Androctonus amoreuxi (Audouin, 1826)

Siyam, Manal, Dunlop, Jason A., Kovarik, Frantisek & Mohammad, Abubakr, 2023, Additions to the distribution of Sudanese scorpions, Zoosystematics and Evolution 99 (1), pp. 45-53 : 45

Androctonus amoreuxi (Audouin, 1826)

Figure 2a

Material examined.

1♂ 1♀; SNHMK 2.334, SNHMK 2.337, The Republic of Sudan, North Kordofan State, Abu Zabad (12°21'25.4"N, 29°13'40.2"E, 577 m a.s.l), leg. N. M.G. 28.7.1947., det. N. M.G., leg. A.M. E. 6.1952., det. A.M. E . 1♂ 1♀; SNHMK 2.333, North Darfur State, Abu Sufyan (11°55'25.4"N, 26°22'41.2"E, 499 m a.s.l), leg. H.J.M. 1951, det. H.J.M . 1♀ SNHMK 2.331, Northern State, Gureir (18°20'03.0"N, 31°45'22.0"E, 254 m a.s.l), leg. J.W. C., 10.1.1939, det. J.W. C . 1♂ 1♀; ZMB 49413 -414, Merawi (18°30'06.7"N, 31°48'15.3"E, 279 m a.s.l), leg. A. Mohammad, 29.05.2011, det. A. Mohammad and F. Kovařík. 1♂ 1♀; SNHMK 2.547, Northern State, El Madeqeen - Sa'ad Finti , (20°20'18.96"N, 30°33'38.23"E, 789 m a.s.l), 15.03.2021, leg. H. Marzoug, det. M. Siyam. 1♂; ZMB 49415 , Khartoum State, West Omdurman (15°40'59.6"N, 32°14'56.9"E, 428 m a.s.l), leg. A. Mohammad, 25.07.2011, det. A. Mohammad and F. Kovařík.

Description.

Male / female total body length (8-10 cm). General coloration yellow. Prosoma yellowish brown, with dark yellow granulated carinae. Mesosoma light brown, tergites granulated over whole surface. Metasoma thick, yellow, except for segment V which is light brown. Telson with two yellowish vertical bands on ventral side; aculeus tip black. Legs yellowish brown. Pedipalps long and brownish orange; manus slightly swollen. Pectines with 21-25 teeth in females and 31-35 teeth in males.

Remarks.

Androctonus amoreuxi is found in the arid north of Sudan, usually in sandy areas. Like L. quinquestriatus (see below), it is highly venomous and aggressive ( Soliman et al. 2013). Limited work has been done on the distribution of Androctonus amoreuxi and the related species A. australis in Africa. They have almost the same general morphology and coloration. However, A. australis has wider metasomal segments associated with spinoid granule rows and a dorsal depression in addition to strongly developed dorsal carinae on metasomal segments I to IV and three well developed lateral lobes in an anal arc ( Seiter and Turiel 2013). A. amoreuxi was previously documented by Hemprich and Ehrenberg (1828) and Birula (1908) from two localities in Northern State: Dongola and Wadi Halfa. The present discovery in Merwi, Gureir and El Madeqeen - Sa’ad finti (also Northern State) represent new locality records, while its occurrence in west Omdorman (Khartoum State), Abu Zabad (North Kordofan State) and Abu Sufyan (North Darfur State) represent three new state and locality records.

Genus Buthacus Birula, 1908

Figures

Figure 2. Habitus photographs of several Sudanese scorpion species, all in the family Buthidae, for which we can offer new distribution data here. a. Androctonus amoreuxi (Audouin, 1826); b. Buthacus leptochelys (Ehrenberg, 1829); c. Compsobuthus werneri (Birula, 1908); d. Leiurus quinquestriatus (Ehrenberg, 1829); e. Orthochirus olivaceus (Karsch, 1881); f. Parabuthus abyssinicus (Pocock, 1901). Of these, A. amoreuxi, L. quinquestriatus and P. abyssinicus have a potent venom and are regarded as medically significant.