Scorpions of Ethiopia. Part IV. Genus Uroplectes Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Author Kovařík, František Author Lowe, Graeme Author Hoferek, David Author Plíšková, Jana Author Šťáhlavský, František text Euscorpius 2016 217 1 14 journal article 1536-9307 AE9EEC2B-8D5B-4699-B9CE-595C26EB9C1B Uroplectes fischeri (Karsch, 1879) ( Figs. 1–46 , Table 1 ) Lepreus fischeri Karsch, 1879a: 124–125 . Uroplectes fischeri : Pocock, 1896: 387–388 ; Kraepelin, 1903: 566 ; Lamoral & Reynders, 1975: 527 (in part); Fet & Lowe, 2000: 268–269 (in part, complete reference list until 2000); FitzPatrick, 2001: 192–193; Kovařík, 2003: 145–146, fig. 6; Kovařík & Whitman, 2005: 113. =? Tityus tricolor Simon, 1882: 59 (syn. by Kraepelin, 1899: 57 ). = Uroplectes fischeri caporiaccoi Fet, 1997: 247 , replacement name for Uroplectes fischeri intermedius Caporiacco, 1941: 35 (preocc. by Uroplectes intermedius Tullgren, 1907 : Scorpionida) (syn. by Kovařík, 2003: 145–146). = Uroplectes patrizii Caporiacco, 1936: 137–140 , fig. 2 (syn. by Kovařík, 2003: 145–146). Figures 27–35: Uroplectes fischeri from locality 14EI, Ethiopia, Somali State, Liben region, between Filtu and Dolo Odo, 04°50'07.5"N 40°55'13.5"E, 912 m a.s.l. Male, chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (27), and sternopectinal region and sternite III (29). Female, chelicerae, carapace and tergites I–III (28), and sternopectinal region (31) include sternite III (30), distal segments of legs I–IV (32–35), retrolateral view. Figures 36–38: Uroplectes fischeri , locality 14EI (36), Ethiopia, Somali State, Liben region, between Filtu and Dolo Odo, 04°50'07.5"N 40°55'13.5"E, 912 m a.s.l. (see also fig. 120 in Kovařík et al., 2015: 27), female with newborn before first ecdysis (37) and female with 16 juveniles after first ecdysis (38) from the locality. Figures 39–40: Uroplectes fischeri , female at the locality 14EI (39) and male (40), her son. Figure 41: Map showing the distribution of Uroplectes fischeri in Ethiopia (1–3, 8–9) and Somalia (4–7). The specimens from localities 1–7 were examined by the first author (see "material examined" section); the localities 8–9 are cited by Kraepelin (1903: 566) . 1 . El Dire, type locality of Uroplectes fischeri caporiaccoi Fet, 1997 , replacement name for Uroplectes fischeri intermedius Caporiacco, 1941 . 2 . Region of the Omo River valley, type locality of Uroplectoides abyssinicus . 3 . Somali State, Liben region, between Filtu and Dolo Odo, 04°50'07.5"N 40°55'13.5"E, 912 m a.s.l. (locality No. 14EI, Fig. 36). 4 . Barawa, type locality of Uroplectes fischeri . 5 . Villagio Duga degli Abruzzi. 6 . Bur Dinsor. 7 . Edain Caboba. 8 . Ginir (II.-III.1901, 1♂2♀, ZMUH). 9 . Ganale (III.1901, 1♂, ZMUH). = Uroplectoides abyssinicus Lourenço, 1998: 313–315 , figs. 1–6 (in part); Fet & Lowe, 2000: 277; Kovařík, 2003: 148. Syn. n. Uroplectes vittatus (in part): FitzPatrick, 2001: 191–192. TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY . Somalia , Barawa, ZMHB No. 3010. MATERIAL EXAMINED. Ethiopia , Missione Biologica Sagan-Omo , El Dire ( 04°59'N 37°07'E ), 21.V.1939 , 1♀ ( holotype of Uroplectes fischeri caporiaccoi Fet, 1997 , replacement name for Uroplectes fischeri intermedius Caporiacco, 1941 ), leg. E. Zavattari , MZUF No. 1153; region of the Omo river Valley, 1♀ , III.1976 ( holotype of Uroplectoides abyssinicus ) ( Fig. 1 ), leg. J. Grand , ZMUH No. A 55/98; Somali State , Liben region , between Filtu and Dolo Odo , 04°50'07.5"N 40°55' 13.5"E , 912 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 36 , locality No. 14 EI ), 1♀ ( Figs. 5–6 , 11–19 , 24–26 , 28, 30–35 , 37–39 ), 1juv. ( Figs. 7–8 ), 20.XI.2014 , leg. F. Kovařík and P. Kučera , 2♂ 1♀ ( Figs. 3–4 , 9–10, 20–23 , 27, 29 , 40 , offspring of the female from locality No. 14EI, bred by D. Hoferek ), FKCP . Somalia , Barawa ( 01°11'N 44°02'E ), 1♂ 1♀ (lec- totype, Fig. 2 , and paralectotype of Uroplectes fischeri ), leg. Fischer , ZMHB No. 3010; Villagio Duga degli Abruzzi , 2♀ , V.1928 , MZUF No. 833; Bur Dinsor, 3.VI. 1978 , 1juv. , MZUF No. 831; Edain Caboba, 18.VI.1978 , 1♀ , MZUF No. 832 . Figures 42–45: Left hemispermatophore of Uroplectes fischeri from Ethiopia (locality 14EI). Views of entire hemispermatophore in dorsal aspect (42), and capsule region in dorsal (43), ental (44) and ventral (45) aspects (axes referenced to in situ position of hemispermatophore within animal). DIAGNOSIS. Total length 37–50 mm . Chelicerae yellow, strongly reticulate. Pedipalp movable fingers with 11 principal rows of denticles and apical row of four to five denticles; every row (except last one) has one internal and two external granules. Metasomal segments II–V punctate with dorsal carinae indicated, other carinae absent. Carapace with dark triangular marking. Telson setose with distinct subaculear tubercle. Female with basal pectinal tooth wide, oval, but not markedly longer than other pectinal teeth ( Fig. 31 ). Adult males with segments of pedipalp and metasoma narrower than in female; ratio metasomal segment I length to width 1.45– 1.56 in male, 1.2–1.4 in females; ratio metasomal segment V length to width 2.03–2.35 in male, 1.5–1.8 in females; fingers of pedipalps straight in both sexes. Pectines with 15–20 teeth in both sexes. HEMISPERMATOPHORE. ( Figs. 42–45 ) Trunk long, narrow, basally broadened. Flagellum relatively short, with pars recta shorter than pars reflecta. Capsule region with several lobe structures: a median lobe at the base of the flagellum, an ental lobe with incised, tufted or crownlike distal margin, and a prominent, dorsally projecting, hook-like basal lobe. These lobes are weakly sclerotized, indicating that the hemispermatophore may not be fully formed. The overall shape of the hemispermatophore and its lobes are consistent with that reported by Vachon (1950: 18 , figs. 19–21) for U . occidentalis Simon, 1876 , and by Lamoral (1979: 526 ,figs. 32–33) for U . otjimbinguensis (Karsch, 1879) . These authors applied somewhat different terminologies. Vachon distinguished both an inner and median lobe, which seem to be part of the same structure that we collectively termed the median lobe (= inner lobe of Lamoral). The tufted ental lobe corresponds to the external lobe of Vachon (= outer lobe of Lamoral). Our basal lobe corresponds to the same labeled structure of Vachon (= median lobe of Lamoral).

Ecdyses Chronological Data for Uroplectes fischeri – Ethiopia, locality No. 14EI
Ecdyses	first	second	third	fourth	fifth
Date*	18.II.2015	26.III.2015	25.V.2015	8.VII.2015	28.VIII.2015
Male* 1	7	43	103	147	198
Male 2	7	46	107	154	226
Female	7	51	112	165	283
Days (average)	7	46.6	107.3	155.3	235.6

Table 1: Ecdyses data for three juvenile siblings Uroplectes fischeri . Chronological data are presented in number of days. The males and the female were reared through fifth instars. * refers to male 1 only. Figure 46: Chromosomes of male of Uroplectes fischeri from Ethiopia (locality 14EI). A) spermatogonial metaphase (2n=28); B) postpachytene, arrowhead shows tetravalent; C) one sister metaphase II (n=14); D) Idiogram based on postpachytene, y axis – % of the relative diploid set, colored chromosomes form tetravalent; E) tetravalent with colored single chromosomes. Bar=10µm. KARYOTYPE ( Fig. 46 ). We analysed one male from Ethiopia (locality No.14EI) using standard cytogenetic methods (e. g. Kovařík et al., 2009 ). The chromosome complement of this specimen consists of 28 chromosomes ( Fig. 46A ). The chromosomes form two groups according to their size. The first four chromosomes are distinctly larger than all other chromosomes. They form 7.51 % to 5.30 % of the diploid set. The subsequent chromosomes gradually decrease in size from 4.00 % to 2.00 % of the diploid set (see Fig. 46D ). Chromosomes exhibit typical holocentric organization without localised centromere region and possess achiasmatic behaviour during meiosis. These particular features are typical for the family Buthidae (e. g. Mattos et al., 2013 ). We further detected a distinct tetravalent in all observed postpachytene nuclei ( Fig. 46B ). Despite the existence of this multivalent association, all analysed metaphases II exhibited the same number of chromosomes (n=14; Fig. 46C ). The holocentric nature of chromosomes probably guarantees their equal split into sister metaphases II. In detail, observed multivalent is composed of four chromosomes possessing strikingly different size ( Figs. 46D, 46E ). DISTRIBUTION. Ethiopia ,? Kenya , Somalia . COMMENTS ON LOCALITY. The female and juvenile were collected under bark on the locality 14EI ( Fig. 36 ) during daytime (temperature 34.6 ºC and 38% humidity). In addition to Uroplectes fischeri , the first author (FK) recorded Babycurus subpunctatus Borelli, 1925 , Hottentotta trilineatus ( Peters, 1861 ) , Parabuthus cf. liosoma (Ehrenberg, 1828) , and two very common species of Pandinus at this locality.