Barbaracurus yemenensis KovařÍk, Lowe & Šťáhlavský, 2018

Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme, Šťáhlavský, František & Just, Pavel, 2022, The genus Barbaracurus in Saudi Arabia (Scorpiones: Buthidae), with description of a new species., Euscorpius 365, pp. 1-26 : 10-22

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.7616748
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D51F871E-1BF6-409B-B211-76C9A61BB005
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10963212
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/916A87F7-FF94-FF9C-FCC8-54E2FA58F820
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Barbaracurus yemenensis KovařÍk, Lowe & Šťáhlavský, 2018
status

Treatment

Barbaracurus yemenensis KovařÍk, Lowe & Šťáhlavský, 2018 View in CoL

( Figures 34–100 View Figures 33–34 View Figures 35–36 View Figures 37–40 View Figures 41–42 View Figures 43–44 View Figures 45–52 View Figures 53–74 View Figures 75–78 View Figures 79–82 View Figures 83–90 View Figures 91–96 View Figures 97–98 View Figures 99–100 , 104–107 View Figures 101–106 View Figure 107 , Table 2)

Babycurus zambonellii (in part, Yemen): Sissom, 1994: 5–6, figs. 1–7; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 80; KovařÍk, 2000: 260–261, figs. 13, 26; Lowe, 2000: 185–191; KovařÍk & Whitman, 2005: 106.

Barbaracurus yemenensis KovařÍk et al., 2018b: 30–33 View in CoL View Cited Treatment , figs. 9, 78, 87, 103–106, 206–218, 245–247, 262, table 2; KovařÍk et al., 2019: 9.

= Babycurus borellii Rossi, 2018(2019) : 41 (syn. by KovařÍk et al., 2019: 1).

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Yemen, Wadi Dawan NW Al Mukalla, 15°09'N 48°26'E, 946 m a. s. l. GoogleMaps ; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Yemen, Wadi Dawan NW Al Mukalla , 15°09'N 48°26'E, 946 m a. s. l., 3.IV.2007, 1♀ (holotype), leg. P. Kabátek, FKCP; GoogleMaps Jabal Bura NEE Al Hudaydah, 14°53'N 43°26'E, 557 m a. s. l. (fig. 146 in KovařÍk et al, 2018b: 19), 19.–21.III.2007, 1♀ (paratype), leg. P. Kabátek, FKCP; GoogleMaps Hajjah gov., 2.–3. XI.2007, Halhal vill. env., NE Hajjah by road, 15°43'42"N 43°37'25"E, 998 m a. s. l., (Locality No. 14), 1juv. (paratype), leg. D. Král, FKCP GoogleMaps .

SAUDI ARABIAN MATERIAL EXAMINED. Saudi Arabia, 10 km W of Faifa , 17°15'37"N 43°04'07"E, 652 m a. s. l. (Locality No. 22SF2, Fig. 34 View Figures 33–34 ), 20.–22.X.2022, 3♂ (DNA Nos. 2419, 2420, 2421) 6♀ 2♂ juvs., leg. F. KovařÍk & P. Just, FKCP GoogleMaps .

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS (♂ ♀). Total length of adults 36–47 mm (males) and 40–57 mm (females). Coloration pale yellow to light orange, chelicerae yellow without reticulation in females, with reticulation at least in anterior part in males. Pedipalp chela length/ width ratio 3.2–3.3 in males, 3.4–5.4 in females; pedipalp fingers of females straight; proximal margins of pedipalp fingers of male strongly undulate, leaving gap with fingers closed; dentate margin of movable finger armed with 7 rows of granules, and a short subapical row of 4 denticles; most proximal granule row with one external accessory granule. Pectines with 22–25 (males) and 19–23 (females) teeth. Hemispermatophore basal lobe a weak oblique carina. Metasoma very narrow, metasoma V length/ width ratio 2.30– 2.61 in both sexes; metasoma I with 10 carinae, II–IV with 8 carinae. Telson setose, bearing numerous long macrosetae and a short, spiniform subaculear tubercle; vesicle smooth, ellipsoidal, slightly bulbous, telson length/ depth ratio 2.48– 2.70; aculeus slender, curved, shorter than vesicle.

Hemispermatophore ( Figs. 104–106 View Figures 101–106 ). Flagelliform. Trunk long, narrow, widening basally. Capsule region short, length measured from basal lobe is 9 % of trunk length. Flagellum folded, pars recta thicker, 4 times length of capsule, pars reflecta tapering to thin filament about same length as pars recta. Sperm hemiduct with two elongated lobes, posterior lobe broad, spatulate, with distinct fold or carina extending along its length, anterior lobe narrower, distally tapered. Basal lobe a weak oblique carina ( Figs. 105–106 View Figures 101–106 ). Left and right hemispermatophores from two examined males had similar basal lobes. The terminally coiled flagellum in Fig. 104 View Figures 101–106 was atypical, others were folded.

Sensory setae ( Figs. 97–98 View Figures 97–98 ). Pedipalp chela with at least six types of sensory setae ( Figs. 97–97a View Figures 97–98 ): (i) trichobothria, with very long, non-fluorescent shafts and large diameter areolae; (ii) petite ‘trichobothria’, with very short, curved fluorescent shafts, and intermediate diameter areolae; (iii) long, pale setae with straight or distally curved fluorescent shafts, and small areolae (cf. Fig. 97a View Figures 97–98 , right seta); (iv) short, pale setae with straight or curved fluorescent shafts, and very small areolae; (v) macrosetae with tips tapered to fine points, moderately long, almost straight non-fluorescent shafts, and small areolae; and (vi) macrosetae with blunt tips, shorter straight non-fluorescent shafts of almost constant length, and small areolae (cf. Fig. 97a View Figures 97–98 , left seta). The latter type of macrosetae is present on the fixed and movable fingers, and their blunt tips are ramified and bear several micropapillate processes. We also observed these specialized (type vi) blunttipped macrosetae on the pedipalp fingers of B. exquisitus , B. feti , B. kabateki sp. n., B. sofomarensis , B. somalicus , B. subpunctatus , B. ugartei , B. winklerorum and B. zambonellii . Their confirmed presence in 10/11 species of Barbaracurus suggests a potential synapomorphy for the genus.

Truncate macrosetae with diverse tip structures have been reported in a number of other buthids. San MartÍn (1968) first described short, truncate macrosetae with hollow shafts, some with coronate or micropapillate tips, on the pedipalps, sternites, metasoma and telson of Microtityus rickyi . Short, thick, truncate macrosetae were also found on the pedipalp chelae of Tityopsis inexpectatus , Alayotityus delacruzi and Rhopalurus laticauda (Armas, 1973, 1974; Cruz & Armas, 1980). Lamoral (1976) described short, apically perforated macrosetae, some with truncate or papillate tips, on the pedipalp segments (except chela fingers), carapace, legs, pectines, sternites and metasoma of Akentrobuthus leleupi . The presence of thick macrosetae with truncate or crown-shaped tips on the body and appendages is a diagnostic character for the genera Chaneke and Tityopsis ( KovařÍk et al., 2016; Teruel & RodrÍguez-Cabrera, 2020). We have also observed short, truncate macrosetae on the pedipalp fingers of Somalicharmus and Karasbergia .

Telson vesicle and basal aculeus with at least three types of sensory setae ( Fig. 98 View Figures 97–98 ): (i) macrosetae with very long, non-fluorescent shafts and intermediate diameter areolae; (ii) long, pale setae with straight or curved fluorescent shafts, and small areolae; (iii) short, pale setae with straight or distally curved fluorescent shafts, and very small areolae. Some of the first type of setae were not as long and their tips were truncated. However, these truncated tips appeared flush without micropapillate structure, and the lengths of the setae were variable. We interpreted this as random breakage of longer setae, not evidence for other specialized types of macrosetae.

Karyotype ( Figs. 99–100 View Figures 99–100 ). We analyzed two males of B. yemenensis (specimens Nos. 2420–2421). The diploid number of this specimen was 26 chromosomes ( Figs. 99–100 View Figures 99–100 ). This chromosome number corresponds to the range of 2n known in the genus Barbaracurus (2n = 22–36) ( KovařÍk et al., 2015; 2018b). The same 2n = 26 was previously identified also in B. zambonellii from Eritrea ( KovařÍk et al., 2018b). However, there are differences in chromosome length between B. zambonellii and B. yemenensis . Only the first pair of the chromosomes is a slightly longer whereas all the following chromosomes gradually decrease in length in B. yemenensis . In contrast, the first two pairs of chromosomes are slightly longer than the following chromosomes in B. zambonelli ( KovařÍk et al., 2018b) . Our results confirmed the existence of interspecific variability among Barbaracurus species and support the utility of cytogenetic characters in the taxonomy of this group.

COMMENTS ON LOCALITIES AND LIFE STRATEGY. The locality, 22SF2 is a rocky mountain area ( Fig. 34 View Figures 33–34 ). The specimens of Barbaracurus yemenensis were recorded at night during UV collecting together with Compsobuthus manzonii (Borelli, 1915) , Hottentotta scaber (Ehrenberg, 1828) and Leiurus haenggii Lowe, Yağmur & KovařÍk, 2014. Two of the authors (F.K. and P.J.) visited the locality on 20–22 October 2022 and recorded a maximum daytime temperature of 43 ºC and a minimum nighttime temperature of 16 ºC. The recorded humidity was between 20% (minimum at day) and 86% (maximum at night).