Saharobuthus elegans, Lourenco & Duhem, 2009

Lourenco, Wilson & Duhem, Bernard, 2009, Saharo-Sindian buthid scorpions; description of two new genera and species from Occidental Sahara and Afghanistan, ZooKeys 14, pp. 37-54 : 40-44

Saharobuthus elegans sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3C2F50F7-DD92-4854-8584-CBE4FF62B084

Figs 1 , 9-15 , 30

Diagnosis: as for the new genus.

Type material: Occidental Sahara, region of Adrar-Sotuf , 430 m alt., 25/V/1964 (P. L. Dekeyser), 1 male holotype. Deposited in the collection of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris .

Etymology: The specific name is a reference to the very slender build of the new species.

Description based on the male holotype (Measurements in Table 1 ).

Coloration. Basically yellowish to pale yellow, with some light reddish zones. Prosoma: carapace yellowish with carinae and granulations reddish; median and lateral eyes surrounded by black pigment. Mesosoma: yellowish with some very light greyish zones. Metasoma: all segments yellowish, with carinae reddish. Vesicle pale yellow; base of aculeus yellowish with a reddish tip. Venter yellowish; pectines pale yellow. Chelicerae yellowish without spots; fingers yellowish with reddish teeth. Pedipalps yellowish with carinae slightly reddish; rows of granules on fingers reddish. Legs yellowish with some diffused spots.

Morphology. Prosoma: Anterior margin of carapace not emarginated, almost straight. Carapace carinae strongly developed; anterior median, central median and posterior median carinae strongly marked; central median and posterior median fused; central lateral strongly marked; posterior median carinae terminating distally in a small spinoid process that extends slightly beyond the posterior margin of the carapace (process less marked than in the genus Compsobuthus ). Intercarinal spaces strongly granular on anterior and posterior zones; moderate to weak on the other regions. Median ocular tubercle anterior to the centre of the carapace; median eyes separated by two ocular diameters. Three pairs of lateral eyes. Mesosoma: Tergites I-VI tricarinate. Lateral carinae on I-VI strongly marked; each carina terminating distally with a spinoid process that extends slightly beyond the posterior margin of the tergite. Median carinae on I moderate; on II-VI strong, crenulate; terminating distally on each segment with a spinoid process that also extends slightly beyond the posterior margin of the tergite. Tergite VII pentacarinate, with lateral pairs of carinae strong; median carinae present on proximal half, strong. Intercarinal spaces strongly granular. Sternites: Lateral carinae absent from sternites III to VI; moderate, finely crenulate on VII. Submedian carinae on sternites III-VI absent; on VII moderate. Pectines long; pectinal tooth count 28-29. Metasoma: Segments I-II with 10 carinae, crenulate; III-IV with 8 carinae. Segment V with 5 carinae; ventromedian carinae strongly marked, with several lobate denticles; anal arc

composed of 10 ventral teeth and four rather uniform lateral lobes. Dorsal furrows of all segments moderately developed, smooth; intercarinal spaces weakly to moderately granular. Telson weakly granular to smooth; vesicle with a pear-like shape, and a long

aculeus longer than vesicle; subaculear tooth absent. Chelicerae with two reduced but not fused denticles at the base of the movable finger ( Vachon, 1963). Pedipalps: Trichobothrial pattern orthobothriotaxic, type A ( Vachon, 1974); dorsal trichobothria of femur in β (beta) configuration ( Vachon, 1975). Femur pentacarinate; carinae strongly

crenulate. Patella with eight carinae, moderate; dorsointernal carinae with 2-3 spinoid granules. Chela short with moderately elongated fingers; all carinae vestigial. Dentate margins on movable and fixed fingers composed of 11-12 oblique rows of granules; outer and inner accessory granules present on both fingers; four granules, two small and two large, located proximally to the terminal granule on the movable finger; basal region of movable finger with a strong lobe. Legs: Ventral aspect of tarsi with two series of spine-like setae. Tibial spurs present on legs III and IV, strongly marked. Pedal spurs present on all legs, moderate to strongly marked.

Geographic distribution. Only known from the type locality.

Figures

Figures 1-8. Carapace and tergites I-II. 1. Saharobuthus elegans sp. n., male holotype. 2. Compsobuthus acutecarinatus, female holotype. 3. Leiurus quinquestriatus, male. 4. Mesobuthus eupeus persicus, female. 5. Pantobuthus complicatus sp. n., female holotype. 6. Odontobuthus doriae, female. 7. Buthus draa, female. 8. Hottentotta schach, male (scales = 5 mm).

Figures 9-17. Saharobuthus elegans sp. n., male holotype. 9. Chelicerae, dorsal aspect. 10. Sternum, genital operculum and pectines. 11. Chela, dorso-external aspect. 12-13. Patella, dorsal and external aspects. 14. Femur, dorsal aspect. 15. Cutting edge of movable finger with rows of granules.16-17. Idem for Compsobuthus acutecarinatus, female holotype (scales = 3 mm).

Figures 29-32. 29. Pedipalp, dorsal aspect, Vachoniolus globimanus, male holotype (scale = 5 mm). 30- 32. Metasoma and telson, lateral aspect. 30. Saharobuthus elegans sp. n., male holotype. 31. Pantobuthus complicatus sp. n., female holotype. 32. Odontobuthus doriae, female (scales 30-32 = 10 mm).

Tables

Table 1. Morphometric values (in mm) of the male holotype of Saharobuthus elegans sp. n., and the female holotype of Pantobuthus complicatus sp. n.

	Saharobuthus elegans sp. n.	Pantobuthus complicatus sp. n.
	♁ -holotype	♀ -holotype
Total length	49.4(56.0*)	66.3(73.5*)
Carapace
- length	6.7	7.9
- anterior width	4.3	5.2
- posterior width	7.1	8.8
Metasomal segment I
- length	4.8	5.1
- width	4.5	5.7
Metasomal segment II
- length	5.6	5.6
- width	4.3	5.5
Metasomal segment III
- length	5.7	5.8
- width	4.3	5.3
Metasomal segment IV
- length	6.6	6.9
- width	4.1	5.2
Metasomal segment V
- length	7.8	8.0
- width	3.7	4.6
- depth	3.1	4.0
Telson
- length	6.6	7.2
- width	2.5	4.9
- depth	2.3	4.3
Pedipalp
- Femur length	5.7	5.4
- Femur width	1.7	2.3
- Patella length	6.8	6.2
- Patella width	2.5	3.1
- Chela length	11.8	11.3
- Chela width	3.1	4.5
- Chela depth	3.4	5.2
Movable finger
- length	8.0	6.8