Revision and taxonomic position of genera Afghanorthochirus Lourenço & Vachon, Baloorthochirus Kova ík, Butheolus Simon, Nanobuthus Pocock, Orthochiroides Kova ík, Pakistanorthochirus Lourenço, and Asian Orthochirus Karsch, with descriptions of twelve new species (Scorpiones, Buthidae)
Author
Kovařík, Baloorthochirus becvari
Author
1996
text
Euscorpius
2004
16
1
33
journal article
1536-9307
4D38E32B-A445-4707-ABEE-3C6D3BFA4A2E
Orthochirus jalalabadensis
sp. n.
(
Fig. 8
,
Table 1
)
Orthochirus scrobiculosus
?:
Kovařík, 1993: 202
and 203.
TYPE
LOCALITY AND
TYPE
REPOSITORY.
Afghanistan
, Prov. Nengrahar,
Jalalabad
;
MMBC
.
For
locality details see
Jakeš
&
Povolný
(1967)
.
TYPE MATERIAL.
Afghanistan
, Prov. Nengrahar,
Jalalabad
,
I–III.1965
,
1♂
A (
holotype
),
4♂
5♀
2juvs.A (
paratypes
), leg.
D. Povolný
;
9 km
EES Jalalabad
,
28.III.
1966
, 580 m (loc.
No. PT
46),
1♀
A (
allotype
), leg.
D. Povolný
&
Tenora
; Prov. Nengrahar,
8 km
EES Jalalabad
,
8.II.
1966
, 620 m (loc.
No. PT
3),
1♀
A (
paratype
),
2 km
EES Jalalabad
,
13.II.
1966
, 600 m (loc.
No. PT
8),
1♀
A (
paratype
),
10 km
EES Jalalabad
,
23.II.
1966
, 620 m (loc.
No. PT
18),
1♀
A (
paratype
),
8 km
EES Jalalabad
,
28.II.
1966
, 620 m (loc.
No. PT
22),
3♀
A (
paratypes
),
8 km
EES Jalalabad
,
1.III.
1966
, 620 m (loc.
No. PT
23),
3♀
A (
paratypes
),
8 km
EES Jalalabad
,
2.III.
1966
, 620 m (loc.
No. PT
24),
1♂
E
4♀
A (
paratypes
),
8 km
EES Jalalabad
,
5.III.
1966
, 620 m (loc.
No. PT
25),
2♀
A (
paratypes
),
12–20 km
EES Jalalabad
,
7.III.
1966
, 600 m (loc.
No. PT
26),
3♀
A (
paratypes
),
16.III.
1966
, 600 m (loc.
No. PT
36),
3♀
A (
paratypes
),
Jalalabad
,
V.
1967
, 580 m,
1♀
A (
paratype
), leg.
D. Povolný
& coll.
For
locality details see
Jakeš
&
Povolný
(1967).
Holotype
,
allotype
and
22 paratypes
in
MMBC
,
10 paratypes
in
FKCP
,
one
paratype
(
♀
) each in
BMNH
,
CASC
and
MZUF
.
ETYMOLOGY. Named after the
type
locality.
DIAGNOSIS: Fourth and fifth metasomal segments ventrally without median carinae and usually only shallowly punctate. Spaces among punctae granulated equally on fourth and fifth segments. Entire metasoma glabrous (short, thin setae may issue from some punctae). Dorsal surface of all metasomal segments mesially smooth. Several solitary granules may be present. Females with mesosoma and metasoma black, telson brown to reddish brown, legs yellow, and pedipalps yellowish gray. Males with mesosoma and first to fourth segments of metasoma yellow, fifth metasomal segment and carapace dark brown to black, and legs and pedipalps light yellow. Movable fingers bear 8 or 9 rows of granules with internal and external granules and 2 or 3 distal granules. Tarsomere I of first to third legs with bristlecombs, tarsomere I of fourth legs lacks bristlecombs.
Figure 8:
Orthochirus jalalabadensis
sp. n.
, male paratype, dorsal aspect.
DESCRIPTION: Most adults are about
33 mm
long, but some females may reach 42.4 mm. The habitus is shown in
Fig. 8
. Measurements of the carapace, telson, segments of the metasoma and segments of the pedipalps, and numbers of pectinal teeth are given in
Table 1
. In contrast to female, the male has much lighter coloration and higher numbers of teeth in the pectens.
COLORATION: Females have the mesosoma and metasoma black, the telson brown to reddish brown, legs yellow, and pedipalps yellowish gray. Males have the mesosoma and the first to fourth metasomal segments yellow, the fifth metasomal segment and carapace dark brown to black, and legs and pedipalps light yellow.
MESOSOMA AND CARAPACE: The mesosoma bears a median carina. Both the mesosoma and carapace are densely granulated, only the interocular area is smooth. The seventh sternite is smooth or granulated and bears four granulated carinae. The other sternites are smooth or granulated, with four smooth carinae and posteriorly with several solitary hairs. Pectinal teeth number
20–23 in
the males and 16–21 (usually 18–19, in one instance 21) in the females.
METASOMA AND TELSON: The first to third segments bear 10 granulated carinae, which are especially pronounced in juveniles. Central lateral carinae on the third segment may be obliterated or lacking. Spaces among the carinae are finely granulate and shallowly punctate. The third segment is more conspicuously punctate than the first. The fourth and fifth segments lack ventral median carinae, bear two lateral carinae, are shallowly punctate ventrally, and spaces among the punctae are granulated. The dorsal surface of all segments is mesially smooth, with a few isolated granules occasionally present only on the first two segments. The entire metasoma is glabrous, but short, thin setae may issue from some punctae.The telson is tuberculate and punctate, lacks granules, and bears several isolated hairs.
PEDIPALPS: The femur of pedipalp has four granulose to crenulate carinae. The patella and chela are smooth, with smooth carinae which may be difficult to discern. The movable fingers bear 8 or 9 rows of granules with internal and external granules and 2 or 3 distal granules.
LEGS: The femur and patella bear only several solitary hairs and bristles. The tibiae of the first to third legs bear several spines and bristles, namely on the outer side. Tarsomere I of the second and third legs bears bristlecombs composed of approximately 10 long bristles on the outer side; on the first legs the number of bristles is lower. The inner sides of all legs bear one or two rows of spines. The fourth legs lack bristlecombs and bear only sparse, short spines.
AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish
Orthochirus jalalabadensis
sp. n
.
from all other species of the genus. They are recounted in the key below. This species has an extraordinarily thin metasoma. Its unusual sexual dimorphism causes the males look like
O. bicolor
and the females like
O. scrobiculosus
.