Parabuthus brevimanus ( Thorell, 1876 )

Prendini, Lorenzo & Bird, Tharina L., 2008, Scorpions of the Brandberg Massif, Namibia: Species richness inversely correlated with altitude, African Invertebrates 49 (2), pp. 77-77 : 87-88

Parabuthus brevimanus ( Thorell, 1876)

Buthus brevimanus: Thorell 1876 a: 110–113 .

Parabuthus cristatus Pocock, 1901: 284 , 285 (synonymised by Kraepelin 1908: 250; Lamoral 1979: 561).

Material examined: 1 subad.♀(SMN 3260), Brandberg, 21°11'54.9"S: 14°28'33.9"E, 726 m, 3–4.ii.2007, T.L. Bird, A. Klann, P. Michalik & G. Talarico, on stones; 1 ♂ (AMNH [AH 2160]), 1♀(AMNH [AH 2161]), 1 juv. ♂ (AMNH [AH 2041]), Brandberg, Amis Gorge [21°11'S: 14°28'E], 30.i.1981, A. Harington, syntopic with U. planimanus (adults), UV detection, found near sheer cliffs and sloping hills at the base of the mountain and gorge sides, syntopic with H. conspersus and U. planimanus (juv.); 1 ♂ 3♀1 juv. (SMN 1856),Amis Valley [Brandberg], 21°11'22''S: 14°27'59''E, 21–22.iv.1996, E. Griffin, preservative pitfall traps; 1 ♂ 3♀1 subad.♀(SMN 1856), Brandberg,Amis valley, 21°11'22"S: 14°27'59"E, 21–22.iv.1996, E. Griffin, preservative pittraps; 1♀(AMNH [AH 1341]), 1 ♂ (AMNH [AH 1516]), Brandberg, Basswald Rinne [21°10'S: 14°38'E], 8.iv.1980 (♀), under stone on sandy ground on top of mountain, 16.iv.1980 (♂), on foothills, under stone, A. Harington; 1♀(AMNH), Brandberg, base of Ga-Aseb Gorge, 21°13'41.6"S: 14°34'44.1"E, 781 m, 21.xii.2003, L. Prendini, T.L. Bird & N.C. Krone, dry riverbed surrounded by steep rocky slopes comprising igneous rocks with Sterculia , Acacia montis-usti and Commiphora, UV detection on warm,dark, still night, specimen collected in open midslope; 1 subad.♀(AMNH [AH 3866]), Brandberg, Goaseb Gorge [21°14'S: 14°35'E], 31.i.1981, A. Harington, syntopic with U. planimanus ; 1 ♂ (SMN 2116), 1♀(SMN 2115), Brandberg, Messum Valley, 21°13.29'S: 14°30.98'E, 700 m, 4.iv.1999 (♂), bushy Karoo-Namib shrubland, S. van Noort, 5–17.iv.1999 (♀), pan trap, bushy Karoo-Namib shrubland, S. van Noort & S.G. Compton; 1♀(SMN 2090), Brandberg, Messum Valley mouth 690, 21°13.72'S: 14°30.73'E, 17.iv.1999, S. van Noort, under rock,gravel plain with Welwitschias; 1♀(AMNH [AH 2197]), Brandberg, Numas Gorge [21°07'S: 14°25'E], 30.i.1981,A. Harington, syntopic with H. conspersus ; 2 ♂ (AMNH), Brandberg, summit, below Longipoele, 21°11'34.9"S: 14°33'23.9"E, 1794 m, 23.xii.2003, L. Prendini, T.L. Bird & N.C. Krone, sheltered, flat sandy valley with granite domes and boulders intersected by dry watercourses,granitic loam soil with Stipagrostis –Aristida grassland, Boscia , Cyphostemma , Euphorbia and Ozoroa in rocky areas, specimens collected with UV detection on warm, dark, still night, sitting on ground surface; 1 ♂ 2♀(AMNH), 1 juv. ♂ 2 juv.♀(AMCC 172341 [LP 2640]), 1♀(SMN 3377), Brandberg, summit, between Longipoele and Helmpoele, 21°11'33.2"S: 14°33'31.4"E, 1830 m, 23.xii.2003, L. Prendini, T.L. Bird & N.C. Krone, sheltered, flat sandy valley with granite domes and boulders intersected by dry watercourses, granitic loam soil with Stipagrostis –Aristida grassland, Boscia , Cyphostemma , Euphorbia and Ozoroa in rocky areas, specimens collected with UV detection on warm, dark, still night, sitting on ground surface; 1♀(AMNH), same locality, 21°11'33.4''S: 14°33'39.8''E, 1841 m, 3.iv.2006, L. Prendini, T.L. Bird & S.K. Uunona, UV detection on cool, still night (moonset 10 pm), on summit of Brandberg in sandy valley surrounded by granitic outcrops, arid savannah with Cyphostemma currorii and Aloe dichotoma on larger granite outcrops and sandy-loam soils, specimen taken on ground surface; 1 ♂ (SMN 1858), N end Tsisab, Brandberg, 21°05'S: 14°40'E, 21.i–27.ii.1995, E. Marais, preservative pitfall traps; 2 ♂ (AMNH [AH 2254, 4140]), 1♀(AMNH [AH 2064]), 1 subad.♀(AMNH [AH 2065]), 1 juv.♀(AMNH [AH 2066]), Brandberg, base of hill 282, opposite Orabeskopf [21°15'S: 14°38'E], 1.ii.1981, A. Harington, night collecting (cloudy sky, warm, windless), on harder flats at base of hill, syntopic with P. gracilis , P. granulatus , P. kraepelini , U. planimanus and O. jenseni ; 2 ♂ (USDP), Brandberg, plains S, opposite Orabeskopf, 21°15.48'S: 14°36.54'E, 790 m, 16.i.1998, L. Prendini & E. Scott, flats at the base of gritty white dune sand dune against hill, UV detection,syntopic with P.gracilis , P.granulatus , O. jenseni and O.wahlbergii ; 1♀(SMN 1855),W of Brandberg [21°04'S: 14°20'E], 10–12.viii.1985, E. Griffin, preservative pitfall traps; 1♀(AMNH [AH 2220]), Brandberg West, 7 km from turnoff towards Uis [21°06'S: 14°17'E], 28.i.1981, A. Harington, syntopic with H. conspersus and H. tityrus ; 1 juv.♀(SMN 1911), ‘G of E’, 21°11'47"S: 14°33'43"E, 1.xii.1999, pitfall row 1, Phase 99 P(3); 1 ♂ 1♀(NMSA 10847), Messum Crater area, 21°16'S: 14°13'E, 26.iii.1976, B. Lamoral, on surface of sandy to gritty soil at night; 1♀(AMNH [AH 2163]), Messum Crater area [21°25'S 14°13'E], 21.i.1981, A. Harington, syntopic with P.gracilis and U.gracilior ; 1♀(SMN 1917), Messum Crater, 21°26.430'S: 14°13.215'E, 8.iv.2000, E. Griffin, on rocky hillside at night; 1♀(AMNH [AH 1916]), Nai-Gap riverbed at N tip Uis Mtns [21°07'S: 14°52'E], 6.ii.1981, A. Harington, syntopic with P. gracilis ; 1♀(AMNH [AH 1797]), Omatjette– Khorixas junction, 25 km towards Uis [21°03'S: 14°53'E], 6.ii.1981, A. Harington, syntopic with P. kraepelini and O. jenseni ; 1 ♂ 1♀2 subad. ♂ 2 subad.♀2 juv. ♂ 1 juv.♀(SMN 2610), Uisberg, 21°07'S: 14°31'E, 17.i– 22.ii.1996, E. Marais, preservative pitfall traps; 6 ♂ 7♀Uis R., nr Kai-Nuses, nr Uis [21°11'S: 14°52'E], 2.i.1981, sympatric with U. otjimbinguensis (3 ♂ (AMNH [AH 4347–4349]), 2♀(AMNH [AH 4350, 4351])), 2.ii.1981, syntopic with P. kraepelini , P. namibensis , U. otjimbinguensis and U. planimanus (3 ♂ (AMNH [AH 2146]), 5♀(AMNH [AH 2147, 2148])), A. Harington; 3 ♂ (AMNH [AH 2166]), Uis, nr town [21°15'S: 14°50'E], 2.ii.1981, A. Harington; 1 ♂ 3♀(AMNH), Uis, 3 km W on road to Hentiesbaai, 21°13'57.5''S: 14°51'08.7''E, 814 m, 31.iii.2006, L. Prendini, T.L. Bird & S.K. Uunona, UV detection on warm, still, dark night, becoming windy later, followed by rain, low rocky hills with Euphorbia damarana L.C.Leach , small Acacias and sparse grass, specimens collected in open rocky ground; 1♀(SMN 1907), ‘X-ray’, 21°13'34"S: 14°31'05"E, 2.xi.1999, pitfall row 1, Phase 99P(2); 1 ♂ 3♀‘ Yankee’, 21°11'32"S: 14°31'45"E, 3.xi.1999, pitfall row 2, Phase 99P(2) (1 ♂ 1♀SMN 1906), pitfall row 3, Phase 99P(2) (2♀SMN 1904, 1905).

Ecology and distribution: This semi-psammophilous species ( Fig. 10 ) excavates burrows in open ground and at the base of shrubs and grass tufts in semi-consolidated to consolidated sandy and gritty substrata (Lamoral 1979; Prendini 2001 b, 2004). It is endemic to Angola, Namibia and South Africa (Lamoral 1979; Prendini 2004, 2005 a) and has been collected from the base ( Fig. 4 ) to the summit ( Fig. 8 ; 1841 m) of the Brandberg and in sandy and rocky areas surrounding the Massif ( Figs 2 , 3 ).

Figures

Figs 9, 10. Adult females, habitus in life: (9) Hottentotta conspersus (Thorell, 1876); (10) Parabuthus brevimanus (Thorell, 1876).

Fig. 4. Brandberg Massif (Namibia), base of Massif at entrance to Goaseb (Ga-Asab) Gorge, facing north to Orabeskopf at summit, wet year. Dominant vegetation, Boscia foetida Schinz and Commiphora sp. Rocky flats, habitat of Hottentotta conspersus (Thorell, 1876), Parabuthus brevimanus (Thorell, 1876), Parabuthus villosus (Peters, 1862), and Opistophthalmus lamorali Prendini, 2000.

Fig. 8. Brandberg Massif (Namibia), Wasserfallfläche, plateau on summit of Massif, facing southwest, wet year. Dominant vegetation, Boscia albitrunca (Burch.) Gilg & Gilg-Ben., Cyphostemma currorii (Hook.f.) Desc.and Euphorbia sp. Rocky flats and slopes, habitat of Lisposoma elegans Lawrence, 1928, Hadogenes tityrus (Simon, 1888) and Uroplectes planimanus (Karsch, 1879). Sandy flats, habitat of Parabuthus brevimanus (Thorell, 1876) and Opistophthalmus carinatus (Peters, 1861). Woody vegetation, habitat of Uroplectes otjimbinguensis (Karsch, 1879).

Fig. 2. Brandberg Massif (Namibia), granitic inselberg south, surrounded by low sand dunes, leading down to sandy plain, facing west, wet year. Dominant vegetation, Euphorbia damarana L.C. Leach and Stipagrostis sp. Dunes, habitat of Parabuthus gracilis Lamoral, 1979 and Opistophthalmus jenseni (Lamoral, 1972). Sandy plain, habitat of Parabuthus brevimanus (Thorell, 1876), Parabuthus granulatus (Ehrenberg, 1831) and Opistophthalmus wahlbergii (Thorell, 1876).

Fig. 3. Brandberg Massif (Namibia), gravel plains and foothills southeast, facing northwest to Massif, wet year. Dominant vegetation, Euphorbia damarana L.C. Leach and Stipagrostis sp. Gravel plain, habitat of Parabuthus brevimanus (Thorell, 1876), Parabuthus granulatus (Ehrenberg, 1831). Rocky foothills, habitat of Parabuthus villosus (Peters, 1862) and Opistophthalmus lamorali Prendini, 2000.