Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part VII. Parabuthus Pocock, 1890 (Buthidae) with description of P. hamar sp. n. and P. kajibu sp. n. from Ethiopia Author Kovařík, František Author Lowe, Graeme Author Plíšková, Jana Author Šťáhlavský, František text Euscorpius 2016 228 1 58 journal article 1536-9307 65077794-E810-4C60-B7C1-D19D97295CB4 Parabuthus pallidus Pocock, 1895 ( Figs. 87 , 144–163 , 192 , 201 , 204 , Table 1 ) Parabuthus pallidus Pocock, 1895: 312–314 ; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 208–209 (complete reference list until 2000); Kovařík, 2003: 145; Kovařík & Whitman, 2005: 111–112. = Parabuthus mixtus Borelli, 1925: 13–16 ; Caporiacco, 1941: 34; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 207 (syn. by Kovařík, 2003: 145). Figures 144–149: Parabuthus pallidus . Figures 144–145 . Male from locality 13EU in dorsal (144) and ventral (145) views. Figures 146–147: Female from locality 13EU in dorsal (146) and ventral (147) views. Scale bar (Figs. 144–147): 10 mm. Figures 148–149 . Pedipalp chela dorsal, male (148) and female (149) from locality 16EA. Figures 150–152: Parabuthus pallidus , males eating coleopteran larva (Fig. 150 under standard light/flash and Fig. 151 under UV light) and juvenile of Parabuthus hamar sp. n. (Fig. 152) at locality 13EP at night. More information in paragraph "Comments on life strategy" in P. pallidus section. Figures 153–157: Parabuthus pallidus , males observed at night at localities 13EJ (153, 155, 157) and 13EL (154) and a juvenile at locality 13EJ (156) feeding on Heteroptera (153), Solifugae (154), Gryllidae (155), and Caelifera (156). Figures 158–159: Parabuthus pallidus , female from locality 13EJ with first instar juveniles (158) and the same female with second instar juveniles after first ecdysis (159). Figures 160–161: Parabuthus pallidus , Localities 13EH (160), Oromia State, Borana Province, Wachille, 04°50'50"N 39°18'25.3"E, 808 m a.s.l. and 13EL (161), Oromia State, Borana Province, Yabello, 04°53'27.7"N 38°07'42.5"E, 1695 m a.s.l. Figures 162–163: Parabuthus pallidus , Localities 13EM (162), Oromia State, 04°58'05"N 37°53'13.2"E, 1327 m a.s.l. and 13EP (163), SNNPR, Tsamai, Luqua, 05°27'20"N 36°49'50"E, 660 m a.s.l. = Parabuthus mixtus obscurior Caporiacco, 1941: 34 ; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 207; Kovařík & Whitman, 2005: 111 (syn. by Kovařík, 2003: 145). = Parabuthus zavattarii Caporiacco, 1939: 305–306 ; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 211; Kovařík & Whitman, 2005: 112 (syn. by Kovařík, 2003: 145, 159). =? Riftobuthus inexpectatus Lourenço et al., 2010: 281 , figs. 1 and 2. Syn. n. (see comments under genus) TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY . Kenya , Mombasa; BMNH . TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED . Ethiopia , Sagan-Omo , El Banno , 2. V .1939, 1♀ 1im. ( lectotype and paralectotype No. 1 of Parabuthus mixtus obscurior Caporiacco, 1941 ), leg. E. Zavattari , rev. M. Vachon (VA 1578), MZUF No. 547 . Somalia , Balad , 2♀ ( lectotype and paralectotype of Parabuthus mixtus Borelli, 1925 ), MCSN . ADDITIONAL ETHIOPIAN MATERIAL RECENTLY EXAM- INED . Ethiopia , Oromia State , Borena region , Negele env., 05°57'14"N 39°40'30"E , 1343 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 ED ), 19.XI.2014 , 1♂ , leg. F. Kovařík ; Oromia State , Borana Province , Negele env., 05°21'36"N 39°32'04.7"E , 1452 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 EF ), 26.- 27. VI .2013 , 1♂ , leg. F. Kovařík ; Oromia State , Borana Province , 05°04'01"N 39°28'47.7"E , 1044 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 EG ), 27. VI .2013 , 5♂ 1♀ 1im., leg. F. Kovařík ; Oromia State , Borana Province , Wachille , 04°50'50"N 39°18'25.3"E , 808 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 160 , Locality No. 13 EH ), 27. VI .2013 , 3♂ 3♀ , leg. F. Kovařík ; Oromia State , Borana Province , 04°25'31.5"N 38°58'14"E , 1171 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 EI ), 27.- 28. VI .2013 , 1♂ 3♀ , leg. F. Kovařík ; Oromia State , Borana Province , 04°10'35"N 38°18'52.2"E , 1515 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 EJ ), 28. VI .2013 , 11♂ 8♀ ( Figs. 158–159 ), leg. F. Kovařík ; Oromia State , Borana Province , Yabello , 04°53'27.7"N 38°07'42.5"E , 1695 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 161 , Locality No. 13 EL ), 29.-30. VI .2013 , 3♂ 2♀ , leg. F. Kovařík et J. Plíšková ; Oromia State , 04°58'05"N 37°53'13.2"E , 1327 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 162 , Locality No. 13EM ), 30. VI .2013, 1♀ , leg. F. Kovařík et J. Plíšková ; Southern Nationalities and Peoples Region Federal State ( SNNPR ), Konso , Dabub , 05°20'33"N 37°26'57"E , 1381 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 EN ), 30. VI .2013 , 2♂ , leg. F. Kovařík et J. Plíšková; SNNPR , Woito , 05°22'23.7"N 36°59'37.3"E , 598 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 EO ), 1.VII.2013 , 1♂ , leg. F. Kovařík; SNNPR , Tsamai , Luqua , 05°27'20"N 36°49'50"E , 660 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 163 , Locality No. 13 EP ), 1.-2.VII.2013 , 2♂ 2♀ 3ims.16juvs., leg. F. Kovařík; SNNPR , Hammar , 05°27'29"N 36°39'42"E , 1398 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 1 3 EQ ), 3.VII.2013 , 4♂ 2♀ , leg. F. Kovařík; SNNPR , near Omorate , 04°48'20.4"N 36°25'32.3"E , 761 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 ET ), 4.VII.2013 , 1juv. , leg. F. Kovařík; SNNPR , Omorate ( Kelem ), 04°48'42"N 36°03'16.7"E , 373 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13EU ), 4.-5.VII.2013 , 1♂ ( Figs. 144–145 ) 2♀ ( Figs. 146–147 ) 10juvs., leg. F. Kovařík et J. Plíšková; SNNPR , Hammar , E of Turmi , 04°52'17"N 36°38'44"E , 385 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 EV ), 5.VII.2013 , 1♀ , leg. F. Kovařík et P. Novák; SNNPR , "lower valley of the Omo river", Chew Bahr , 04°50'38.5"N 36°44'11.4"E , 625 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 13 EW ), 5.-6.VII.2013 , 3♀ 9juvs., leg. F. Kovařík et V . Socha ; SNNPR , Gamo Gofa Province , 20 km SE Konso , 05°14'33"N 37°32'06"E , 850 m a.s.l. , 11-13. V .2015, 2♀ 3♂ 5juvs., leg. P. Kučera; SNNPR , Gamo Gofa Province , 40 km W Konso , 05°19'44"N 37°03'54"E , 600 m a.s.l. , 14. V .2015, 2♂ 1♀ 1juv. , leg. P. Kučera; SNNPR Gamo Gofa Province , Turmi env., 04°58'05"N 36° 29'13"E , 940 m a.s.l. , 16. V .2015, 1♀ 2juvs., leg. P. Kučera ; Oromia State , Sidamo Province , 115 km N Moyale , near Wachile , 04°32'34"N 39°03'08"E , 1070 m a.s.l. , 22-23. V .2015, 1♂ , leg. P. Kučera ; Oromia State , Sidamo Province , 60 km SSW Negele borena, Goba village , 04°51'48"N 39°18'35"E , 750 m a.s.l. , 24. V . 2015, 1♀ 5juvs., leg. P. Kučera; SNNPR , Turmi , 04°58' 32"N 36°30'53"E , 908 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 16EA ), 5♂ ( Figs. 87 , 148 , 192 , 201 ) 2♀ ( Fig. 149 ) 1juv. , 9.- 11. IV .2016, leg. F. Kovařík; SNNPR , near Turmi , 04°44'21"N 36°19'53"E , 565 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 16 EC ), 11.-12. IV .2016 , 1♂ 1♀ , leg. F. Kovařík; SNNPR , 20 km SE Konzo , 05°14'33"N 37°32'06"E , 839 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 16 EF ), 14.-15. IV .2016 , 1♂ 1♀ 3juvs., leg. F. Kovařík ; Oromia State , Sidamo Province , Wachile , 04°32'33"N 39°03'07"E , 1051 m a.s.l. ( Locality No. 16 EH ), 16.-17. IV .2016 , 1♂ 1♀ , leg. F. Kovařík. All specimens are in the first authors collection ( FKCP ) . DIAGNOSIS. Adults from 45 mm (male) to 90 mm (female) long. Base color uniformly yellow to yellowish brown to grey including metasomal segments and telson. Pectine teeth number 33–38 in males and 28–36 in females. Stridulatory area present on dorsal surface of metasomal segments I to IV in both sexes, more pronounced on first and second segments, reduced on third and fourth segments. Metasoma hirsute, more so in female. Metasomal segment V length/ width ratio 1.40– 1.65 in males. Movable and fixed fingers of pedipalp bearing 10–12 rows of granules, all with external and internal accessory granules. Pedipalp fingers not enlarged. Pedipalp fingers of males with inner side of base smooth, no trace of tubercle. Manus of pedipalp smooth and narrow in both sexes, pedipalp chela length/ width ratio 4.30–4.80 in both sexes. Tarsomere I of legs I–III with bristlecombs reduced, usually composed of 6–10 bristles. COMMENTS ON LIFE STRATEGY. Figures 150–157 were taken at night and show foraging and feeding behavior. The first author observed predation behavior of P. Figures 164–182: Figures 164–179 . Comparison of male pedipalp chelae of Parabuthus spp. , dorsal and external views. Figures 164–165 . Parabuthus liosoma from Yemen Arab Republic, Al Hudaydah gov., 10 km W Al Manşuriah, 14°43'N 43°12'E, 110 m a.s.l. Figures 166–167 . P. abyssinicus from Eritrea, locality 15EG. Figures 168–169 . P. hamar sp. n. paratype from Ethiopia, locality 16EC. Figures 170–171 . P. granimanus from Somaliland, locality 11SE. Figures 172–173 . P. cimrmani holotype. Figures 174–175 . P. eritreaensis from Somalia, Gardo, Migiurtina. Figures 176–177 . P. heterurus from Somaliland, locality 11SQ. Figures 178–179 . P. kajibu sp. n. holotype. Figures 180–182 . Comparisons of male pedipalp patellae of Parabuthus spp. , dorsal views. Figure 180 . P. liosoma from Yemen Arab Republic, Al Hudaydah gov., 10 km W Al Manşuriah, 14°43'N 43°12'E, 110 m a.s.l. Figure 181 . P. abyssinicus from Eritrea, locality 15EG. Figure 182 . P. maximus from Tanzania, Arusha. pallidus in the field at night. The scorpions were able to capture and feed on coleopteran ( Tenebrionidae , probably Pimeliinae ) larvae. These larvae were found in burrows at the bottom of funnels in sand, similar to ant lion larvae ( Myrmeleontidae ). The scorpions seized the larvae with the tips of their pedipalp fingers and extended the metasoma and telson over the entire body to sting it. After waiting for the injected venom to induce flaccid paralysis and loosen the muscles of the prey, they pulled out the larva and carried it to a nearby shrub, climbed up on a twig, and devoured it there ( Figs. 150– 151 ). The same hunting strategy was observed to be employed by other scorpions, for example Neobuthus awashensis Kovařík et Lowe, 2012 (see Lowe & Kovařík, 2016: 43, figs. 162–165). Other photos show P. pallidus eating different insects and arachnids - a juvenile of the scorpion Parabuthus hamar sp. n. ( Fig. 152 ), Heteroptera ( Fig. 153 ), Solifugae ( Fig. 154 ), Gryllidae ( Fig. 155 ), and Caelifera ( Fig. 156 ). DISTRIBUTION. Ethiopia , Kenya , Somalia , Tanzania .