Vachoniolus Levy et al., 1973

Lowe, Graeme, 2010, The genus Vachoniolus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Oman, Euscorpius 100 (100), pp. 1-37 : 2

Genus Vachoniolus Levy et al., 1973

Vachoniolus Levy et al., 1973: 136–137 ; Vachon, 1974: 910, 948; Vachon, 1975: 1598; Vachon, 1979: 42, 44; Levy & Amitai, 1980: 77; Francke, 1985: 14, 16; Vachon & Kinzelbach, 1987: 92, 95, 97, fig. 4; Sissom, 1990: 102; El-Hennawy, 1992: 102, 104, 133; Nenilin & Fet, 1992: 17; Fet, Polis & Sissom, 1998: 615; Kovařík, 1998: 124; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 277; Fet, Capes & Sissom, 2001: 183; Fet et al., 2003: 2, 4, 6, 10; Soleglad & Fet, 2003a: 26, tab. 2; Soleglad & Fet, 2003b: 88, tab. 9; Santiago-Blay, Soleglad & Fet, 2004: 10; Fet & Soleglad, 2005: 11; Fet, Soleglad & Lowe, 2005: 3, 10–11, 13, 22–24, tab. 1, fig. 23–25; Prendini & Wheeler, 2005: 462, 481; Soleglad, Fet & Kovařík, 2005: 33, tab. 6; Hendrixson, 2006: 44, 47, 99–100; Prendini et al., 2006: 22, tab. 4; Dupré, 2007: 11, 14, 16; Navidpour et al., 2008: 24; Kovařík, 2009: 24; Lourenço & Duhem, 2009: 38, 44–45, 48, 50.

Type species. Vachoniolus globimanus Levy, Amitai et Shulov, 1973 .

Diagnosis (revised). Small to medium-sized buthids, adults 30–65 mm in length; carapace smooth to finely granular, carinae indistinct or absent; median eyes large ( Figs. 9 , 38 , 65 ); tergites smooth to finely granular, tergites I– VI with weak median carina, reduced or obsolete on I, obsolete lateral carinae marked by small granules near posterior margin; tergite VII with 5 carinae; metasoma elongate, with well developed carinae ( Figs. 14–15 , 45–46 , 72–73 ); median lateral carinae present on segments I–III; ventrosubmedian carinae of metasoma II–III well developed, denticulate or crenulate, more strongly so in females; ventrolateral carinae of metasoma V with enlarged dentition, more strongly developed in females; telson vesicle bulbous, lacking subaculear tubercle; aculeus long, slender, curved; pectines with fulcra; fixed finger of chelicera armed with two denticles on ventral surface ( Figs. 11 , 40 , 67 ); pedipalps orthobothriotaxic type Aβ ( Figs. 18–25 ), or neobothriotaxic majorante ( Figs. 47–54 , 74–81 ) (Vachon, 1974, 1975); pedipalp patella with d 3 internal to dorsomedian carina, external surface with 7–9 trichobothria (supernumerary esb 3 or em 2) ( Figs. 21–22 , 50–51 , 77–78 ); fixed finger of chela with est situated between db and dt ( Figs. 18 , 47 , 74 ); pedipalp segments relatively short compared to body, femur and patella shorter than carapace; chela movable finger length less than twice ventral manus length; chela manus with carinae reduced or absent; adult males with manus grossly swollen, subglobose ( Figs. 18–19 , 47–48 , 74–75 , 90, 93, 96, 99 ); dentate margins of chela fingers armed with 9 or fewer non-imbricated linear subrows of primary denticles ( Figs. 100–105 ); internal and external accessory denticles present; tip of movable finger usually with 4 subdistal denticles; legs III–IV with or without tibial spurs; tibiae I–III with retrosuperior bristle combs from third instar to adult, basitarsi I–III compressed with retrosuperior and retroinferior bristle combs from third instar to adult ( Figs. 16 , 43 , 70 , 118– 120 ); second instar juveniles with spine combs on retrosuperior margins of tibia, basitarsus and telotarsus I–III ( Figs. 112–117 ); prolateral pedal spurs bearing macrosetae; soles of telotarsi with long macrosetae ( Figs. 17 , 44 , 71 ); ungues long, curved ( Figs. 16 , 43 , 70 , 112–114, 118–120 ) .

Figures

Figures 9–17: Vachoniolus batinahensis, sp. nov. 9, 14–17, holotype male; 10–13, paratype male (same locality as holotype). 9. Carapace, dorsal aspect. 10. Right chelicera, dorsal aspect. 11. Right chelicera, ventral aspect. 12–13. Right hemispermatophore, lobes at base of flagellum. 12, convex aspect; 13 outer aspect. 14–15. Metasoma and telson. 14. Right lateral aspect. 15. Ventral aspect. 16. Right basitarsus and telotarsus III, retrolateral aspect. 17. Right telotarsus III, ventral aspect. Scale bar: 9, 16: 3 mm; 10, 11: 1.7 mm; 12, 13: 1 mm; 14, 15: 5.7 mm; 17: 1.5 mm.

Figures 38–46: Vachoniolus gallagheri, sp. nov. 38, 43–46, holotype male; 39–42, paratype male (same locality as holotype). 38. Carapace, dorsal aspect. 39. Right chelicera, dorsal aspect. 40. Right chelicera, ventral aspect. 41–42. Right hemispermatophore, lobes at base of flagellum. 41, convex aspect; 42 outer aspect. 43. Right basitarsus and telotarsus III, retrolateral aspect. 44. Right telotarsus III, ventral aspect. 45–46. Metasoma and telson. 45. Right lateral aspect. 46. Ventral aspect. Scale bar: 38: 3.0 mm; 39–40, 44: 1.5 mm; 41–42: 1.0 mm; 43: 2.1 mm; 45–46: 4.25 mm.

Figures 65–73: Vachoniolus globimanus Levy, Amitai et Shulov, 1973, male (65–67, 70–73: male from Shigag, 68–69 male from Fasad). 65. Carapace, dorsal aspect. 66. Right chelicera, dorsal aspect. 67. Right chelicera, ventral aspect. 68–69. Right hemispermatophore, lobes at base of flagellum. 68, convex aspect; 69, outer aspect. 70. Right basitarsus and telotarsus III, retrolateral aspect. 71. Right telotarsus III, ventral aspect. 72–73. Metasoma and telson. 72. Right lateral aspect. 73. Ventral aspect. Scale bar: 65, 70: 2.8 mm; 66–67: 1.6 mm; 68–69: 1.0 mm; 71: 1.5 mm; 72–73: 1.0 mm.

Figures 18–27: Vachoniolus batinahensis, sp. nov. 18–22, 27, holotype male; 23–26, paratype female (Al Abyad dune field, W of Barka). 18. Right pedipalp chela of male, external aspect. 19. Right pedipalp chela of male, ventral aspect. 20. Right pedipalp femur of male, dorsal aspect. 21. Right pedipalp patella of male, dorsal aspect. 22. Right pedipalp patella of male, external aspect. 23. Right pedipalp chela of female, external aspect. 24. Right pedipalp chela of female, ventral aspect. 25. Right pedipalp patella of female, dorsal aspect. 26. Left pectine, female, ventral aspect. 27. Left pectine, male, ventral aspect. Scale bar: 18, 23–27: 3 mm; 20–22: 2 mm. Trichobothrial notation after Vachon (1974).

Figures 47–56: Vachoniolus gallagheri, sp. nov. 47–51, 56, holotype male; 52–55, paratype female (S of Nizwa roundabout). 47. Right pedipalp chela of male, external aspect. 48. Right pedipalp chela of male, ventral aspect. 49. Right pedipalp femur of male, dorsal aspect. 50. Right pedipalp patella of male, dorsal aspect. 51. Right pedipalp patella of male, external aspect. 52. Right pedipalp chela of female, external aspect. 53. Right pedipalp chela of female, ventral aspect. 54. Right pedipalp patella of female, dorsal aspect. 55. Left pectine, female, ventral aspect. 56. Left pectine, male, ventral aspect. Scale bar: 47–48, 55–56: 3.0 mm; 49–54, 2.0 mm. Trichobothrial notation after Vachon (1974).

Figures 74–83: Vachoniolus globimanus Levy, Amitai et Shulov, 1973 (74–7, 83: male from Shigag; 79–82: female from NW of Montesar). 74. Right pedipalp chela of male, external aspect. 75. Right pedipalp chela of male, ventral aspect. 76. Right pedipalp femur of male, dorsal aspect. 77. Right pedipalp patella of male, dorsal aspect. 78. Right pedipalp patella of male, external aspect. 79. Right pedipalp chela of female, external aspect. 80. Right pedipalp chela of female, ventral aspect. 81. Right pedipalp patella of female, dorsal aspect. 82. Left pectine, female, ventral aspect. 83. Left pectine, male, ventral aspect. Scale bar: 74–75, 82–83: 3.3 mm; 76–81: 2.5 mm. Trichobothrial notation after Vachon (1974).

Figures 88–99: Pedipalp segments of Vachoniolus, species, viewed under UV fluorescence. 88–90, V. batinahensis, sp. nov., holotype male; 91–93, V. gallagheri, sp. nov., holotype male; 94–96, V. globimanus, male from Barik; 97–99, V. iranus, male from Iran. 88, 91, 94, 97: pedipalp femur, dorsal aspect; 89, 92, 95, 98: pedipalp patella, dorsal aspect; 90, 93, 96, 99: pedipalp chela, external aspect. Scale bar: 88–89, 99: 2.0 mm; 90: 2.4 mm; 91–92: 1.7 mm; 93, 96: 2.7 mm; 94–95: 2.1 mm; 97–98: 1.3 mm.

Figures 100–105: Pedipalp finger dentition of Vachoniolus species in Oman. Each figure shows a sketch of the denticle patterns on the dentate margins of right fixed finger (left drawing), and right movable finger (right drawing). Position of internal fixed finger trichobothrium it is indicated. 100. V. batinahensis, sp. nov., holotype male. 101. V. batinahensis, sp. nov., paratype female (al Abyad). 102. V. gallagheri, sp. nov., holotype male. 103. V. gallagheri, sp. nov., paratype female (N of Adam). 104. V. globimanus, female (Marsawdad). 105. V. globimanus, male (Shigag).

Figures 112–123: Tarsal spine combs and bristle combs on tibia, telotarsus and basitarsus of juvenile Vachoniolus batinahensis, sp. nov. 112–117: left legs, juvenile female, Al Abyad, carapace length 1.68 mm. 118–123: right legs, juvenile female, Al Abyad, carapace length 2.8 mm. 112–114, 118–120: visible light trans-illumination; 115–117, 121–123: UV epifluorescence. 112, 115, 118, 121: leg I; 113, 116, 119, 122: leg II; 114, 117, 120, 123: leg III. Retrolateral aspect shown in all figures. Scale bars: 5 mm (across rows).