Pandinus (Pandinurus) somalilandus Kovařík, 2012

Kovařík, František, 2012, Review of the subgenus Pandinurus Fet, 1997 with descriptions of three new species (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae, Pandinus), Euscorpius 141, pp. 1-22 : 9-13

Pandinus (Pandinurus) somalilandus Kovařík , sp. n.

( Figs. 29–37, 59, 64)

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Somaliland , 25 km N of Sheikh, 10°02.001'N 45°09.589'E, 763 m a.s.l. ; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL. Somaliland , 25 km N of Sheikh, 10°02.001'N 45°09.589'E, 763 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 37), 1♀ holotype, XI.2010, leg. T. Mazuch and P. Novák; 70 km from Berbera to Hargeysa, 1♀ (paratype), XI.2010, leg. T. Mazuch and P. Novák; near Sheikh, foothills of Goolis Mts., 09°59.881'N 45°09.762'E, 896 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 35), 1juvenile 40 mm long (paratype), XI.2010, leg. T. Mazuch. All types are in the author´s collection ( FKCP) .

ETYMOLOGY. Named after the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 95–110 mm. Color uniformly reddish brown to black, only legs yellow. Chelicerae brown, reticulate, with black fingers and anterior margins. External trichobothria on patella number 15 (5 eb, 3 esb, 2 em, 1 est, 3 et); ventral trichobothria on chela number 10–11. Pectinal teeth number 20–23 in females (male is unknown). Spination formula of tarsomere II = 6-7/5: 6-7/5: 7/5: 7/5. Tarsomere II of legs with 3 spines on inclined anteroventral surface. Tarsomere I of legs I– IV with spina distal prosuperior. All body sparsely hirsute, chela hirsute densely. Dorsal surface of manus with evenly sized conspicuous granules. External surface of chela smooth, with several granules in anterior part and with two granulated carinae. Chela of pedipalp length to width ratio 2.

DESCRIPTION. The adults are 95–110 mm long. The habitus is shown in Figs. 29–30. For position and distribution of trichobothria on pedipalps see Fig. 32. External trichobothria on patella number 15 (5 eb, 3 esb, 2 em, 1 est, 3 et); ventral trichobothria on chela number 10–11. The male is unknown.

COLORATION ( Figs. 29–30). The color is uniformly reddish brown to black, only the legs are yellow. Chelicerae are brown, reticulate, with black fingers and anterior margins.

CARAPACE. The carapace ( Fig. 33) lacks carinae but has a deep sagittal furrow with a forked furrow on each side in the posterior part. The surface is smooth, with sparse granules. The anteromedial margin of the carapace is strongly concave. Present are a pair of median eyes and three identical lateral eyes. The distance ratio of the pair of median eyes from the anterior or the posterior margin of the carapace is, respectively, 0.55 or 0.45.

MESOSOMA. The tergites are tuberculate and finely granulated, and bear an incomplete, smooth sagittal carina and shallow, symmetrical furrows. The sternites are smooth, lack carinae and bear two pronounced furrows. The pectinal teeth number 20–23 (in females). The pectines have three marginal lamellae with long setae and fourth to fifth middle lamella which may be united and moreover linked. The fulcra are long and bear numerous white setae and one black seta.

METASOMA AND TELSON ( Fig. 31). The first throught fourth segments bear eight carinae. Most of the carinae are smooth. The dorsal carinae are composed of three to seven teeth of similar size. The fifth segment bears five to seven carinae of which the lateral carinae may be incomplete. All carinae on the fifth metasomal segment are composed of granules. The surface between the carinae is smooth, with solitary granules. The telson is elongate (in female). The surface of the telson is granulated and hirsute.

LEGS. The legs are smooth, without carinae and granules, and hirsute. The spination formula of tarsomere II = 6-7/5: 6-7/5: 7/5: 7/5. Tarsomere II of legs bears three spines on the inclined anteroventral surface. Tarsomere I of legs I–IV bears spina distal prosuperior (see red arrow on Fig. 59).

PEDIPALPS ( Fig. 32). The pedipalps are hirsute. The femur and patella bear with several large granules. The femur bears four carinae composed of several large, round granules, only the externoventral carina is smooth. The patella bears five complete carinae with granules or smooth. Several granules are only on the external surface of the patella. The chela is lobate and bears two smooth ventral carinae. The dorsal surface of the chela bears granules that are neither conical nor pointed and whose summits may be confluent. The external surface of the chela is smooth, with several conical granules in anterior part and without carinae. The chela has a lobe. The dentate margins of the movable and fixed fingers are armed with two parallel rows of denticles extending the entire length of the finger, with larger granules which indicate five or six subrows on the movable finger and the fixed finger. The dorsal surface of the manus bears evenly sized conspicuous granules. The internal surface of the chela is smooth, with several granules in anterior part and with two granulated carinae. The dorsal and external surfaces of the chela bears four carinae; the total number of the carinae is nine, but some of them are incomplete.

MEASUREMENTS IN MM. Female holotype. Total length 110; carapace length 15.9, width 15.8; metasoma and telson length 51; first metasomal segment length 6.4, width 6.0, depth 4.8; second metasomal segment length 7.2, width 5.1, depth 4.4; third metasomal segment length 7.7, width 4.6; fourth metasomal segment length 8.5, width 3.9; fifth metasomal segment length 10.7, width 3.8; telson length 10.3; telson width 3.9; pedipalp femur length 11.1, width 5.1; pedipalp patella length 11.2, width 5.5; chela length 23.1; manus width 11.5; movable finger length 14.8.

AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish Pandinus somalilandus sp. n. from all other species of the subgenus Pandinurus (see key below and affinities under P. awashensis sp. n.). Unfortunately the male is not known, so it can only be conjectured that the sexual dimorphism is similar to that of the morphologically closest P. awashensis sp. n., from which P. somalilandus sp. n. is distinguishable by the characters given in the key bellow.