Mesobuthus thersites (C. L. Koch, 1839)

Kovařík, František, Fet, Victor, Gantenbein, Benjamin, Graham, Matthew R., Aydin, Ersen, Yağmur, Šťáhlavský, František, Nikita, Poverennyi & Novruzov, Nizami E., 2022, A revision of the genus Mesobuthus Vachon 1950 with a description of 14 new species (Scorpiones Buthidae), Euscorpius 348, pp. 1-189 : 130-140

Mesobuthus thersites (C. L. Koch, 1839)

( Figures 883–950 , 1155, 1158, 1168, Table 11) http: //zoobank. org/urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: FFA27933-

C18B-4928-80A3-E4269B4272BA

Androctonus thersites C. L. Koch, 1839b: 51–52 , pl. CXCIII, fig. 466.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Koch’s type is lost and type locality unclear (see History of Study below). Neotype (designated here): Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda Province, S of Kyzylorda, 44°39'25"N 66°01'36"E (44.66°N 66.02°E), 127– 135 m a. s. l.; NMPC.

SYNONYMS:

Buthus eupeus mongolicus Birula, 1911a: 195–199 . Syn. n.

http: //zoobank. org/urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: EDCBCD86-

7D10-4FD6-AAEF-90CBD121B1A1

( TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. China, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Alxa League (Alashan Prefecture), Ting-yuan-ying ( Bayanhot ) (38.83°N 105.66°E); ZISP.

REFERENCES (selected):

?“[a variety of] Scorpio occitanus ”: Liechtenstein, 1823: 149.

Androctonus ornatus: Kessler, 1874: 19 (in part).

Buthus eupeus forma γ: Birula, 1896: 240 (in part).

Buthus eupeus thersites: Birula, 1904a: 20 ; Birula, 1904b: 29 (in part); Birula, 1905a: 122–123, fig. 3; Birula, 1911a: 198–199; Birula, 1911b: 165–167 (in part); Pavlovsky, 1916b: 35; Birula, 1917a: 29, 35, 41 (in part); Birula, 1925: 95; Pavlovsky, 1934: 200.

Buthus eupeus mongolicus: Birula, 1917a: 42 ; Birula, 1925: 96; Birula, 1927: 202.

Mesobuthus eupeus thersites: Vachon, 1958: 155 (in part); Fet, 1989: 91–99 (in part; complete references list for the former USSR); Gromov & Kopdykbaev, 1994: 20; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 175 (in part; complete references list until 1998); Gantenbein et al., 2003: 413 (in part: Kazakhstan); Shi et al., 2007: 216; Fomichev, 2011: 1–3, figs. 1–5; Sun & Sun, 2011: 70–71, fig. 10; Bragina & Yağmur, 2014: 1.

Mesobuthus eupeus mongolicus: Vachon, 1958: 155 ; Stahnke, 1967: 61–68, fig. 1–5, tab. I–II; Fet, 1994: 527; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 174; Gantenbein et al., 2003: 413; Shi et al., 2007: 216; Sun & Sun, 2011: 67–70, figs. 7–8, 10; Shi et al., 2015: 339–347; Heddergott et al., 2016: 147– 154, figs. 1–4, 7, tabs. 1–2 (complete list of records from Mongolia).

Mesobuthus eupeus: Fet et al., 2003: 3 : Shi et al., 2007: 215–224, figs. 1–3; Shi et al etc 2013: 1703; Zhang et al., 2020: 87 (in part).

Mesobuthus mongolicus: KovařÍk, 2019: 17 ; Shi et al., 2021: 1.

Mesobuthus thersites: KovařÍk, 2019: 17 .

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda Province, S of Kyzyl-Orda , 44°39'25"N 66°01'36"E (44.66°N 66.02°E), 127–135 m a. s. l., 26 May 2002, 1♂ (neotype of Androctonus thersites , designated here, Figs. 883–884 , 887, 889–891 , 895– 905 , 917, 919, 921–924 ), leg . V. Fet & A. Gromov , NMPC; China, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Alxa League (Alashan Prefecture), Ting-yuan-ying ( Bayanhot ) (38.83°N 105.66°E), July 1908, leg. P. Kozlov, 1♂ (lectotype of Buthus eupeus mongolicus , designated here) 1♀ (paralectotype of B. e. mongolicus ) , ZISP 359 ( Figs. 925–950 ) .

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. China, 3♂ 3♀, 1991–1992 , FKCP. Kazakhstan, Almaty Province, ca 20 km SEE of Koktepek , 46°01'N 79°42'E (46.02°N 79.70°E), 11–12 June 2001, 1♀ juv., leg. A. Gromov , NMPC; ca 6 km NNEE of Kapchagay , 43°56'N 77°05'E (43.93°N 77.08°E), 11 May 2001, 1♀ 2juvs., leg. A. Gromov , NMPC; 15 km NNW from Karabastau Village, Tyrnakty Natural Reserve , 43°53'N 75°30'E (43.88°N 75.50°E), mountain stony steppe with rocks, 850–950 m a. s. l., 20–22 April 2016, 2♀, leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; Jizzak Province, Farish District, near Shardara , 41°12'52"N 68°30'34"E (41.20°N 68.50°E), 285 m a. s. l., 23 May 2002, 2juvs., leg . V. Fet (NG-051) , NMPC; Kostanay Province, Amangeldy District, “Altyn Dala” State Nature Reservаt (49.50°N 64.83°E), Site Altybai, 12 May 2013, 1♀ juv., leg . T. M. Bragina , AZMM; Site Rakhmet , 4 July 2013, 2♂ 2juvs ., AZMM, near the Ulyzhilanshik River , 4♂ 3♀ 2juvs., leg . T. M. Bragina , AZMM; Kyzylorda Province, S of Kyzyl-Orda , 44°39'25"N 66°01'36"E (44.65°N 66.02°E), 127–135 m a. s. l., 26 May 2002, 2♂ 5♀ 7juvs., leg . V. Fet & A. Gromov; Shiili (Chiili) District , ca. 2.5 km NW of Baigakum, 44°20'37"N 66°27'07"E (44.33°N 66.45°E), 137 m a. s. l., 25 May 2002, 1♂ 6♀ 3juvs., leg . V. Fet & A. Gromov (NG- 015) , NMPC; Turkistan Province, Turkistan , 43°19'02"N 68°13'35"E (43.32°N 68.22°E), 212 m a. s. l., 27 May 2002, 1♂ juv., leg. A. Gromov (NG-069) , NMPC; Karatau Mts., Turlan Pass , 43°34'58"N 68°57'13"E (43.57°N 68.95°E), 963 m a. s. l., 27 May 2002, 1♂ juv., leg. A. Gromov (NG-040) , NMPC; Karatau Mts., Turlan Pass , 43°35'40"N 68°58'55"E (43.59°N 68.98°E), 832 m a. s. l., 27 May 2002, 1♂ juv., leg. A. Gromov (NG-041) , NMPC; Kyzylkum Sands, Kayraktau Mts. , 42°17'53.8"N 67°46'21"E (42.28°N 67.77°E), 314 m a. s. l., 28 April 2017, 5♀ 2juvs., leg. Yu. V. Dyachkov , NMPC; Karatau Mt. Range, Syrdarya-Turkestan National Park, near Terekty Village , Boralday River , 42°51'48.2"N 69°51'55"E (42.85°N 69.85°E), 529 m a. s. l., 14–15 May 2017, 2♀ 4juvs., leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; Beltau Mts. , 41°50'09.9"N 68°32'15.4"E (41.83°N 68.53°E), 392 m a. s. l., 8–9 June 2017, 2♂ 5♀ 1juv., leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; 50 km NW Achisay Village, Kyzylkol Lake shore, 43°46'34"N 69°30'36.4"E (43.77°N 69.50°E), 328 m a. s. l., 9 May 2017, 1♀ juv., leg. Yu. V. Dyachkov , NMPC; Western Tian Shan, Ugamskiy Mt. Range, Sayram-Ugamskiy National Park , 10 km N Tyulkubas Village, Iirsu Gorge , 42°24'58"N 70°21'30.08"E (42.40°N 70.35°E), 1296 m a. s. l., 16–18 May 2017, 3♂ 1juv., leg. Yu. V. Dyachkov , NMPC; 10 km SW Abay Village, Karatau Mt. Range, Kelinshektau Mts., Karatau Nature Reserve , 43°47'04.2"N 68°46'42"E (43.78°N 68.77°E), 1029 m a. s. l., 6–7 May 2017, 2♂ 2♀ 2juvs., leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; Zhambyl Province, Moyinkum Sands , SW of Lake Balkhash, 44.17°N 71.12°E, 350 m a. s. l., 28 May 2002, 1♀ juv., leg . V. Fet & A. Gromov (NG-043) , NMPC; Moyinkum Sands , SW of Lake Balkhash, 44°51'03"N 74°07'05"E (44.85°N 74.12°E), 362 m a. s. l., 28 May 2002, 2juvs., leg . V. Fet & A. Gromov (NG-054) , NMPC; same locality, 1♂ 1♀ 19juvs., leg . V. Fet (NG-111) , NMPC; Moyinkum Sands , SW of Lake Balkhash, 44°10'49"N 73°48'54"E (44.17°N 73.80°E), 28 May 2002, 1juv., leg . V. Fet & A. Gromov (NG-056) , NMPC. Kyrgyzstan: Talas Province, Kara-Buura District , 15 km S of Kyzyl-Adyr, 42°29'12.7"N 71°31'32.5"E (42.48°N 71.52°E), 1392 m a. s. l., 14 July 2021, 4♂ 1♀ (Nos. 1950, 1951), leg. W. Grosser. Mongolia, Khovd Province, Bodonchiyn-Gol River Valley, 38 km SW from Altai Village , 45°45'N 92°11'E (45.75°N 92.18°E), stony desert, 1300 m a. s. l., 7–8 May 2012, 1♀1♀ juv., leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; Uenchiyn-Gol River Valley, 23 km SW from Uench Village , 45°54'05"N 91°50'20"E (45.90°N 91.83°E), sandy desert, 1200 m a. s. l., 13–14 May 2012, 1♂, leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; Arshantyn-Nuruu Mountain Range , 46°16'48"N 91°16'53"E (46.16°N 91.16°E), mountain stony steppe, 1560 m a. s. l., 14 May 2012, 1♀, leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; Baitag-Bogd-Uul Mountain Range, Baruun-Khargaityn-Gol River Valley , 45°17'N 90°57'E (45.28°N 90.95°E), stony desert with rocks, 1900–2000 m a. s. l., 21 May 2015, 1♂, leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; Baitag-Bogd-Uul Mountain Range, Baruun-Khargaityn-Gol River Valley , 45°17'N 90°58'E (45.28°N 90.97°E), 1900-2000 m a. s. l., 19–22 May 2015, 1♀ 2♂, leg. A. A. Kechaikin , NMPC; Bodonchiyn-Gol River Basin, Khondiyn-Gol River Valley , 46°08'N 92°30'E (46.13°N 92.30°E), stony semi-desert with rocks, 1750– 1900 m a. s. l., 26–28 June 2015, 1♀, leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; Dood-Nariyn-Gol River Valley , 46°29'N 91°24'E (46.48°N 91.40°E), mountain stony steppe with rocks, in the nighttime, 1500 m a. s. l., 7–8 July 2015, 1♂ 1♀ juv., leg. A. A. Fomichev , NMPC; South Gobi Province, 90 km NW Dalanzadgad 43.57°N 104.39°E, 22 July 1986, 1♀ , NMPC; SW. Gobi, Tsagan Bogd env., 42.83°N 98.98°E, IX.1999, 1♀ 2juvs ., FKCP; Galbyn-Gobi , 42°35'9.4"N 105°45'44.8"E (42.58°N 105.45°E), 1 July 2009, 3♂ 3♀, leg. M. Heddergott , NMPC; Dumdajn-gol , 42°36'6.6"N 105°55'39.7"E (42.60°N 105.92°E), 3 July 2009, 1♂ 1♀, leg. M. Heddergott , NMPC; Somon Maulai / Bajan-gol , 43°35'29.5"N 107°35'40.1"E (43.58°N 107.58°E), 1 August 2009, 2♂ 1♀, leg. M. Heddergott , NMPC; Somon Maulai , 43°54'21.4"N 107°43'35.81"E (43.90°N 107.72°E), 2–4 August 2009, 4♂, leg. M. Heddergott , NMPC.

DNA DATA. Mesobuthus thersites was represented in our survey by 12 DNA sequences from 10 localities in Kazakhstan, two sequences from Kyrgyzstan, and one sequence from China. We also included one representative sequence from Mongolia published by Shi et al. (2013) ( Table 16).

DIAGNOSIS. Total length of adults 32 mm (male) to 60 mm (female). Trichobothrium db on fixed finger of pedipalp situated between trichobothria est and esb, near to est. Male with fingers proximally more twisted than in female. Pedipalp chela length/width ratio 3.2–3.3 in male and 3.0– 3.2 in female. Pectinal teeth number 22–28 in male, 17–23 in female. Chelicerae yellow, without reticulation. Pedipalps and metasoma very sparsely hirsute. Carapace and tergites yellowish to reddish brown, black pigmented, metasoma, telson, pedipalps and legs reddish brown but can be almost black. Femur of pedipalp with 4–5 granulated carinae. Patella with 8 usually smooth carinae, only dorsal carinae can be granulated. Chela lacks carinae. Movable fingers of pedipalps with 11–12 cutting rows of denticles and 5 terminal denticles. Central lateral and posterior lateral carinae of carapace not joined to form a continuous linear series of granules to posterior margin. Sternite VII medially smooth with 4 well marked smooth or granulated carinae. Metasomal segment I with 10 carinae; segments II to IV with 8 carinae, other two carinae are indicated by incomplete row of denticles on metasomal segments II and III; segment V with 5 carinae. Intercarinal surfaces on metasomal segments ventral and lateral smooth. Length to depth ratio of metasoma III 1.0–1.4, metasoma IV 1.35–1.6 in both sexes. Telotarsus III ventral setation represented by short and strong spiniform setae. Tarsi hirsute, in adults with 8–12 retroinferior macrosetae on basitarsus III. Telson elongated in male and rather bulbous in female. Anal lobe divided into two parts.

HISTORY OF STUDY. The holotype of Androctonus thersites , described by Carl L. Koch in 1839, came from the Nuremberg collection of Jacob Sturm (1771–1848), a famed engraver and insect collector. This specimen is now lost, and its provenance is unknown. By tradition, this name is used for the oldest Mesobuthus taxon described from the former Russian Central Asia. Birula (1917a: 41) wrote:

“The name Androctonus thersites was given by C. L. Koch to a specimen wanting any indication as to the place of origin, found in Stturm’s collection. In my opinion, the description and picture indicate that the scorpion belongs to the B[uthus]. eupeus differing from it only by its paler coloration. According to some characters which can be seen in Koch’s illustration, such as the strongly thickened chela with large raptorial denticles on fingers although the specimen is a female (combs with 20 teeth), and also the weak pigmentation on the back, I have assigned the specific name given by Koch to the Turkestan race of B. eupeus . It is possible that the abovementioned specimen reached Sturm’s collection from the collections made by Eversmann and Pander (1820–1821) or by Eversmann (1824). However, the subspecific name thersites may designate the Turkestan race of B. eupeus (C. L. Koch) only until investigation of the holotype (if accessible).”

Eduard Eversmann and Christian Pander were the first Russian naturalists who traveled in Central Asia in a diplomatic mission to Bukhara (now Uzbekistan) in 1820–1821. The expedition, led by Alexander Negri, traveled from Orenburg in the Urals via the Kyzylkum Desert. MlÍkovský & Frahnert (2009) provided detailed information about this expedition and reconstruced the expedition route. Numerous specimens (mainly of vertebrates) were collected, and some were sent to Berlin (ZMHB). Indeed, C. L. Koch himself described two spiders from Eversmann collection (“Buchara”): Salticus tricinctus (Koch, 1846) and Alopecosa obsoleta (Koch, 1846) .

No scorpions originating from Eversmann’s collections were ever reported by Koch, Birula, or other specialists. However, we discovered that, in his brief description of the natural history results of this expedition, the famous zoologist Hinrich Liechtenstein (1823: 149) (Eversmann’s teacher and then the Director of ZMHB) mentioned "Eine Abänderung des [a variety of] Scorpio occitanus ”, found from Bukhara to Syr Darya. This is the very first published scientific record of scorpions from Central Asia, clearly referring to a Mesobuthus or/and Olivierus sp. This indicates that scorpions indeed were collected by Eversmann and Pander as early as 1820.

On our request, Jason Dunlop (pers. comm.) searched ZMHB collection, and discovered several unpublished Eversmann’s specimens from “ Russia ” (“Russland”), without any original label, later identified by someone as “ Buthus gibbosus ”. These specimens (5♂ 2♀), which have no type status, were loaned and studied by us. We confirm that they indeed belong to M. thersites , and therefore were likely collected during the Bukhara expedition and sent to Berlin ( ZMHB) by Eversmann. These are possibly the oldest scorpion specimens in ZMHB. Coloration in these specimens has entirely disappeared .

To designate the neotype, we chose a well-studied population in the Kyzylkum Desert near Syrdarya River ( Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda Province), close to Baigakum (formerly Djulek). There, the very first biological observations were made on Central Asian buthid scorpions by Evgenii N. Pavlovsky a century ago ( Pavlovsky, 1916a, 1916b). The locality was last visted by V. F. and A. Gromov in May 2002; based on their field material, Baigakum was also recently designated as a type locality for as many as three other scorpion species: Anomalobuthus pavlovskyi Teruel et al., 2018 , Olivierus mikhailovi Fet et al., 2021 , and Orthochirus melanurus ( Kessler, 1874) ( Fet et al., 2021; KovařÍk et al., 2020; Teruel et al., 2018). Koch’s description (20 pectinal teeth) suggests that the holotype was a female. We selected a female with 20 pectinal teeth as a neotype of Mesobuthus thersites (C. L. Koch, 1839) . Eversmann and Pander in 1820 and 1821 crossed the Syrdarya River somewhat further downstream, at the point when later (1853) the Russian fort of Kazaly will be constructed, now Kazalinsk (Kyzyl-Orda Province; 45.7667°N 62.1167°E). The world-famous Baikonur spaceport (established in 1955) is located nearby.

Birula (1911a) described a subspecies Buthus eupeus mongolicus , collected by the famous Russian explorer Petr Kozlov (1863–1935) in his 1907–1909 expeditions to the Gobi Desert. His syntypes included seven lots (labels) (our translation from German with preserved toponym spelling), of which in ZISP were found the following ones: “ 2♀, Jchegun-chara-teg, road from the mouth of the Ezsin-gol River to Gobi Altai, central Mongolia ; 1♂, “road from Lan-tschoufu (Gansu Province) to the Dyn-juan-in Oasis (Alashan Province)”, China ; 17♂ 1♀ 1juv., Dyn-juan-in Oasis , Alashan Province, China ; 2 subadult ♀, Jinbeichu, Alashan Province, China . We designated a lectotype ♂ of B. e. mongolicus from Ting-yuan-ying ( Bayanhot ) (spelled “Dyn-juan-in” in Birula’s German text) .

Our DNA phylogeny implies that the same species inhabits Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and China. A COI sequence from the Gobi Desert in China ( Gantenbein et al., 2003) and a representative sequence from Mongolia (from Shi et al., 2013) group well inside the M. thersites clade, joining northern Kazakhstan population (Bakanas, at the Ili River) and Kyrgyzstan population from Talas. Shi et al. (2007) reported 36 localities in China (Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia); the southernmost locality was Jingyuan (36.50°N 104.60°E). For detailed information about distribution and ecology of this species in China, see Shi et al. (2007, 2013, 2015, 2021), and in Mongolia (as M. e. mongolicus ), see Heddergott et al. (2016).

COMMENTS. We have no confident confirmation of presence of this species in Russia or Uzbekistan, but there are populations, formerly identified as M. eupeus or M. e. thersites , in the areas of these countries bordering Kazakhstan. Their taxonomic status requires clarification.

DISTRIBUTION. China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia (Figs. 1155, 1158).

Figures

Figures 883–886: Mesobuthus thersites from Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda Province, S of Kyzylorda. Figures 883–884. Male neotype, dorsal (883) and ventral (884) views. Figures 885–886. Female, dorsal (885) and ventral (886) views. Scale bars: 10 mm (883–884, 885–886).

Figures 887–894: Mesobuthus thersites from Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda Province, S of Kyzylorda. Figures 887, 889–891. Male neotype, telson lateral (887), metasoma and telson, lateral (889), dorsal (890), and ventral (891) views. Figures 888, 892–894. Female, telson lateral (888), metasoma and telson, lateral (892), dorsal (893), and ventral (894) views. Scale bars: 10 mm (889–891, 892–894).

Figures 895–916: Mesobuthus thersites from Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda Province, S of Kyzylorda, pedipalp.Figures 895–905. Male neotype, chela, dorsal (895), external (896), and ventral (897) views. Patella, dorsal (898), external (899) and ventral (900) views. Femur and trochanter, internal (901), dorsal (902), and ventral (903) views. Movable (904) and fixed (905) fingers. Figures 906–916. Female, chela, dorsal (906), external (907), and ventral (908) views. Patella, dorsal (909), external (910) and ventral (911) views. Femur and trochanter, internal (912), dorsal (913), and ventral (914) views. Movable (915) and fixed (916) fingers. The trichobothrial pattern is indicated in Figures 895–899, 901–902.

Figures 917–924: Mesobuthus thersites from Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda Province, S of Kyzylorda. Figures 917, 919, 921–924. Male neotype, chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–IV (917), sternopectinal region and sternites (919), and left legs I–IV, retrolateral aspect (921–924). Figures 918, 920. Female, chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (918), sternopectinal region and sternites (920).

Figures 925–928: Mesobuthus thersites, lectotype (male) and paralectotype (female) of Buthus eupeus mongolicus. Figures 925–926. Male, dorsal (925) and ventral (926) views. Figures 927–928. Female, dorsal (927) and ventral (928) views. The label (ZISP 359) says, in Russian and Latin: top, “Buthus eupeus mongolicus Bir[ula]. Det.: A. Birula. Coll.: № 22, Mongolia, Alashan, near Dyn-yuan-in, VII.1904, P. Kozlov. Mong[olian]. Sytch[uan]. Exp[edition].”. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 929–934: Mesobuthus thersites, lectotype (male) and paralectotype (female) of Buthus eupeus mongolicus. Figures 929–931. Male, metasoma and telson, lateral (929), dorsal (930), and ventral (931) views. Figures 932–934. Female, metasoma and telson, lateral (932), dorsal (933), and ventral (934) views. Scale bars: 10 mm (929–931, 932–934).

Figures 935–950: Mesobuthus thersites, lectotype (male) and paralectotype (female) of Buthus eupeus mongolicus. Figures 935–936, 946, 948. Female, pedipalp chela, dorsal (935) and external (936). Chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (946) and sternopectinal region and sternite III (948). Figures 937–945, 947, 949–950. Male, chela, dorsal (937), external (938), and ventral (939) views. Patella, dorsal (940), external (941) and ventral (942) views. Femur and trochanter, dorsal (943). Movable finger (944). Chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (945) and sternopectinal region and sternite III (947). Left legs III–IV, retrolateral aspect (949–950).