Sahil, Kovařík, 2024

Kovařík, František, 2024, Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part XXXI. Two new genera from Somaliland: gen n gen n (Buthidae), Euscorpius 386, pp. 1-11 : 3-8

Sahil gen. n.

( Figs. 2–32 , Table 1) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C32105D2-

C3FD-46C5-AADC-0BB5A5B6B5D6

TYPE SPECIES. Sahil elmii sp. n .

ETYMOLOGY. The generic name Sahil (masculine) is given after the region of occurrence.

DIAGNOSIS (♂). Adult size small, total length of male 28 mm. Carapace trapezoidal, granulate, without carinae which are partlY indicated, anterior margin almost straight; median eYes large, ocular tubercle raised; five pairs of lateral eYes present, two reduced in size. Sternum tYpe 1, relativelY small, and triangular to subpentagonal in shape; posterior depression verY large and deep. Pectines large, with 24–25 teeth in male; fulcra present. Tergites I–VI tricarinate, all tergites granulate. Sternites with slit-like spiracles; sternite V without a well-defined smooth patch; sternites without carinae. Metasomal segments relativelY short and stout, nearlY uniform in width, with carination well developed; metasoma I–IV with 10 carinae; enlarged dentition on ventrolateral and ventromedian carinae of metasoma II– III; metasoma V with irregular, enlarged lobate dentition on ventrolateral carinae; metasoma and telson with hirsute. Telson with elongate vesicle, aculeus stout, about same length as vesicle, subaculear tubercle absent. Cheliceral dentition follows tYpical buthid pattern (Vachon, 1963), fixed finger with two denticles on ventral surface. Pedipalps slender, patella slightlY narrower than chelae; trichobothrial pattern neobothriotaxic tYpe C, femur with trichobothrium d 2 absent, d 1 - d 3 - d 4 arranged in b- configuration (non-reflex angle opening internallY), patella d 3 located between dorsomedian and dorsointernal carinae, chela manus Eb 1 - Eb 2 - Eb 3 in δ configuration, V 1 - V 2 axis straight, eb on distal manus (not fixed finger), fixed finger with db situated near base of finger and distal to est, dt on anterior part of finger distal to et (et is between dt and est); dentate margins of pedipalp fingers straight, without lobe/ notch combination, equipped with 7 (movable finger) or 8 (fixed finger) rows of median denticles arranged nearlY linearlY, non-imbricated, rows I–VI flanked bY a single external and internal accessorY granule; 5 subterminal granules. Legs I–III with tibia and tarsi short, curved, flat, with setation modified into bristlecombs on basitarsi onlY, telotarsi with two rows of long setae on ventral surface; tibial spurs moderate, tarsal spurs well-developed

AFFINITIES. Sahil gen. n. belongs to the ‘ Buthus ’ group of Fet et al., 2005 ( ŠtundlovÁ et al., 2022), according to the following characters: trichobothrial pattern tYpe A-β; patella trichobothrium d 3 internal to dorsomedian carina, manus Eb 1 - Eb 2 - Eb 3 in δ configuration; tibial spurs present on legs III–IV; pedipalp chela finger median denticle rows non-imbricated; and posterior margins of tergite VII & metasoma I–III bearing fringes of microsetae. Within this group, it is similar to other small-sized, monotYpic genera from Asia, Kraepelinia Vachon, 1974 and Fetilinia Lowe & KovařÍk, 2021 , which also have: enlarged dentition on ventrolateral and ventromedian carinae of metasoma II–III; irregular, enlarged lobate dentition on ventrolateral carinae of metasoma V; and trichobothrium eb located on distal manus. However, Kraepelinia differs from Sahil gen. n. in several other characters: thickened pedipalp fingers that are atYpical for buthids; smooth carapace and tergites; metasoma V with large, lobate denticles on ventral surface; telson bulbous and granulate. Fetilinia differs from Sahil gen. n. in different shape of carapace (posterior/anterior margins width ratio is 1.8 in Sahil gen. n. and 2.2 in Fetilinia ); wider metasomal segments; and granulated sternites. Chelal trichobothria dt situated at anterior part of finger distal to et (et is localized between dt and est) in Sahil gen. n. (dt at midfinger and level with et in Fetilinia ).

Other small-sized buthid genera found in the region (Horn of Africa) stronglY differ from Sahil gen. n. Gint has movable finger of pedipalp with 8–10 subrows of denticles, femur petite trichobothrium present, and narrower metasomal and pedipalp segments. Lanzatus KovařÍk, 2001 has ventral aspect of cheliceral fixed finger with single denticle and metasomal segments acarinate. Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 has ventral aspect of cheliceral fixed finger with single denticle, movable finger of pedipalp with 4–6 subrows of denticles, pedipalp manus trichobothrium V 2 positioned internal relative to V 1, short metasoma macrosetae in males, and telson vesicle posterior ventral surface steeplY sloped. Somalibuthus KovařÍk, 1998 has strong anterosubmedian carinae on the carapace, ventral aspect of cheliceral fixed finger with a single denticle, pedipalp manus trichobothrium V 2 positioned internal relative to V 1, and non-lobate dentition on the ventrolateral carinae of metasoma V.

DISTRIBUTION. Known onlY from the tYpe localitY in Somaliland ( Fig. 32 ).

Figures

Figures 32. Sahil elmii gen. et sp. n., tYpe localitY, Somaliland, Laas Dhuure Village.

Figures 2–3. Sahil elmii gen. et sp. n., male holotYpe in dorsal (2) and ventral (3) views. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 4–10: Sahil elmii gen. et sp. n., male holotYpe, metasoma and telson under white light (4–7) and under UV fluorescence (8–10). Figure 4. Telson lateral. Figures 5–10. Metasoma and telson lateral (5, 8), ventral (6, 9), and dorsal (7, 10) views. Scale bar: 10 mm (5–10).

Figures 11–12. Sahil elmii gen. et sp. n., male holotYpe, carapace and tergites I–IV (11) and coxosternal area and sternites (12) under white light.

Figures 13–14. Sahil elmii gen. et sp. n., male holotYpe, carapace and tergites I–IV (13) and coxosternal area and sternites (14). under UV fluorescence

Figures 15–31: Sahil elmii gen. et sp. n., male holotYpe. Figures 15–25. Pedipalp segments, chela dorsal (15), external (16), ventral (17) views, patella dorsal (18), external (19), and ventral (20) views, femur and trochanter internal (21), dorsoexternal (22), and ventrointernal (23) views, movable (24) and fixed (25) finger dentition. Trichobothrial pattern is indicated bY white circles in Figures 15–19 and 21–22. Figures 26–29. Right legs I–IV, retrolateral aspect (respectivelY). Figures 30–31. Chelicerae dorsal (30) and ventral (31).