Neobuthus erigavoensis, Kovařík & Lowe & Awale & Elmi & Abdi, 2018

Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme, Awale, Ahmed Ibrahim, Elmi, Hassan Sh Abdirahman & Abdi, Ali, 2018, Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part XVII. Revision of Neobuthus, with description of seven new species from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland (Buthidae), Euscorpius 271, pp. 1-82 : 17-27

Neobuthus erigavoensis sp. n.

( Figs. 71–123, 129–132, 407, 422, 426, 438, Tables 2 and 5) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:137A44

D0-45F5-4B62-AEB2-0D29529640FF

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Somaliland, Sanaag Region, Buq village near Erigavo , 10°37'25"N 47°10'53"E, 1723 m a.s.l. ; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL. Somaliland, Sanaag Region, Buq village near Erigavo , 10°37'25"N 47°10'53"E, 1723 m a.s.l. (Locality No. 18SH, Figs. 131–132), 11♂ 10♀2♀ juvs. (holotype and paratypes) , FKCP, 1♂ 1♀ (paratypes) , GLPC (Nos. 1535, 1536, 1537, 1538), 27.VIII.2018, leg. F. Kovařík ( UV detection); Sanaag Region, 5.5 km S-SW of Erigavo , 10°34'13"N 47° 19'55"E, 1776 m a.s.l., 1♀ (paratype, Table 2), 25. I.2015, leg . T. Mazuch , FKCP.

ETYMOLOGY. Named after the occurrence around Erigavo city.

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 20–25 mm (males), 21–25.5 mm (females); carapace with area between anterior median carinae yellow; tergites with fuscous variable pigmentation; pedipalps of female yellow without black spots developed; pedipalp relatively slender, males with femur L/ W 2.45 –2.61, patella L/ W 2.27 –2.35, chela L/ W 4.22 –4.36; chela movable finger with 5–6 subrows of primary denticles, 4–5 external accessory denticles flanking proximal end of each subrow; trichobothria d 2 usually present on femur and absent from patella; dorsoexternal and ventroexternal carinae on pedipalp patella in female absent; posterior margins of tergites without (male) or with 1–2 pairs of macrosetae (female); pedipalps, legs, metasoma and telson with moderately short, stout macrosetae in males, and long, fine setae in females; sternites III–VI shagreened to smooth medially in males, females with sternites III–VI smooth; sternite VII finely granulated with 4 weak, granulated carinae in both sexes; metasoma I–III with median lateral carinae present or at least indicated in both sexes; dorsal metasomal II–V carinae absent; lateral surface of metasoma V in males granulated, with granules separated; soles of telotarsi with relatively sparse setation, leg III of adults with 13–17 ventral macrosetae on telotarsus; pectine teeth: 15–18 (males), 12–16 (females).

DESCRIPTION. Total length of adult males 20–25 mm, of adult females 21–25.5 mm; measurements of carapace, telson, segments of metasoma and pedipalps given in Table 2; positions and distribution of trichobothria on pedipalps shown in Figs. 97–100 and 103–104; trichobothrium d 2 usually present on pedipalp femur, absent from patella; base color pale yellow with fuscous pigmentation reduced ( Fig. 73 and 74), pedipalps and legs uniformly yellow with sole dark spot on external pedipalp patella; more extensive patterns of dark maculation present mainly on ventral metasoma; chelicerae yellow with dark reticulation on anterior manus, dentition reddish. Sexual dimorphism: strong, adult males clearly smaller, but without differences in shapes of pedipalps, metasoma and telson; pedipalp patella and femur granulate and matte in males, smooth and glossy in females; sternites smooth in females, partly granulated in males; macrosetae on pedipalps, legs, metasoma and telson much longer and finer in females than males; other sex differences cited below.

Pedipalp ( Figs. 96–115). Pedipalp mostly sparsely hirsute; finely granulated in males and smooth in females; femur with three conspicuously granulose carinae, more strongly developed in males; patella and chela with carinae obsolete or only weakly indicated, smooth.

Carapace ( Figs. 76, 78, 80, 82). Strongly trapezoidal (narrower anteriorly), wider than long (L/ W 0.82 –0.93); posterior median postocular area flat, anterior median preocular area gently sloped downwards towards anterior margin; lateral flanks steeply sloped; ocular tubercle broad, prominent, located slightly anterior to middle of carapace; anterior margin straight, finely microdenticulate, with coarser granules overlapping edge, bearing 8 macrosetae; anterior median carinae weak, coarsely granular in males and smooth in females, other carinae indistinct; dense granulation covering most of carapace, more so in males.

Chelicera ( Figs. 116–118). Fingers with typical buthid dentition ( Vachon, 1963, Lowe & Kovařík, 2016); fixed finger with large distal denticle, 1 subdistal denticle and 2 basal denticles fused into bicusp, single denticle on ventral surface at level of bicusp; dorsal margin of movable finger with 5 denticles: 1 large distal denticle, medium-sized subdistal and medial, and 2 small, partially fused basal denticles; ventral margin with 2 denticles.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 71–83). Tergites I–VI bear three carinae of which the lateral pair may be less conspicuous mainly on tergites I–IV; tergite VII bears five welldefined carinae (median, submedians and laterals); tergites I–VI granular in males, with coarser granules on posterior lateral areas; tergite VII densely granular; sternites III–VI smooth in females, smooth medially and granulate laterally in males; sternite VII finely granulated with four weak, granulated carinae in both sexes; sternum type 1, triangular in shape, smooth, with deep posteromedian invagination; genital opercula smooth; genital papillae present; pectines extending to around a three quarter of sternite IV in both sexes; pectine teeth 15–18 in males, 12–16 in females; combs with 3 marginal lamellae and 6–8 middle lamellae; marginal lamellae, middle lamellae and fulcra with dense cover of short dark reddish macrosetae; fulcra with 2–4 setae.

Hemispermatophore ( Figs. 119–123). Typical of the genus.

Legs ( Figs. 84–87). Coxa, femora, patella and tibia of all legs bearing variable numbers of short to medium length, straight, dark-reddish macrosetae; tarsi with mix of short and longer, dark-reddish macrosetae; basitarsi I– III slightly compressed with flat retrolateral surfaces, with bristle combs consisting of retrosuperior series of longer macrosetae, plus retroinferior and proinferior series of shorter macrosetae; telotarsi with two rows of short setae on ventral aspect, 13–17 macrosetae on telotarsus III; moderate tibial spurs present on legs III and IV.

Metasoma and telson ( Figs. 88–95). Metasoma and telson sparsely hirsute, macrosetae moderately short in male and longer in female, straight and reddish; metasomal segments I–III with 6–10 carinae, IV with 4 carinae, V with 2 carinae; segments I–III with dorsolateral carinae at least indicated and dorsal carinae present in males but absent in females, other carinae relatively well developed; segment IV with only ventral carinae developed; segment V with strong, granulate to dentate-lobate ventrolateral carinae;. segments I–IV with dense granulation on intercarinal surfaces except dorsal surfaces which are smooth; segment V granular on lateral and ventral surfaces, more coarsely so on ventral surface, granules not arranged along any traces of carinae; telson smooth, ventral surface sparsely, weakly granular; vesicle slightly elongated; aculeus stout, shorter than vesicle, tip of aculeus almost vertically directed.

AFFINITIES. The described features distinguish N. erigavoensis sp. n. from all other species of the genus. According to the distribution (see Fig. 438) the type locality of N. erigavoensis sp. n. is near to the type locality of N. montanus sp. n.. These two species have missing dorsal metasomal carinae in females, a unique character which differentiates them both from other Neobuthus species from Somaliland. The characters which unequivocally separate these two species are presented in the key below.

COMMENTS ON LOCALITY AND LIFE STRATEGY. The type locality 18SH ( Figs. 131–132) is in rocky semi-desert terrain. The first author visited the locality in the dry season and collected all specimens directly around the school ( Fig. 132) at night with a UV light. The school is situated on the margin of Buq village . At this locality, the first author recorded a maximum daytime temperature of 27 ºC, and a minimum nighttime temperature of 17 ºC. The recorded humidity was between 37% (minimum at day) and 69% (maximum at night) .