Orthochirus gruberi, Kovařík & Fet, 2006

Kovařík, František & Fet, Victor, 2006, Taxonomic position of the genus Simonoides Vachon et Farzanpay, 1987, and description of a new species of Orthochirus Karsch from Iran (Scorpiones, Buthidae), Euscorpius 38 (38), pp. 1-10 : 4-8

Orthochirus gruberi sp. n.

( Figs. 4–6 , Table 1)

Type locality and type repository. Iran, near Ğoupār , 30°08' N, 57°09' E ( FKCP) .

Type material. Iran, near Ğoupār , 30°08' N, 57°09' E, April 2004, 1♀ (holotype), coll. R. Demis ( FKCP) .

Other material. None.

Etymology. Named after Dr. Jürgen Gruber of the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, who helped us resolve the taxonomic status of the genus Simonoides .

Diagnosis: Metasomal segments IV and V ventrally punctate and without carinae. Spaces among punctae smooth, without granules. Entire pedipalp, metasoma, and telson hirsute. Dorsal surface of all metasomal segments mesially smooth, without granules. Mesosoma , metasoma, femur and patella of pedipalps black, telson reddish brown to black, femur and patella of legs and chela of pedipalps yellowish green, tibiae of legs yellow to yellowish green. Movable fingers of pedipalps bear 7 rows of granules with internal and external granules and 2 distal granules. Tarsomere I of legs I to III with bristlecombs, legs IV without bristlecombs. Pectinal teeth number 20.

Description: The adult female holotype is 37.5 mm long. Measurements of the carapace, telson, segments of the metasoma and segments of the pedipalps, and numbers of pectinal teeth are given in Table 1. For habitus see Figs. 4 and 5 . The distance between trichobothria d 1 and d 3 on the femur of pedipalp approximately equals that between d 3 and d 4; trichobothrium e 1 is situated between d 3 and d 4.

Coloration: Mesosoma , metasoma, femur and patella of pedipalps black, telson reddish brown to black, femur and patella of legs and chela of pedipalps yellowish green, tibiae of legs yellow to yellowish green. The seventh sternite is black, other sternites are yellowish green.

Mesosoma and carapace: The mesosoma bears a median carina and is densely granulated. The carapace is densely granulated, only the interocular triangle is smooth. The sternite VII bears four granulated carinae, the other sternites are smooth. Pectinal teeth number 20.

Metasoma and telson: The segment I bears 10 granulated carinae. The segments II and III lack lateral carinae, the segment IV bears only dorsal carinae, and the segment V bears dorsal carinae and two incomplete ventrolateral carinae present only in the posterior half and composed of large teeth. All segments are smooth and punctated. Punctation is weak on segments I to III, and better developed on segments IV and V ( Fig. 6 ). Spaces among punctae are smooth. The dorsal surface of all segments is mesially smooth except for several tubercles along dorsolateral carinae. The entire metasoma and telson are hirsute. The telson is punctate and lacks granules.

Pedipalps: The femur of pedipalp bears four smooth carinae. The patella has seven smooth carinae, and the chela has smooth carinae which may be discernible throughout the length of the fixed finger. The entire pedipalps are hirsute. The movable fingers bear 7 rows of granules with external and internal granules and two distal granules.

Legs: The femur bears four granulated carinae, the patella bears five carinae, and the tibia is smooth. The patella bears only a few solitary hairs and spines. The tibia bears several spines, namely on the outer side where they form two rows. Tarsomere I of legs I to III bears bristlecombs composed of 5–8 bristles each, legs IV lack bristlecombs.

Affinities: The described features distinguish Orthochirus gruberi sp. n. from all other species of the genus. O. gruberi sp. n. is close to O. zagrosensis Kovařík, 2004 , from which it differs chiefly in the hirsuteness of the metasoma and telson and presence of 7 rows of granules on the movable fingers of pedipalps, O. zagrosensis having 8 or 9 rows.

Combination of the eight characters (and of characters 1 and 3 alone) presented in Table 2 allows to reliably distinguish all Asian species of Orthochirus from O. gruberi sp. n.

The following species, which we have not had an opportunity to examine, cannot be placed in the key ( Tab. 2): Orthochirus danielleae (Lourenço et Vachon, 1997) , Orthochirus erardi (Lourenço et Vachon, 1997) , and Orthochirus monodi (Lourenço et Vachon, 1997) . Of these, only Orthochirus danielleae shares hirsute telson with O. gruberi sp. n. According to the very brief description of O. danielleae , it has 18 pectinal teeth and is known from Afghanistan (see Lourenço & Vachon, 1997: 334); since types were not available for the study, we cannot unequivocally determine at this moment if the two are synonymous or not.

Characters and geographic distribution 12345678 Af In Ir Iq Ka Ta Tu Uz Pa Orthochirus afghanus Kovařík, 2004 11110001 x – – – – – – – – Orthochirus bicolor (Pocock, 1897) 11110111? x – – – – – –? Orthochirus farzanpayi (Vachon & Farzanpay, 1987) 10110001 – – x – – – – – – Orthochirus feti Kovařík, 2004 01010001 – – – – – – – x – Orthochirus flavescens (Pocock, 1897) 12110111? x – – – – – –? Orthochirus fuscipes (Pocock, 1900) 11110021 – – x – – – – – x Orthochirus gromovi Kovařík, 2004 01010001 – – – – – – x – – Orthochirus gruberi sp. n. 11010001 – – x – – – – – – Orthochirus heratensis Kovařík, 2004 01010001 x – – – – – – – – Orthochirus iranus Kovařík, 2004 12112011 – – x – – – – – – Orthochirus iraqus Kovařík, 2004 11110001 – – – x – – – – – Orthochirus jalalabadensis Kovařík, 2004 11111002 x – – – – – – – – Orthochirus pallidus (Pocock, 1897) 1?101000 x x – – – – – – x Orthochirus samrchelsis Kovařík, 2004 10110001 x – – – – – – – – Orthochirus scrobiculosus (Grube, 1873) 01110001 x? x? x x x x? Orthochirus varius Kovařík, 2004 12110000 – – x – – – – – – Orthochirus zagrosensis Kovařík, 2004 11110001 – – x – – – – – –

Figures

Figure 4: Orthochirus gruberi sp. n., female holotype, dorsal aspect.

Figure 5: Orthochirus gruberi sp. n., female holotype, ventral aspect.

Figure 6: Orthochirus gruberi sp. n., female holotype, metasoma, ventral aspect.