Androctonus turieli Teruel et Kovařík, 2014

Teruel, Rolando & Kovařík, František, 2014, Redescription of Androctonus bicolor Ehrenberg, 1828, and description of Androctonus turieli sp. n. from Tunisia (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Euscorpius 186, pp. 1-15 : 8-13

Androctonus turieli Teruel et Kovařík , n. sp.

( Figures 19–34, 36; Table 2) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5EFE22

DA-DAB2-48C1-920A-4573754E774B

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Tunisia, near Sfax [= Safaqis]; FKCP .

TYPE MATERIAL. Tunisia, near Sfax [= Safaqis], 1980, 1♀ holotype ( Figs. 21–34, FKCP), 1♀ paratype ( Figs. 19–20, FKCP), 1♀ paratype ( RTOC), 2 juvenile ♂ paratypes ( FKCP) .

ETYMOLOGY. It is a pleasure to name this species after our friend Carlos Turiel (Neuss, Germany), who is a young scorpiologist especially devoted to the genus Androctonus .

DIAGNOSIS. Adults large (females 73–88 mm, adult males unknown) for the genus. Coloration basically dark reddish brown; pedipalps and legs apically yellowish. Pedipalps long and slender, with hand conspicuously narrower than patella and weakly carinate; fixed and movable fingers with 14–15 principal rows of denticles, basal lobe/notch combination absent. Carapace densely granulose, with anterior and posterior median carinae strong. Sternite V with a smooth patch in both sexes (larger and bulkier in males), III without carinae, IV–V with two carinae, VI–VII with four carinae. Metasoma robust and deep (females have segments I–III wider than long, and all segments wider than deep), with 10-10-8-8- 5 complete to essentially complete carinae, most of which are coarsely serrate to crenulate; segments II–IV dorsolateral carinae with 1–2 enlarged terminal denticles; segment V ventrolateral carinae with 4–5 acutely flared denticles and anal arch with 3–5 poorly defined crenate lobes; all intercarinal spaces densely granulose. Telson slender, with vesicle small but somewhat globose, and aculeus remarkably longer than vesicle. Leg bristlecombs well developed on I–III, poorly defined on IV. Pectines with 28 teeth in males and 21–23 in females.

DESCRIPTION (adult female holotype). Coloration ( Figs. 19–34) uniformly dark reddish brown to unaided eye; ocular tubercles, eyes and distal part of aculeus blackish. Chelicerae very deeply infuscate. Pedipalps and legs progressively lighter apically, becoming yellowish, with carinae subtly infuscate and very faint traces of dark reticulations between carinae. Pectines yellow. Sternite V with the smooth patch yellow. Metasoma with carinae infuscate. Telson uniformly dark reddish brown, only with distal half of aculeus darker.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 21). With dentition typical for the genus; tegument polished and smooth except on dorsodistal portion of manus, which possesses coarse granules arranged in longitudinal ridges.

CARAPACE ( Fig. 21). Trapezoidal, slightly wider than long and with all carinae strongly granulose, but not fused into any particular configuration; tegument very densely covered by granules of all sizes; anterior margin very shallowly V-shaped (almost straight), with one pair of stout macrosetae; median eyes separate by much more than one ocular diameter; five pairs of lateral eyes: three large and aligned, plus two small and slightly offset.

MESOSOMA ( Figs. 22–23). Tergites very densely covered by granules of all sizes; I without carinae, II–VI with three carinae (median and submedians), which are moderate to strong and granulose, but not projected beyond posterior margin; VII with five carinae (median, submedians and laterals) which are strong and serrate. Sternum standard for the genus: type 1, relatively small, and markedly triangular in shape. Pectines long (reaching leg IV coxa/trochanter joint), narrow and densely setose; tooth count 22/22; basal plate heavily sclerotized and wider than long, anterior margin with strong median indentation, posterior margin widely convex. Sternites very sparsely setose; III–VI smooth and glossy, with well-developed granulose lateral areas and spiracles very elongate and slit-like, VI finely and very densely granulose; III without carinae, IV–V with a pair of lateral carinae that surrounds spiracles anteriorly and internally reaching posterior margin of sternite, VI with two pairs of carinae (a very weakly granulose to subcostate ventrosubmedian pair and a serrate lateral pair), VII with the same two pairs of carinae, all strongly serrate; sternite V with smooth patch medium-sized, subtriangular to subcordate, moderately bulky, sulcate along midline, and yellow.

METASOMA AND TELSON ( Figs. 32–34). Metasoma essentially glabrous, with all segments robust and deep (I–III wider than long, IV–V longer than wide; all segments wider than deep); intercarinal tegument of dorsal surface of I–IV smooth but with a large arrowheadshaped granulose patches medially, flanked by a few finely granulose reticulations, of lateral and ventral surfaces densely granulose and forming a clearly reticulate pattern; dorsal furrow moderately shallow and narrow on all segments; I–II with ten complete to almost complete carinae (lateral inframedian carinae becomes less defined on the basal third of II), III–IV with eight (even though two coarse granules remain as vestiges of the lateral inframedian carinae on the distal portion of II), and V with five: dorsolateral carinae on I–IV strongly serrato-crenulate to subdentate and progressively raised with 1–2 enlarged terminal denticles, lateral supramedian carinae strongly serrato-crenulate to subdentate and progressively raised on I–IV, moderately granulose and even on V, lateral inframedian carinae strongly serratocrenulate on I, moderately granulose to denticulate and progressively raised on II, ventrolateral carinae strongly serrato-crenulate to subdentate and even on I–IV, strongly dentate and progressively raised distally on V with 4–5 acutely flared denticles, anal arch with 3– 5 very poorly defined round lobes, ventrosubmedian carina on V strongly serrate to denticulate. Telson slen- der and sparsely setose; vesicle small but somewhat globose (1.34 times longer than wide, 1.13 times wider than deep), tegument glossy, with abundant coarse but weak granules and a coarse ventromedian carinae; subaculear tubercle absent; aculeus very long and moderately thick, markedly longer than vesicle, and evenly curved.

LEGS ( Figs. 24–25). Legs long, slender, and only sparsely setose; bristlecombs well-developed on I–III, poorly defined on IV; all carinae smooth to subserrate; intercarinal tegument coriaceous; tibial spurs absent from I– II, very large on III–IV; prolateral and retrolateral pedal spurs long and slender in all legs; ventral surface of all tarsomere II sharply edged and with two very irregular ventrosubmedian rows of thin spiniform setae, without median row of spinules; claws long and evenly curved.

PEDIPALPS ( Figs. 26–31). Pedipalps long and slender, essentially glabrous and orthobothriotaxic A-β. Femur slender and straight; all carinae moderate and finely granulose to denticulate; intercarinal tegument very finely and densely granulose. Patella slender and straight; all carinae moderate and finely granulose to costate; intercarinal tegument irregularly but finely granulose. Chela with hand narrower than patella, oval (1.58 times longer than wide) and with all carinae obsolete to weakly costate, intercarinal tegument coriaceous, with abundant minute granules on all surfaces; fingers long and slender (movable finger 2.50 times longer than underhand), evenly curved and with basal lobe/notch combination absent, fixed fingers with 15 principal rows of granules; movable fingers with 15 principal rows of granules and three terminal granules (large terminal denticle not included).

MALE (juvenile paratypes). Primary characters (i.e., not maturity-dependent) that evidence sexual dimorphism are: 1) genital papillae present; 2) pectines larger and with much higher tooth counts.

VARIATION. The size differences among adults studied by us indicate the existence of two size-classes in females ( Tab. 2). Diagnostically relevant morphometric ratios revealed to be positively correlated to size: the holotype and same-sized paratype (RTOC) are very similar, but the larger paratype (FKCP) has metasomal segments and pedipalps slightly more robust ( Tab. 3). This correlation is a very common occurrence among scorpions and has already been documented in other members of this genus studied recently (Kovařík & Ah- med, 2013; Teruel et al., 2013).

Count of teeth per pecten varied in females as follows: 21 (1), 22 (3), and 23 (2); both juvenile male possess 28/28. Most fingers possess 15 principal rows of denticles, but in a few the two basalmost rows are poorly defined or fused to yield a count of 14.

AFFINITIES. Amongst the 22 species currently recognized as valid in this genus (Turiel, 2013; Teruel et al., 2013), only A. bicolor , A. tenuissimus , and A. sergenti do share with A. turieli sp.n. the following combination of three characters in adults of both sexes: 1) coloration uniformly dark reddish brown to blackish; 2) pedipalps very slender, with chelae much narrower than patella; 3) pedipalp fingers without basal lobe/notch combination. All other species of Androctonus which have the same coloration also possess adult pedipalp chelae wider than patella, and with basal lobe/notch combination of fingers present at least in males.

Of them, the easiest to separate is A. sergenti : it differs remarkably from A. bicolor by having tergite I with three carinae, metasoma smooth and coarsely punctate at least in males ( Fig. 35), pedipalps less attenuate, and much more reduced granulation and carination on the body and appendages. Furthermore, A. sergenti is locally endemic in a small area of the high Anti-Atlas Mountains of south-central Morocco (Vachon, 1952).

In fact, A. turieli sp.n. is most similar to A. bicolor and A. tenuissimus : apart from exhibiting its own diagnostic attributes, it shares some diagnostic characters with each of these two species and it is also essentially intermediate between them in most morphometric ratios ( Tab. 3).

The best characters that unambiguously separate A. bicolor from A. turieli sp.n. are: 1) pedipalp fixed and movable fingers with 12–13 and 13–14 principal rows of denticles, respectively; 2) tergite I with three carinae; 3) metasoma deeper and more robust, with carinae coarser and intercarinal tegument much less granulose and glossy; 4) ventrolateral carinae on female metasomal segment V with the flared denticles much more irregular, larger, and lobate in shape; 5) metasomal segments II–III with lateral inframedian carinae complete and very strong, coarsely granulose. Further, there is a slight but consistent trend in A. bicolor to be smaller, darker, and to possess lower pectinal tooth counts.

On the other hand, A. tenuissimus can be readily distinguished from A. turieli sp.n. by: 1) pedipalps conspicuously more attenuate, with femur, patella, and chela much longer: 2) pedipalps with carinae stronger and intercarinal tegument of chela more densely granulose; 3) tergite I with three carinae; 4) metasoma less deeper and more slender (all segments longer than wide in females), with all carinae finer.

DISTRIBUTION ( Fig. 36). This scorpion is currently known only from the type locality, in the eastern coast of

Tunisia. Most of the records attributed by Vachon (1952) to A. aeneas aeneas most likely belong to A. turieli sp. n., but need to be verified.

COMMENTS. The taxonomic interpretation of A. aeneas aeneas made by Vachon (1952: 126-128) partially matches A. turieli sp. n., but the former is a nomen dubium (see above under A. bicolor ).