of multiple reciprocal translocations. Although this type of chromosome rearrangement does not affect chromosome numbers, it may however considerably change the size of the chromosomes (e. g. KovařÍk et al., 2015). It is probably the reason why this species has not one extra large pair of chromosomes, the typical feature of the remaining species with only bivalents ( Figs. 202, 205, 208 View Figures 195–209 ). Despite of the mentioned small differences among analysed species, the karyotypes of species from the Horn of Africa fully correspond to those of Buthus occitanus from France ( Guénin, 1961), and the karyotypes seem to be very conservative within the genus Buthus .