Review of Orthochiroides Kovařík 1998 with description of a new species (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
Author
Kovařík, František
Author
Lowe, Graeme
text
Euscorpius
2022
349
1
42
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.7162704
1536-9307
7162704
2C279DDB-CF64-480C-8267-38F950B5E785
Orthochiroides insularis
(Pocock, 1899)
(
Figures 1–4
,
82
, 87–94, 111–112, 119, 130–133, 140–142, 166, 205–211;
Tables 1
,
3
)
Butheolus insularis
Pocock, 1899: 8–9
; Pocock, 1903: 180– 181; Kraepelin, 1903: 565;
Francke, 1977: 112
; Vachon, 1979: 237.
Orthochirus insularis
:
Birula, 1917: 215
.
Orthochirus bicolor insularis
: Levy & Amitai, 1980: 94
; ElHennawy, 1992: 129; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 194;
Kovařík, 2000: 64–66
.
Orthochiroides insularis
:
Kovařík, 2004: 23
.
TYPE
LOCALITY AND
TYPE
REPOSITORY
.
Socotra
,
Mt. Raggit
;
BMNH
.
TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED
.
Yemen
,
Socotra
Island
,
Hadibu Plain
(
Mt. Raggit
,
1000 feet
),
1♀
(
holotype
), leg.
Grant
and
Forbes
,
BMNH
No. 1899.7.4.180.
OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED
(
FKCP
).
Yemen
,
Socotra
Island
,
Qalansiyah
env.,
Ditwah
(lagoon),
23 m
a. s. l.
,
12°41'42"N
53°30'08"E
,
9.XII.2003
,
1♂
(
Figs. 1–2
,
82
, 87–90, 111), leg.
D. Král
;
Gubbah village
env.,
7 m
a. s. l.
,
12°36'35"N
53°46'56"E
,
23.XI.2003
,
1♀
(
Figs. 3–4
, 91–94, 112)
1juv.
, leg.
D. Král
;
Qaariah village
env.,
11 m
a. s. l.
,
12°38'05"N
54°12'39"E
,
28.XI.2003
,
1♂
, leg.
J. Farkač.
DIAGNOSIS (ADULT
♂
♀
). Total length of adults
22–32 mm
. Petite ‘trichobothria’
d
2
on dorsal surfaces of pedipalp femur and patella reduced or absent. Chela smooth, carinae E and D1 weak or obsolete on manus. Pectinal tooth count: 18–19 (
♂
), 16–18 (
♀
). Movable finger of pedipalp chela with 7 rows of median denticles, flanked by 7 ID and 7 OD. Metasoma IV–V laterally and ventrally punctate, without carinae except for smooth, rugose dorsosubmedian carinae, and ventrolateral carinae on metasoma V which are anteriorly smooth and posteriorly denticulate. Metasoma III either laterally and ventromedially punctate (
♂
), or laterally punctate and ventromedially granulate-reticulate (
♀
). Punctae small with diameters less than the mean distance between their centroids, together occupying much less area than smooth surfaces between them. Dorsal surfaces of all metasomal segments smooth, without punctae or granules. Aculeus much shorter than vesicle, aculeus L/telson L ~0.20. Color uniformly brown to black. Femur, patella and chela manus of pedipalp brown to black; chela fingers, and tibia and tarsomeres of legs yellowish brown to green. Tergites roughly granulated. Sternites IV–V with lateral surfaces matte, almost smooth. Sternite VII matte, almost smooth, with four distinct granulated carinae. Pedipalp, metasoma and telson glabrous, only metasoma V may have dorsolateral rows of setae, which can also occur on dorsal surface of telson. Moderately developed tibial spurs present on legs III and IV. Tarsomere I of legs I–III with 4–6 long setae in both sexes.
DISTRIBUTION.
Yemen
, north part of
Socotra Island
(
Fig. 119
).
COMMENTS. Fet & Lowe (2000: 194) listed “?
Orthochirus socotrensis
” cited by
Francke (1977)
as a possible
lapsus
and synonym of
Orthochirus bicolor insularis
. However,
Francke (1977: 112)
cited the presence of three endemic species of scorpion on
Socotra Island
:
Hemiscorpion socotranus
Pocock, 1899
,
Butheolus insularis
Pocock, 1899
and
Orthochirus socotrensis
(Pocock)
. He omitted
Buthus socotrensis
Pocock, 1889
(=
Buthotus socotrensis
=
Hottentotta socotrensis
), also known from
Socotra Island
. It is possible that Francke cited ‘
Orthochirus socotrensis
’ in error, instead of
Buthotus socotrensis
, as Pocock did not describe
Orthochirus socotrensis
(see also Vachon, 1979: 237).