Pandipalpus lowei (Kovařík, 2012)

Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme & Elmi, Hassan Sh Abdirahman, 2020, Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part XXV. Description of Pandinurus awalei sp. n. and the male of Pandiborellius somalilandus (Kovařík, 2012), with remarks on recent synonymies (Scorpionidae: Pandininae), Euscorpius 322, pp. 1-21 : 18

Taxonomic position of Pandipalpus lowei (Kovařík, 2012)

Prendini & Loria (2020: 442) formally synonymized Pandinus lowei KovařÍk, 2012 under Pandinus viatoris Pocock, 1890 (both now in the genus Pandipalpus ), citing only “ unpublished data ” and not providing specific details or analyses to support their taxonomic act. They wrote: “ It is also evident, based firstly on the absence of consistent morphological differences, and secondly on low genetic divergence between samples collected at the type locality of Pandinus lowei Kovařík, 2012 , and across the distribution of P. viatoris (unpublished data), that these taxa are conspecific, justifying the following synonymy ”. However, the claim of “ the absence of consistent morphological differences ” is inconsistent with our data. For example, as illustrated in Figs. 77–81 , there are pronounced differences in the morphometrics and granulation of the pedipalp chelae of these two species. The P. viatorus male from Kamonga, Democratic Republic of Congo ( Fig. 79 ), a locality relatively close (250 km) to the type locality of P. lowei (Lusinga, Parc National de Upemba, Democratic Republic of Congo) has distinctly more elongate pedipalp fingers and weaker manus granulation vs. the P. lowei male ( Fig. 77 ). The chela of another P. viatorus male ( Fig. 81 ) is very similar, although it originates from Iringa, Tanzania, a locality separated from Kamonga by 1,100 km. Also very similar is the chela of another male from 92 km NW of Mpika, Zambia (460 km from Kamonga) (see fig. 38 in KovařÍk, 2012: 12). This indicates that the morphology is stable over the wide geographic range of P. viatoris (KovařÍk, 2012: 19, fig. 64), and there is no obvious character gradient that links or overlaps with P. lowei . Other diagnostic characters separating the two species were cited in KovařÍk (2012). The second justification of synonymy by “ low genetic divergence “ was not demonstrated in Prendini & Loria (2020), and there was no indication that the authors analyzed the types of these species. Considering the absence of convincing evidence for synonymy, and the documented morphological differences, we reinstate Pandipalpus lowei (KovařÍk, 2012) as a valid species distinct from P. viatoris (Pocock, 1890) .

Figures

Figures 77–81: Pedipalp chela dorsal views. Figures 77–78. Pandipalpus lowei, male (77) and female (78) paratypes from type locality. Figures 79–81. Pandipalpus viatoris, male (79) and female (80) from Democratic Republic of Congo, Kamonga (FKCP), and male (81) from Tanzania, Iringa Province (FKCP).