Mesobuthus przewalskii ( Birula, 1897 ) Zhang & Liu & Feng & Zhang & Shi, 2020

Zhang, Xueshu, Liu, Gaoming, Feng, Yu, Zhang, Dexing & Shi, Chengmin, 2020, Genetic analysis and ecological niche modeling delimit species boundary of the Przewalski’s scorpion (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in arid Asian inland, Zoological Systematics 45 (2), pp. 81-96 : 85

Mesobuthus przewalskii ( Birula, 1897) stat. nov.

Buthus caucasicus przewalskii Birula, 1897: 387–388 ; Kraepelin, 1899: 25; Birula, 1904: 24; Birula, 1927: 201–209.

Buthus przewalskii: Kishida, 1939: 44 .

Mesobuthus caucasicus przewalskii: Vachon, 1958: 150 , fig. 31; Fet, 1989: 111; Sun & Zhu, 2010: 4–5, figs 3, 14–16; Shi & Zhang, 2005: 475; Sun & Sun, 2011: 60–61, figs 1–2, 10; Di et al., 2015: 111.

Olivierus caucasicus przewalskii: Farzanpay, 1987: 156 ; Fet et al., 2000: 192; Zhu et al., 2004: 113.

Olivierus przewalskii: Kovařík, 2019: 25–26 , figs 181–182.

Type locality. China (near Lob-nor, Ruoqiang and Oasis Cherchen , Qiemo in the east edge of the Tarim Basin , Xinjiang) .

Material examined. China. Xinjiang: 3♂, 4♀, Tuokexun, 42°47´N, 88°40´E, 12 September 2015, C.M. Shi; 1♂, 8♀, Turpan, 42°57´N, 89°06´E, 20 September 2017, C.M. Shi & G.M. Liu; 2♂, 3♀, Hami, 42°52´N, 93°26´E, 14 September 2015, X.G. Guo; 3♀, Hami, 42°41´N, 93°27´E, 22 September 2017, C.M. Shi & G.M. Liu; 3♂, 1♀, Kuche, 41°44´N, 82°55´E, 20 August 2018, C.M. Shi; 3♀, Tiemenguan, 41°47´N, 86°11´E, 21 September 2017, G.M. Liu & Y. Feng; 1♂, 3♀, Shanshan, 42°51´N, 90°13´E, 11 September 2015, C.M. Shi; 9♂, 8♀, Tumushuke, 39°53´N, 78°55´E, 24 August 2018, C.M. Shi; 1♀, Tarim, 40°38´N, 84°18´E, 21 June 2015, X.G. Guo; 5♂, 3♀, Qiemo, 38°15´N, 85°32´E, 26 August 2019, C.M. Shi & Y. Feng; 2♂, 7♀, Ruoqiang, 39°01´N, 88°10´E, 27 August 2019, C.M. Shi & Y. Feng. Gansu : 1♂, Dunhuang, 40°18´N, 94°44´E, 23 September 2017, C.M. Shi & G.M. Liu; 2♂, 3♀, Guazhou, 40°29´N, 96°02´E, 16 September 2015, C.M. Shi. Inner Mongolia : 1♂, 1♀, Ejina, 42°04´N, 101°12´E, 5 September 2015, C.M. Shi.

Distribution. China (Xinjiang (Tarim Basin), Inner Mongolia (Ejina Qi), Gansu (Guazhou, Dunhuang)).

Description. Total length 50–61mm in adult males, 53–75mm in females ( Figs 1–4 ). Pedipalp femur with 4–5 granulate carinae, patella with 8 granulate or smooth carinae, manus with irregular netlike dark pigments; chela slender with Cl/Cw= 3.98±0.38 (Cl—chela length, Cw—chela width, mean ± SD, n = 43) for female and 3.07±0.28 (n = 28) for male. Trichobothrium db on fixed finger of pedipalp situated between trichobothria esb and est, near to est. For both sexes, movable and fixed fingers of pedipalps with 11 and 10 cutting rows of denticles, respectively ( Figs 5–6 ); movable fingers with 5 terminal denticles. Pectinal teeth number 15–19 in females and 19–23 in males ( Figs 7–8 ). Seventh sternite bears 4 marked granulate carinae. Metasomal segments I– V sparsely hirsute with 10-8-8-8-5 complete carinae; ventrolateral carinae strong, serrate, becoming stronger gradually from anterior to posterior. Lateral and dorsal surfaces of metasomal segment V with sparse granules and ventral with sparse large granules. Telson sparsely hirsute, bumpy; aculeus about equal to a half of telson length. Leg femur and patella with carinae; long tibial spurs present on legs III and IV; pedal spur with solitary setae; tarsomeres with two rows of setae on ventral surface and numerous macrosetae on other surfaces. Telotarsus III ventrally bear two rows of setae in which every contains not more than 13 setae in both sexes.

Figures

Figures 1–8. Mesobuthus przewalskii stat. nov., from Qiemo, Xinjiang. 1. Male, dorsal view. 2. Male, ventral view. 3. Female, dorsal view. 4. Female, ventral view. 5. Male, dentition of pedipalp chela movable finger. 6. Male, dentition of pedipalp chela fixed finger. 7. Male, ventral aspect of genital operculum and pectines. 8. Female, ventral aspect of genital operculum and pectines. Scale bars: 1–4=5.0mm; 5–8=2.0mm.