Somalicharmus Kovařík, 1998

Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme & Šťáhlavský, František, 2016, Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part IX. Lanzatus, Orthochirus, and Somalicharmus (Buthidae), with description of Lanzatus somalilandus sp. n. and Orthochirus afar sp. n., Euscorpius 232, pp. 1-38 : 18-19

Somalicharmus Kovařík, 1998

( Figs. 78–122, 125–155, Table 2)

Somalicharmus Kovařík, 1998: 116 , 119–122, figs. 9– 15; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 224; Soleglad & Fet, 2003b: 88, Tab. 9; Fet & Soleglad, 2005: 11; Fet et al., 2005: 3, 14, 22, Tab. 1, Fig. 23; Prendini & Wheeler, 2005: 481; Dupré, 2007: 10, 13, 16; Kovařík et al., 2007: 201, 205–208, fig. 15; Kovařík, 2009: 21, 31; Mirza et al., 2016: 1.

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS. Total length 18.5– 25 mm. Pedipalps orthobothriotaxic type A (Vachon, 1974); dorsal trichobothria of femur arranged in α -configuration (Vachon, 1975) ( Fig. 100); trichobothrium d 2 of femur fenced by granules associated with dorsointernal carina, position may appear either dorsal or internal to carina; patella with dorsomedian carina absent, but trichobothrium d 3 located external to d 4; chela manus with V 2 displaced externally relative to V 1; db on distal manus, dt on base of fixed finger ( Fig. 93); it on base of fixed finger ( Figs. 95, 111). Pectines with fulcra, hirsute ( Fig. 112). Pectine teeth number 11–14. Basal middle lamella of pectines extremely dilated and rounded in females ( Figs. 116 vs. 115). Males with genital papillae. Hemispermatophore flagelliform with lobes of capsule in 2+1 configuration, basal lobe enlarged, elongate, median lobe not fused to flagellum. Sternum subpentagonal ( Figs. 115, 116, 122). Long tibial spurs present on third and fourth legs ( Figs. 119–120). Chelicera with reduced dentition, movable finger ventral margin smooth, fixed finger margin with 2 non-distal denticles, lacking bicusp, ventral surface of fixed finger without denticles ( Figs. 125–128). Carapace granulated without carinae ( Figs. 113–114, 121), in lateral view with entire dorsal surface horizontal or nearly so. Lateral eyes number 2 pairs (type 2A layout, Loria & Prendini, 2014). Movable finger of pedipalp with 8–9 rows and fixed finger with 7–8 rows of granules forming imbricated diagonal rows, with external and internal accessory granules ( Figs. 101, 110–111). Tergites densely granulate in males ( Fig. 113, 121), more so than in females ( Fig. 114); carinae absent or barely indicated by series of more closely spaced granules. Stigmata small, subovoid or hemielliptic slits. Metasoma stout, segments I with 10 carinae, II–III with 8 carinae; segments I–III with ventrosubmedian and ventrolateral carinae strong, the latter posteriorly converging and connecting to form a U-shaped margin carina ( Figs. 84, 88); ventral surfaces of segments IV–V coarsely granulated without carinae ( Figs. 84, 88, 92). Telson strongly swollen, nearly spherical, with a minute subaculear tubercle, its ventral surface densely hirsute with long setae, covered with prominent, pointed, darkbrown to black granules, aculeus shorter than vesicle. ( Figs. 82, 86, 90–92).

TYPE SPECIES. Somalicharmus whitmanae Kovařík, 1998 , by monotypy .