Butheolus villosus Hendrixson, 2006

Lowe, Graeme, 2018, The genera Butheolus Simon, 1882 and Xenobuthus gen. nov. (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Oman, Euscorpius 261, pp. 1-73 : 34-35

Butheolus villosus Hendrixson, 2006

( Figs. 157–162 , 179 –193, 338, Tab. 6 )

Butheolus villosus Hendrixson, 2006: 51–53 , 5 9–61, figs. 6, 9, pl. 7, Tab.1 .

Butheolus villosus: El-Hennawy, 2009: 121 ; Kovařík & Lowe, 2012: 2, 23; El-Hennawy, 2014: 45.

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype ♀, Saudi Arabia: Khashm Dhibi, 28.II.1980, leg. A. Barkham ( NHMB 0618 ) (examined).

DIAGNOSIS. A member of the genus Butheolus differentiated as follows: base color of prosoma and mesosoma light brown with carapace and tergite VII a darker brown, all metasomal segments dark brown; pedipalps and legs brownish yellow, except for pale, straw colored tarsi; carapace and tergites with mixture of fine and coarse granulation; pedipalp patella with dorsomedian carina complete; pedipalp chela with carinae weak or obsolete; surface between ventromedian carinae of metasoma I with sparse, coarse granulation in females; ventral and lateral intercarinal surfaces of metasoma II–V with moderately coarse granulation; metasoma and telson with dense cover of medium to long macrosetae; telson without subaculear tubercle, obtuse angle between posterior vesicle surface and aculeus base; pedipalp and metasoma relatively slender; pedipalp femur L/W ♀ 2.89; pedipalp patella L/W ♀ 3.14; pedipalp chela L/W ♀ 5.06; metasoma I L/W ♀ 0.77; metasoma IV L/D ♀ 1.43, metasoma V L/D ♀ 1.82, telson L/D ♀ 2.39; pectine teeth ♀ 18; basitarsus III retrosuperior setae 11–12. Known only from the holotype female. Male unknown.

REMARKS. The numerous long setae in the basitarsal bristle-combs and the long, slender tarsal ungues (Figs. 190–193) are typical psammophilous adaptations ( Navidpour & Lowe, 2009). On the pedipalp fixed finger, trichobothrium dt is located slightly distal to et, contrary to fig. 9e of Hendrixson (2006: 61) which shows dt midway between est and et.

Figures

Figures 151–162: Scatter plots showing variation in morphometric ratios of species of Butheolus and Xenobuthus gen. n. Figs. 151–156. Selected ratios of males (♂). B. gallagheri: black filled symbols; B. harrisoni: orange filled symbols; B. thalassinus: cyan circles; X. anthracinus: magenta circles; X. xanthus: yellow circles. Figs. 157–162. Selected ratios of females (♀). B. gallagheri: black open symbols; B. harrisoni: orange open symbols; B. villosus: light green circles; X. anthracinus: magenta circles; X. xanthus: yellow circles. Abbreviations: L, length; W, width (carapace W = posterior width), D depth.

Figures 179–180: Habitus of Butheolus villosus Hendrixson, 2006. Holotype female (♀). Fig. 179. Dorsal aspect. Fig. 180. Ventral aspect. Khashm Dhibi, Saudi Arabia, 28.II.1980, leg. A. Barkham, NHMB 0618 (cf. Hendrixson, 2006: 59–61, pl. 7, fig. 9). Scale bar: 5 mm.