Hottentotta schach ( Birula, 1905 )

Kovařík, František, Yağmur, Ersen Aydin & Fet, Victor, 2019, Review of Hottentotta described by A. A. Birula, with descriptions of two new species and comments on Birula’s collection (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Euscorpius 282, pp. 1-30 : 14-15

Hottentotta schach ( Birula, 1905)

( Figs. 2, 73–74, 77–84, 87–110, Table 2)

Buthus schach Birula, 1905: 134 .

Buthus (Hottentotta) schach: Birula, 1917: 214 .

Hottentotta (Hottentotta) schach: Kovařík, 1998: 110 ; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 143.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Iran: Khoozestan Province , Dech-i-Dis (now Dehdez) ; ZISP.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Iran: Khoozestan Province , Dech-i- Dis (now Dehdez ), 25.XII.1903 (‘ Old Style’ here and below), 1♂ (lectotype hereby designated, Figs. 73–74, 77, 82–84, 87– 95, 103–104, 107–110) 1♀ (paralectotype, Figs. 78–81, 96–102, 105–106), leg. N. Zarudny, ZISP No. 1340. Other paralectotypes (all from Khoozestan Province): 1♂ 2♀ 3 juvs., ZISP No. 1340, same label as lectotype; Malamir Depression and Alhorshir Village, 28-30.XII.1903, 2juvs., leg. N. Zarudny, ZISP No. 1341; caravan-serai near Malamir, 4.IV.1904, 1♀ juv., leg. N. Zarudny, ZISP No. 1342; Dech-i-Dis (now Dehdez), 5-6.IV.1904, 1♀ juv., leg. N. Zarudny, ZISP No. 1343; between Sarkhun and Gamdalkal, 42 verst from Dech-i-Dis (now Dehdez), 9-10. IV.1904, 2♀ 2juvs., leg. N. Zarudny, ZISP No. 1344 .

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 90–130 mm. Trichobothrium db on fixed finger of pedipalp situated between trichobothria et and est, may be on level with est. Male with slightly longer and narrower metasomal and pedipalp segments, width of pedipalp chela same in both sexes. Pectinal teeth number 31–35 in males, 26–29 in females. Nearly entire body hirsute, pedipalps, dorsal surface of mesosoma, legs, lateral and ventral surfaces of metasomal segments, and vesicle rather densely hirsute. Setae on patella of pedipalps are long. Color black except reddish brown chela of pedipalps; sometimes ends of first and second tarsomeres yellow, coxa and trochanter on ventral side of mesosoma marbled, and pectens yellowish brown. Femur of pedipalp with 5 carinae. Patella with 8 carinae. Chela lacks carinae. Movable fingers of pedipalps with 15–16 rows of granules and 5–6 terminal granules. Seventh sternite with 4 well marked carinae. First metasomal segment with 10 carinae; second with 8 or 10 carinae; fourth with 8 carinae; fifth with 5 carinae, 3 ventral (one median, two lateral) and two dorsal. Dorsal surfaces of metasomal segment smooth without carinae. First and second metasomal segments of both sexes longer than wide. Second to fourth metasomal segment width ratio less than 1.2.

AFFINITIES. H. schach is most similar to H. zagrosensis . Both species occur in Iran, Khoozestan Province and are entirely black in color ( Figs. 73–74). However, H. zagrosensis is more densely hirsute and has deeper metasomal segments mainly in males ( Table 2). Both species are easy to differentiate according to the telson which is in H. zagrosensis more densely hirsute and bulbous while in H. schach the telson is elongate (see Figs. 75–78). Telson length/depth ratio is 3.18 in the male of H. schach and 2.48 in the male of H. zagrosensis ( Figs. 77 versus 75).

COMMENTS. The type series is represented by 18 specimens, collected in 1903-1904 by the famous Russian ortnothologist Nikolay A. Zarudny (1859–1919), who also collected many other scorpion types from Iran described by Birula. From these syntypes, we designated as the lectotype the exact male marked by Birula as “Type ♂ ad.” in the registration card ( Fig. 72). The dates of Zarudny’s travels are given according to the Old Style (Julian) calendar used in Russia before 1918 .

When Kovařík (2007) published the revision of Hottentotta , he incorrectly identified as H. schach another Iranian species, which is described below as H. Juliae sp. n. Only the study of the types of H. schach showed its real taxonomic position and morphological similarity with H. zagrosensis .