Calchas nordmanni Birula, 1899

Fet, Victor, Soleglad, Michael E. & Kovařík, František, 2009, Etudes on iurids, II. Revision of genus Calchas Birula, 1899, with the description of two new species (Scorpiones: Iuridae), Euscorpius 82 (82), pp. 1-72 : 42-57

Calchas nordmanni Birula, 1899

( Figs. 25 , 28–41 ; Tables 2, 3)

Calchas nordmanni Birula, 1899 : XV.

Syntypes. 2 ♀ subad. ( ZISP 942 ), TURKEY, Artvin Province, Ardanuç District, Ardanuç , in houses, 5(17) July 1898, K. M. Deryugin leg.

REFERENCES (selected; see Sissom & Fet, 2000: 418– 419 for the full list of secondary references; all references before 1980 apply only to Calchas nordmanni ):

Calchas nordmanni : Birula, 1899: XV; Birula, 1900: 252–255; Birula, 1905: 130–131; Birula, 1911: 175–177, figs. 2–3; Birula, 1912: 124–125; Birula, 1917a: 138–153, figs. 11–15; Birula, 1917b: 143– 159, pl. II, figs. 1–9, pl. IV, figs. 1–2; Vachon, 1971: 406–408, figs. 1–12; Vachon, 1974, figs. 166, 180, 19 6–198, 212–215; Kinzelbach, 1980: 169– 174 (in part), figs. 3–4, 5 (map localities 1–13); Francke & Soleglad, 1981: 245–248 (in part), figs. 1–4; Kinzelbach, 1982: 58 (in part); Kinzelbach, 1985: Map IV (in part); Lourenço, 1998: 140, fig. 4; Crucitti, 1999: 87 (in part); Kovařík, 1999: 40, 42 (in part); Fet & Braunwalder, 2000: 18 (in part); Sissom & Fet, 2000: 418–419 (in part); Crucitti & Cicuzza, 2001: fig. 7 (in part); Crucitti & Vignoli, 2002: 458–459; Graham & Fet, 2006: 6; Kaltsas et al., 2008: 227 (in part); Kamenz & Prendini, 2008: 43 (in part), pl. 62.

Paraiurus nordmanni : Vachon & Kinzelbach, 1987: 99, 102, fig. 6 (in part).

Diagnosis. Medium-sized scorpion with heavy chelae, 45–52 mm in length, pectinal tooth counts, 7 male and 6–7 (6) female. Coloration variable, adult specimens are dorsally red brown or dark brown with darker, almost black, pedipalpal and metasomal carinae; the legs and telson are lighter, yellow, yellow brown or brown. Telson vesicle elongated, with short, abruptly curved aculeus; subaculear setal pair (SSP) located on aculeus base. Six and five inner denticles (ID) and seven and six median denticle (MD) groups on the movable and fixed fingers, respectively. Fixed finger of chela same length as palm, trichobothrium it located at fixed finger midpoint. Trichobothrium dst located distally of midpoint between dt and db. Metasomal segment V 2.5 times longer than wide.

Distribution. TURKEY: northeast (Artvin and Erzurum Provinces) (see maps in Figs. 38 , 39 ).

Material examined: (2 ♂, 5 ♀, 3 juv.): TURKEY, Artvin / Erzurum Provinces : 3 ♀, 1 juv. ( FKCP), “Demirkent, Tortum” [i.e., between Demirkent (Artvin Province, Yusufeli District, 40.885°N 41.738°E) and Tortum (Erzurum Province, Tortum District, 40.298°N, 41.548°E)], 3 June 1992, J. Bradka & R. Nergr leg. ; Erzurum Province: 1 ♀, 1 ♂ subad. ( NMM 0203 ), Tortum, April 1970, C. Kosswig leg.; 2 ♀ juv. ( ZMUH A39 /71), Yusufeli , 40.817°N, 41.55°E, 30 April 1971, C. Kosswig leg.; 1 ♀ ( FKCP), Tortum, 7 June 1992, M. Kaftan & R. Nergr leg. No specific locality: 1 ♂ ( MNHN RS 5171 ), “Turkey, FANY”, 1965, M. Tsabar leg. [Note: FANY could be an acronym of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, a British women's ambulance unit] .

Other specimens /localities (material not examined): TURKEY, Artvin Province : 2 ♀ subad. syntypes ( ZISP 942 ), Ardanuç , 41.128°N, 42.059°E, in houses, 5(17) July 1898, K. M. Deryugin leg. ; 2 ♀ ad., 1 ♂ ad., 2 ♂ juv., 4 ♀ juv. ( ZISP 1394 , only one specimen exists,

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Euscorpius — 2009, No. 82

others not found), Lomashen (Lomasheni) near Artvin, 41.182°N, 41.819°E, 10(23) June 1909, P. V. Nesterov leg.; 1 ♂ ad. ( ZISP 1395 ), Lomashen near Artvin, July 1911, Yu. N. Voronov leg. ; 1 ♀ ad., 1 ♀ subad., 1 ♀ juv. ( GNM 243 , only two specimens exist), Khakhauch , Keniya Mts. , left bank of Çoruh River, SE Artvin, July 1911, Yu. N. Voronov leg. ; 3 ♀ juv., 1 ♂ juv., 1 ♀ pull. ( GNM 211 ), Svetibar [Svetibari] near Artvin, July 1911, Yu. N. Voronov leg. ; 1 ♀ ad. (formerly in ZISP, not found), Çoruh River , near Borçka, 41.3625°N, 41.68°E, 15 (28) May 1910, P. V. Nesterov leg. ; 1 ♀ ad., 2 ♀ juv., 1 ♂ juv. (formerly in ZISP, not found), near Artvin , 29 May (11 June) 1912, B. Lindholm leg. ; 1 ♀ ( AMNH [ LP 2246 ]), Ardanuç [reported as “Ardanug”], 26 August 2001, A. Karataş leg. (Kamenz & Prendini, 2008) . Erzurum Province : 1 ♂ ad. ( GNM 212 ), N of Oltu, border post Erük [now Örik], 30 May (12 June) 1904, E. König leg. ; 1 ♀ juv. ( GNM 519 ), Oltu District , Anzov [now Anzav], 24 August (6 September) 1905, E. König leg. ; 1 ♂ juv. ( ZISP 1393 ), Oltu District , near Oltu, 40.55°N, 41.983°E, 12 (25) August 1 910, P. Nesterov leg. ; 1 specimen ( ZSRO 1052 ), Ispir , rock and castle within the town, left bank of Çoruh Nehri, 40.483° N, 40.995°E, site no. VO-1988/328, 26–27 July 1988, R. Kinzelbach leg. Artvin / Erzurum Provinces : Çoruh River, near Artvin, and between Artvin and Yusufeli, July– August 1999 [P. Crucitti & V. Vignoli leg.], depository and specimen data unspecified (Crucitti & Vignoli, 2002) .

Identification of C. nordmanni . Two syntypes ( ZISP 942) and other existing specimens studied by A. A. Birula in 1899–1917 ( ZISP, GNM) were not available for this study. We, however, examined 10 specimens of C. nordmanni , including eight from the area between Demirkent and Tortum. This area (see map in Fig. 39 ) is close to the localities originally listed by Birula (1899, 1900, 1912, 1917a, 1917b), and is well removed from the known ranges of C. birulai sp. nov. and C. gruberi sp. nov. Morphology of our specimens is consistent with the detailed illustrations and description provided by Vachon (1971), based on a single male specimen from Lomashen near Artvin, which belongs to the original Birula collection ( ZISP 1395). In particular, our specimens match the movable finger dentition of six ID and seven MD denticle groups ( Fig. 25 ); the trichobothrial pattern also matches, trichobothrium dst located much closer to dt than db. See full trichobothrial pattern for this species in Figure 41 . The overall telson structure is consistent with Birula’s (1917a: fig. 13; 1917b: Pl. II, figs. 6–7) description ( Figs. 28–31 ), and the coloration and patterns seen in two studied females ( Fig. 40 ) is as described by Birula (1917a, 1917b). Finally, the pectinal tooth counts, male and female, are consistent with those reported by Birula (1917a, 1917b) ( Fig. 36 ).

Calchas birulai Fet, Soleglad et Kovařík , sp. nov. ( Figs. 4–5 , 8–9 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 20–23 , 25 , 27 , 32–38 , 42–58 ;

Tables 2, 3)

REFERENCES:

Calchas nordmanni : Kinzelbach, 1980: 169–174 (in part), fig. 5 (map localities 14–15); Francke & Soleglad, 1981: 245–248 (in part), fig. 20; Kinzelbach, 1982: 58 (in part); Kinzelbach, 1985: Map IV (in part); Kovařík, 1997: 184; Crucitti, 1999: 87 (in part); Kovařík, 1999: 40, 42 (in part); Fet & Braunwalder, 2000: 18 (in part); Sissom & Fet, 2000: 418–419 (in part); Crucitti & Cicuzza, 2001: fig. 7 (in part); Soleglad & Fet, 2003 b: 7 (in part), Karataş & Çolak, 2005: 4; Fet & Soleglad, 2008: 256 (in part), fig. 5; Kaltsas et al., 2008: 227 (in part); Kamenz & Prendini, 2008: 43 (in part); Soleglad et al., 2009: 2 (in part).

Paraiurus nordmanni : Vachon & Kinzelbach, 1987: 99, 102, fig. 6 (in part).

Holotype: ♂ ( NMW 0843 ), TURKEY, Mardin Province: Mardin, 6 May 1966, J. Eiselt et al. leg . Paratypes (11 ♂, 14 ♀, 4 juv.), see list below.

Diagnosis. Small-sized scorpion with heavy chelae, 25– 28 mm in length, pectinal tooth counts, 5–6 (6) male and 5–6 (5) female. Coloration yellow-orange with little pigmented patterns. Telson with short, abruptly curved aculeus; subaculear setal pair (SSP) located on aculeus base. Six and five inner denticles (ID) and seven and six median denticle (MD) groups on the movable and fixed fingers, respectively. Fixed finger of chela shorter than palm, trichobothrium it located proximally of fixed finger midpoint. Trichobothrium dst is equidistant between dt and db. Metasomal segment V two times longer than wide.

Distribution. TURKEY: southeast (Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Malatya, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, and Siirt Provinces). IRAQ: north (Arbil Province).? SYRIA (unconfirmed sighting, see Introduction) (see maps in Figs. 38 , 42 ).

Etymology. Species name is a patronym honoring the famous Russian scorpiologist, Alexei Andreevich Byalynitskii-Birula (A. A. Birula) (1864–1937),

formerly of the Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, the discoverer of Calchas .

MALE. Description based on holotype male from Mardin, Turkey. Measurements of the holotype plus three other specimens are presented in Table 3. See Figure 43 for a dorsal view of the male holotype .

COLORATION. Basic color of carapace, mesosoma, metasoma, pedipalps yellow-orange; telson and legs yellow; carinae of pedipalps and metasoma, and leg condyles reddish; chelal finger dentition and telson aculeus a dark brown. No variegated patterns present.

CARAPACE ( Fig. 44 ). Anterior edge with a small median indentation, five small irregularly placed setae visible; interocular area somewhat rough with scatter granulation, though smooth around the immediate area of the median eyes; posterior lateral aspects covered with medium to large granules. Anterior and lateral edges next to lateral eyes with small but conspicuous pointed granules. Mediolateral ocular carinae present and granular, extending to the lateral eyes; lateral eyes number two, the posterior eye slightly larger. Median eyes and tubercle somewhat small, positioned considerably anterior of middle with the following length and width formulas: 100|335 (anterior edge to medium tubercle middle |carapace length) and 40|250 (width of median tubercle including eyes| width of carapace at that point).

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 46 ). Tergites I–II granulated on extreme posterior edge, III–VI with heavier granulation, primarily on posterior half; tergite VII covered with coarse granules with two pairs of granulate carinae. Sternites III–VI smooth and lustrous, VII surface rough; on segment VII, one pair of irregularly granulated lateral carinae and one median pair essentially obsolete with some traces present posteriorly. Stigmata ( Fig. 46 ) are short sub-oval in shape, angled 45 degrees in an anterointernal direction.

METASOMA ( Figs. 49–50 ). Segments I–IV: dorsal and dorsolateral carinae crenulate; dorsal (I–IV) and dorsolateral (I–III) carinae terminate with spine; lateral carinae crenulate on I, present on one-half of II, on 30 % of III, and absent on IV; ventrolateral and ventromedian carinae crenulate. Dorsolateral carinae of segment IV terminate at articulation condyle. Segment V: dorsolateral carinae crenulate; lateral carinae crenulate for two-thirds of posterior aspect; ventrolateral and single ventromedian carinae crenulate; ventromedian carina not bifurcated, terminating in straight line ( Fig. 50 ). Intercarinal areas of segments I–IV essentially smooth ventrally, with scattered granulation laterally; segment V

Fet, Soleglad & Kovařík: Revision of Calchas with Two New Species 49

with heavy granulation on ventral surface. Metasoma essentially void of setation.

TELSON ( Figs. 49–50, 51 , paratype female from Mardin). Elongated vesicle with short abruptly curved aculeus. Vesicle ventral surface covered with medium sized granules, heavier basally; scattered setae located on ventral surface of vesicle; subaculear setal pair (SSP) located on base of aculeus, distal of vesicle/aculeus juncture.

PECTINES ( Fig. 47 ). Well-developed segments exhibiting length|width formula 340|190 (length taken at anterior lamellae|width at widest point including teeth). Sclerite construction complex, three anterior lamellae and 4/4 middle lamellae; fulcra of medium development. Teeth number 6/6. Sensory areas developed along most of tooth inner length on all teeth, including basal tooth. Small white setae found on anterior lamellae and distal pectinal tooth. Basal piece large, with deep indentation along anterior edge, length| width formula 80|115.

PREPECTINAL PLATE ( Fig. 47 ). Not present in male (see discussion on female below).

GENITAL OPERCULUM ( Fig. 47 ). Sclerites large, subtriangular, approximately as wide as long, separated for most of length. Conspicuous genital papillae present between the sclerites, but not extending beyond the posterior edge (see discussion on female below).

STERNUM ( Fig. 47 ). Type 2, posterior emargination present, well-defined convex lateral lobes, apex visible but not conspicuous; wider than long, length|width formula 85|135; sclerite tapers anteriorly, posterior-width| anterior-width formula 135|108.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 53 , female). Movable finger dorsal edge with one large subdistal (sd) denticle; ventral edge with two small pigmented crenulations (va) on the distal half, and one large pigmented accessory denticle at finger base; ventral edge with heavy setal brush covering well-developed serrula with over 20 contiguous tines, terminating just before distal tip. Ventral distal denticle (vd) considerably longer than dorsal (dd). Fixed finger with four denticles, median (m) and basal (b) denticles conjoined on common trunk; no ventral accessory denticles present.

PEDIPALPS ( Figs. 48 , 54 ). Short fingered, strong chelae, heavily carinated, no scalloping on chelal fingers, thus not exhibiting sexual dimorphism in this structure. Femur: Dorsointernal and ventrointernal carinae serrate, dorsoexternal carina crenulate, ventroexternal rounded. Dorsal and internal surfaces sparsely granulate, ventral smooth, and external surface with line of serrate granules. Patella: Dorsointernal and ventrointernal carinae serrate, dorsoexternal granulate, ventroexternal rough rounded, and exteromedian carina granulate. Dorsal, ventral, and external surfaces smooth; external surface with granulate exteromedian carina; internal surface smooth except for weakly developed doubled DPS and single VPS. Chelal carinae: Complies with the “8-carinae configuration”. Digital (D1) carina strong, smooth to granulate; dorsosecondary (D3) present on basal half only, smooth; dorsomarginal (D4) rounded, continuous, with granules; dorsointernal (D5) weak, sparsely granulated; ventroexternal (V1) strong and granulated proximally, terminating at external condyle of movable finger; ventrointernal (V3) strong and smooth, continuous to internal condyle; external (E) strong, continuous, essentially smooth except for proximal one-fifth which is granulate; internal (I) weak, rounded, not continuous, with small granules. Chelal finger dentition ( Fig. 48 ): median denticle (MD) row groups oblique and slighting imbricating, numbering 6/6 and 7/7 on fixed and movable fingers; 5/5 and 6/6 internal denticles (ID) and 5/5 and 6/6 outer denticles (OD) on fixed and movable fingers, respectively. No accessory denticles present. Number of MD denticles on movable finger is 55. Trichobothrial patterns ( Fig. 54 ): Type C, orthobothriotaxic. See discussion of trichobothria differences between Calchas species which highlights the pattern of this male type.

LEGS ( Fig. 45 ). Both pedal spurs present on all legs; tibial spurs present on legs III and IV. Tarsus covered heavily with large socketed setae on ventral surface.

HEMISPERMATOPHORE ( FIG . 55). In Figure 55 the right hemispermatophore ventral view is illustrated. It is consistent with the C. birulai hemispermatophore described in detail elsewhere. The overall structure is simplistic with a straight, parallel, and somewhat wide lamina terminating in a blunt, slightly tapered distal tip. The distal tip is thickened on the external edge exhibiting a slight sclerotization. The lamina base lacks a basal constriction but a slight angled expansion is visible just proximally of the lamina midpoint. At the lamina base is a nonpigmented, slightly sclerotized thin pointed internal protuberance. Emanating from the internal aspect of the capsular area is a highly pigmented sclerotized acuminate process terminating in a delicately truncated point.

Female Paratype (Mardin, Turkey, Figs. 51–53 ). Adult females are approximately the same size as the male, 24.60–27.00 [2] for males, compared to 25.90– 28.00 [2] for females. The genders do not exhibit any significant morphometric differences except for the carapace length, which is relatively larger in the female; the female carapace length dominated in every possible ratio calculation. Pectinal tooth counts in the male exceed the female by one tooth over 80 % of the samples, male 5–6 (5.97) [30], female 5–6 (5.15) [26] (see histograms in Fig. 36 ). The genital operculum of the male is dramatically different from that in the female ( Figs. 47, 52 ). The sclerites, subtriangular in shape, are as long as or longer than wide in the male, whereas in the female the sclerites are short and wide, more than twice as wide as long. Whereas the sclerites are fused medially in the female, they are separated their entire length in the male, exposing significantly developed genital papillae. The prepectinal plate, so conspicuous in the female, is absent in males ( Figs. 47, 52 ). Figures 56– 58 show dorsal and ventral views of both male and female specimens, and a locality area (Birecik, Turkey) for this species.

Type material. Holotype: ♂ ( NMW 0843 ), TURKEY, Mardin Province: Mardin, 37.30°N, 40.733°E, 6 May 1966, J. Eiselt et al. leg . Paratypes (11 ♂, 14 ♀, 4 juv.):

TURKEY, Adıyaman Province: 1 ♀ ( FKCP), Nemrut Dağı, 40 km N Kahta, 37.982°N, 38.741°E, 3 July 1993, V. Šejna leg. Diyarbakır Province: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( HNHM), Kavurma Köyü, 10 km NE Ergani, 1400 m a.s.l., 38.267°N, 39.767°E, 27 April 1989, G. Fabian, G. Ronkay & L. Ronkay leg. Gaziantep Province: 1 ♀ ( NMW 0844), Sakçagözü, 37.198°N, 36.927°E, 26 April 1966, J. Eiselt et al. leg. Malatya Province: 1 ♀ ( FKCP), Malatya, 38.067°N, 38.0167°E, June 1992, M. Kaftan leg.; 1 ♂ ( FKCP), near Birecik, ca. 15–20 km from Syrian border (see Fig. 58 ), 37°01.185'N, 37°59.348'E, 500 m a.s.l. (collected together with Compsobuthus matthiesseni and Mesobuthus eupeus ), 20 October 2008, A. Funk leg. Mardin Province: 3 ♂ 3 ♀ ( NMW 0843), Mardin, 6 May 1966, J. Eiselt et al. leg. Şanlıurfa Province: 3 ♂ 2 ♀ ( NMW 0840), 20 km S Urfa (now Şanlıurfa), 37.15°N, 38.80°E, 1 May 1966, J. Eiselt et al. leg.; 1 ♀ ( MNHN RS 6452), Birecik [label: “Bilejdik”], 37.025°N, 37.977°E, 23 April 1971, J. Garzoni leg.; 1 ♂ subad., 2 ♀ subad., 1 ♂ juv., 1 ♀ juv. ( HNHM), Halfeti, 37.25°N, 37.867°E, 1990, G. Ronkay leg.; 1 ♂ subad., 2 ♂ juv. ( HNHM), Halfeti, valley of Euphrates, 500 m a.s.l., 15–22 April 1990, B. Herzig & G. Ronkay leg. Siirt Province: 1 ♂ ( NMW 0842), road Siirt –Kurtalan, 16 May 1966, J. Eiselt et al. leg.; 1 ♀ ( NMW 0846), Baykan (between Siirt and Bitlis), 38.165°N, 41.780°E, 15 May 1966, J. Eiselt et al. leg.; 1 ♀ ( ZMUH A37/72), Siirt, 37.933°N, 41.95°E, 18 June 1972, C. Kosswig leg.

Note: see Eiselt (1967) for detailed itinerary and map of the NMW expedition to southeastern Turkey in 1 966.

Additional specimens/localities (not examined): TURKEY: Adıyaman Province: 1 specimen ( ZSRO 1181 ) ,

Nemrut Dağı between summit and Horik , 37.93– 37.97°N, 38.70– 38.73°E site no. VO-1982/52d, 28 September 1982 , R. Kinzelbach leg. Gaziantep Province: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( ZDNU 2003 /524/1-2), Şahinbey District, Güllüce Village , lower slopes of Mt. Ellezi , 13 September 2003 ; 1 ♂ ( ZDNU 2003 /573/1), 1 ♀ ( ZDNU 2003 /573/2), Şahinbey District, Güllüce Village , 36.983°N, 37.267°E, 21 September 2003 (Karataş & Çolak, 2005) ; 1 ♂ ( AMNH [ LP 4333 ]), Şehitkamil District, Incesu Köyü , 7 May 2005 , E. Aydin [Yağmur] leg. (reported as “ Antep-Sehitkamil: Incesu Köyü ” by Kamenz & Prendini, 2008); 2 specimens ( ZSRO 1101 ), Rumkale , 37.265°N, 37.874°E, 28 April 1987 , M. Kasparek leg. Sanlıurfa Province: 1 specimen ( ZSRO 0358 , formerly NMM 0500 ), Karaçadağ Mts. near Siverek , 1200 m a.s.l., 37.691°N, 39.654°E, 18 April 1981 , W. Heinz leg. ( Kinzelbach, 1982: 58). IRAQ (north). Arbil (Erbil, Hawler) Province. 1 specimen, Geli Ali Beg waterfall, 36.6305°N, 44.4475°E, 21 April 1 958, C. Kosswig leg. ( ZMUH, no. 9/1958) (R. Kinzelbach, pers. comm., May 2009) .

Figures

Figure 4: Sternopectinal area of Calchas birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey, showing sternum, genital operculum, prepectinal plate, basal piece, and pectines.

Figure 5: Prepectinal plate in Calchas. Top. Close-up of prepectinal plate of Calchas birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey. Bottom. Detached prepectinal plate of C. gruberi, sp. nov., female, Antalya, Turkey, and close-up showing surface of the plate.

Figure 8: Chelicera, Calchas birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey. Dorsal view (top, right chelicera), ventral view (bottom, left chelicera reversed). Diagnostic large basal ventral accessory (va) denticle and large subdistal (sd) denticle indicated.

Figure 9: Cheliceral movable finger, ventral view, showing well developed serrula. Top. Calchas birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey. Bottom. C. gruberi, sp. nov., juvenile male, Antalya, Turkey.

Figure 13: Chelal finger dentition (fixed left, movable right), Calchas birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey. Note that the median denticle (MD) groups are oblique and slightly imbricated. Also visible, in part, are trichobothria ib, it, et, est, esb, eb, and Et3 on fixed finger. Bottom figure shows close-up of movable finger distal aspect with distal denticle (DD), median denticles (MD), outer denticles (OD), and inner denticles (ID) identified.

Figure 15: External view of pedipalp chela showing constellation array of Calchas birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey. Note that this species exhibits eight sensilla, considerably less than that found in C. gruberi, sp. nov., which has 15 sensilla (see Fig. 14). Also visible are eight fixed finger trichobothria, eb–et and db–dt, showing the pattern representative of C. birulai.

Figure 16: Leg III tibial spur. Calchas birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey.

Figure 20: Telson, lateral view, of Calchas species. Top. C. birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey. Bottom. C. gruberi, sp. nov., female, Antalya, Turkey.

Figure 21: Close-up of the telson of Calchas showing two different placements of the subaculear setal pair (SSP) with respect to the vesicle/aculeus juncture. Top. Calchas birulai, sp. nov., female, Nemrut Dağı, Turkey, SSP placed on aculeus base, distal of the juncture. Bottom. C. gruberi, sp. nov., female, Anamur, Turkey, SSP placed at juncture. Ves/Acu = vesicle/aculeus juncture, VDSP = ventral distal setal pair, DDSP = dorsal distal setal pair.

Figure 22: Right hemispermatophore of Calchas birulai, sp. nov., Kavurma Köyü, Turkey. Left. Dorsal view. Right. Ventral view. Central, Left. Close-up of capsular area, interodorsal view, internal protuberance visible, though angled slightly outward towards figure plane. Central, Right. Internal view, internal protuberance barely visible, angled directly into figure plane. Note that the truncated nature of the acuminate process distal tip is visible in this view.

Figure 23: Right hemispermatophore of Calchas birulai, sp. nov., Kavurma Köyü, Turkey. Close-up of capsular area (left to right), dorsal, dorsointernal, interodorsal, ventrointernal, and ventral. Reverse video images on bottom.

Figure 25: Chelal movable finger of Calchas species showing dentition. Note differences in the number of inner denticles (ID) and median denticle (MD) groups between the species: C. nordmanni, female, Tortum, Turkey, and C. birulai, sp. nov., male holotype, Mardin, Turkey, with six ID and seven MD groups as compared to C. gruberi, sp. nov., female holotype, Mamure Kalesi, Anamur, Turkey, with seven ID and eight MD groups.

Figure 32: Relative position of chelal trichobothrium dst in Calchas with respect to trichobothria dt and db. Trichobothrium dst mean position indicated by open circle based on 30 samples (other fixed finger trichobothria not shown). Method of measurement: dt|dst = distance between dt and dst, dst|db = distance between dst and db. Histogram of morphometric ratio shows mean (vertical bar), minimum, maximum, and standard error (black rectangle) ranges. We see two significant dst positional differences in these species: In C. birulai, trichobothrium dst is approximately at midpoint between dt and db whereas in C. nordmanni and C. gruberi, dst is considerably distal of midpoint, most exaggerated in C. gruberi.

Figure 33: Relative position of chelal trichobothrium it in Calchas based on its location with respect to the fixed finger length. Trichobothrium it mean position indicated by open circle based on 30 samples. Method of measurement: ff_LENG = fixed finger length, it_POS = it position. Histogram of morphometric ratio shows mean (vertical bar), minimum, maximum, and standard error (black rectangle) ranges. We see two significant it positional differences in these species: In C. birulai and C. nordmanni, trichobothrium it is approximately at finger midpoint or proximal, most exaggerated in C. birulai, whereas in C. gruberi trichobothrium it is considerably distal of finger midpoint.

Figure 34: External surface of the chela highlighting trichobothria positional differences in Calchas species. Four specific areas (A–D) are delineated showing major trichobothrial location differences between species C. gruberi as compared to C. birulai and C. nordmanni. A: in C. gruberi trichobothrium eb is placed considerably more distally on finger than in the other two species. B: in C. gruberi the pattern formed by trichobothria Et3–Et5–db essentially forms a straight line with db more distally placed, situated parallel to the finger juncture; in addition, trichobothrium Et4 is located considerably dorsally of Et3. C & D: in C. gruberi trichobothrium Dt and Db are positioned considerably more distally than in the other two species.

Figure 35: Sternopectinal area in Calchas species showing the genital operculum, prepectinal plate (in female), and genital papillae (in male). Note, in the male, the large long subtriangular shaped genital operculum with separated sclerites exposing significant genital papillae, as compared to the female, we see a narrow operculum with fused sclerites. Top-Left. C. nordmanni, female, Tortum, Turkey. Top-Right. C. birulai, sp. nov., female, Mardin, Turkey. Bottom-Left. C. gruberi, sp. nov., female, 12 km S. Akseki, Turkey. Bottom-Right. C. nordmanni, male, Turkey.

Figure 36: Distribution of pectinal tooth counts in genus Calchas based on 82 specimens (32 males and 50 females). Number of teeth on bottom, number of samples on top. Data is based on material examined and Birula (1900, 1905, 1911, and 1912).

Figure 37: Key morphometric ratio differences in species of Calchas based on 28 sets of measurements. Top. Metasomal segment V proportions (length/width) show that metasomal segment V is considerably more slender in C. nordmanni than in the other two species, exhibiting considerable standard error as well as absolute range separation. Differences in mean values between C. nordmanni and the other two species, male|female, is as follows: C. birulai = 24.2 %| 27.1 %, C. gruberi = 27.4 %|23.8 %. Bottom. Telson proportions (telson length / vesicle length) show that species C. nordmanni and C. birulai have a longer vesicle than that seen in C. gruberi. The mean value differences between C. gruberi and the other two species (combined) is 13.8 % male and 16.2 % female. Also of interest in both sets of ratios, we see that the differences between the genders across species are negligible.

Figure 38: Distribution of all reported instances of genus Calchas. Open icons depict localities examined in this study; closed icons depict remainder of published localities; icons with enclosed dot indicate type locality. Note C. birulai localities from northern Iraq and possibly Syria (? = not confirmed).

Figure 39: Large-scale range of Calchas nordmanni, white circles. See general Calchas map in Fig. 38.

Figure 40: Calchas nordmanni, dorsal view (specimens dried). Left. Adult female (43 mm), Demirkent – Tortum, Turkey. Right. Adult female (45 mm), Demirkent – Tortum, Turkey.

Figure 41: Trichobothrial pattern of Calchas nordmanni Birula, female, Tortum, Turkey.

Figure 42: Large-scale range of confirmed localities of Calchas birulai, sp. nov. (open circles). See general Calchas map in Fig. 38.

Figure 43: Calchas birulai, sp. nov., male holotype (NMW), Mardin, Turkey, dorsal view (27 mm).

Figures 44–53: Calchas birulai, sp. nov. 44–50. Male holotype (NMW), Mardin, Turkey. 44. Carapace showing close-up of lateral eyes. 45. Leg IV (left, ventral view), showing the tibial spur. 46. Stigma IV. 47. Sternum, genital operculum, and pectines. 48. Chelal fixed and movable finger dentition. 49. Telson and metasomal segments IV–V, lateral view. 50. Metasomal segment V and telson, ventral view. 51–52. Female paratype (NMW), Mardin, Turkey. 51. Telson, ventral view. 52. Sternum, genital operculum, prepectinal plate, and pectines. 53. Female paratype (HNHM), Kavurma Köyü, Diyarbakır Province, Turkey. Chelicerae, ventral and dorsal views.

Figure 54: Trichobothrial pattern of Calchas birulai, sp. nov., male holotype (NMW), Mardin, Turkey.

Figure 55: Right hemispermatophore of Calchas birulai, sp. nov., male holotype (NMW), Mardin, Turkey. Ventral view and close-up of capsular area showing the truncated distal tip of the acuminate process.

Figure 56: Calchas birulai, sp. nov., dorsal and ventral views. Adult female paratype (FKCP) (24 mm), Nemrut Dağı, Turkey.

Figure 57: Calchas birulai, sp. nov., dorsal and ventral views. Adult male paratype (FKCP) (22 mm), Birecik, Turkey.

Figure 58: Turkey, Gaziantep Province, Birecik, 500 m, a.s. l., 37°01.185'N, 37°59.348'E, ca. 15–20 km from the Syrian border. Collection locality of adult male paratype (FKCP) of Calchas birulai, sp. nov. (see Fig. 57), together with Compsobuthus matthiesseni and Mesobuthus eupeus.

Figures 26–31: Subaculear setal pair (SSP) in genus Calchas, lateral view unless otherwise noted (note, only the SSP, VDSP, and DDSP setal pairs are shown). Conspicuous in these illustrations is the aculear placement of the SSP in species C. nordmanni and C. birulai. In C. gruberi, the SSP is located at the vesicle/aculeus juncture, common to most scorpions. 26. C. gruberi, sp. nov., female, Mamure Kalesi, Anamur, Turkey. 27. C. birulai, sp. nov., male holotype, Mardin, Turkey. 28. C. nordmanni, female, Tortum, Turkey. 29. C. nordmanni, male, Turkey. 30. C. nordmanni, female, Tortum, Turkey, viewed from the aculeus. 31. C. nordmanni, male, Tortum, Turkey, ventral view. VDSP = ventral distal setal pair, DDSP = dorsal distal setal pair.