Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900)

Navidpour, Shahrokh, Ezatkhah, Majeed, Kovařík, František, Soleglad, Michael E. & Fet, Victor, 2011, Scorpions of Iran (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part VII. Kerman Province, Euscorpius 131 (131), pp. 1-32 : 17-19

Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900)

( Figs. 2 , 15 , 16 , 45–48)

Buthus zarudnyi gracilis Birula, 1900a: 368 .

Buthus (Buthus) zarudnyi gracilis : Birula, 1917: 240

Mesobuthus zarudnyi gracilis : Vachon, 1959: 141–146, figs. 23–26, 28–29, 31, 51; Vachon, 1966: 213; Habibi, 1971: 44; Farzanpay, 1988: 39; Kovařík, 1998: 115.

Sassanidothus zarudnyi gracilis : Fet & Lowe, 2000: 223.

Sassanidotus gracilis Kovařík & Fet, 2006b: 4 , figs. 2, 6–9.

= Buthus zarudnyi sarghadensis Birula, 1903: 70–71 (syn. by Kovařík & Fet, 2006b: 6)

Buthus (Buthus) zarudnyi sarghadensis : Birula, 1917: 240.

Mesobuthus zarudnyi sarghadensis : Vachon, 1959: 141, fig. 31; Vachon, 1966: 213; Habibi, 1971: 44; Farzanpay, 1988: 39; Kovařík, 1998: 115.

Sassanidothus zarudnyi sarghadensis : Fet & Lowe, 2000: 223.

=? Buthus gabrielis Werner, 1929: 244 , syn.n. (?).

Mesobuthus grabielis : Vachon, 1950: 153 (1952: 325); Vachon, 1966: 213; Habibi, 1971: 44; Farzanpay, 1988: 39.

Mesobuthus vesiculatus : Fet & Lowe, 2000: 180 (in part).

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Nasirabad , Seistan, eastern Persia, now Iran; ZISP .

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Iran, Sistan & Baluchistan Province , Nasirabad , Seistan , eastern Persia, 1♀ (holotype), coll. N. A. Zarudny ( ZISP No. 598); between Djuan-kan and Mirkala (Kala-i-mir), Mashkil and Djalak, Baluchistan, eastern Persia, 26–29 January 1901, 1♀ 1juv. (lectotype and paralectotype of Buthus zarudnyi sarghadensis ), coll. N. A. Zarudny ( ZISP No. 1356); between Mirkuh and Rik-i-malik, Sargad, Baluchistan, eastern Persia, 14–19 January 1901, 2♀ 4juvs. (paralectotypes of Buthus zarudnyi sarghadensis ), coll. N. A. Zarudny ( ZISP No. 1355) .

KERMAN PROVINCE MATERIAL EXAMINED [6 localities]. Iran, Kerman Province , Ghaleh ganj, Tarik mah vil., 27°37'40"N 57°56'26"E (27.6278, 57.9406), 417 m a.s.l. (Locality No. KE-12), IV.2009, 13♂ 8♀ ( RRLS), leg. Koohpaye, Jamalizadeh and Ebrahimi ; Ghaleh Ganj , Bolbol Abad vil., 27°38'38"N 57°56'22"E (27.6439, 57. 9394), 419 m a.s.l. (Locality No. KE-15), IV.2009, 4♂ 5♀ ( RRLS), 2♂ 1♀ ( FKCP), leg. Koohpaye, Jamalizadeh and Ebrahimi ; Zehkaloot-Jazmuriyan , 27°47’ 18"N 58°35'07"E (27.7883, 58.5853), 378 m a.s.l. (Locality No. KE-19), IV.2009, 2♂ 4♀ ( RRLS), 1♀ ( FKCP), leg. Koohpaye, Jamalizadeh and Ebrahimi ; Bam-Fahraj road, 28°56'05"N 58°52'48"E (28.9347, 58.8800), 688 m a.s.l. (Locality No. KE-23), IV.2009, 2♂ 1♀ ( RRLS), 3♂ 4♀ 1im., leg. Koohpaye, Jamalizadeh and Ebrahimi ; Bam-Fahraj road, Mozi Abad vil., 28°57'02"N 58°52'01"E (28.9506, 58.8669), 680 m a.s.l. (Locality No. KE-24), IV.2009, 1♀ ( RRLS), 1♀ ( FKCP), leg. Koohpaye, Jamalizadeh and Ebrahimi ; Jupar-Mahan road, 30°04'04"N 57°12'28"E (30.0678, 57.2078), 1885 m a.s.l. (Locality No. KE-112), VI.2009, 2♀ ( RRLS), 1♀ ( FKCP), leg. Koohpaye, Jamalizadeh and Ebrahimi.

DISCUSSION: The holotype of Buthus gabrielis Werner, 1929 was never revised and probably was destroyed during World War II. Fet & Lowe (2000: 180) synonymized this species with Mesobuthus vesiculatus ( Pocock, 1899) on the basis of Wernerś description and FMNH specimens labeled as Buthus gabrielis by Whittick in 1939 (see Fig. 15 ). These specimens indeed are Mesobuthus vesiculatus , but rather than from Kerman they come from Esfahan Province. Near Rudbar (or Bam), the type locality of Buthus gabrielis in Kerman Province, Navidpourś team (Koohpaye, Jamalizadeh and Ebrahimi) collected Mesobuthus macmahoni ( Pocock, 1900) and, more importantly, Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) , which is surprisingly similar to Mesobuthus vesiculatus (large telson, narrow metasoma) but differs in the granules on the movable fingers. It is thus possible that the morphological similarity confused Whittick, and led him to erroneously identify the FMNH specimens, and that Mesobuthus vesiculatus in fact does not occur in Kerman. Therefore, if we judge Buthus gabrielis Werner, 1929 by the type locality rather than by the FMNH specimens, we must allow for the possibility that it may be a synonym of Sassanidotus gracilis .

DISTRIBUTION: Iran, Sistan & Baluchistan Province (Birula, 1900a: 368), Kerman Province (first report); Afghanistan ( Vachon, 1959: 144); Pakistan (Kovařík & Fet, 2006b: 6).

Figures

Figure 15: Labels by Whittick in 1939 from FMNH.

Figure 16: Map of Kerman Province showing distribution of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) and Hemiscorpius lepturus Peters, 1861collected in this study.

Figures 2–3: Iran, Kerman Province. 2 (top). Ghaleh ganj, Bolbol Abad vil., 27°38'38"N 57°56'22"E, 419 m a.s.l. (Locality No. KE-15). Recorded occurrence of Mesobuthus eupeus persicus (Pocock, 1899) and Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900). 3 (bottom). Jamalizadeh and Ebrahimi; Badr abad, Narmashir, 28°54'36"N 58°42'14"E, 775 m a.s.l. (Locality No. KE-26). Recorded occurrence of Mesobuthus macmahoni (Pocock, 1900).