Neobuthus kloppersi, 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 : 48-56

Neobuthus kloppersi sp. n.

( Figs. 270–310, 412, 424, 429, 438, Tables 3, 5) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7362FE

D8-B545-4E43-B906-9DEAD8514D21

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Kenya, South Horr , Kalama Conservancy, 0°42'22"N 37° 31'50"E ; FKCP.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Kenya, South Horr , Kalama Conservancy, 0°42'22"N 37° 31'50"E (309–310), 8♂ 2 juvs. ♂ ♀ (holotype and paratypes) , VI.–IX.2018, leg. Johan Kloppers, FKCP; South Horr , near Koros camp, 02°14'26.5"N 36°55'56"E, 1♀ (paratype), 2018, leg. Neil Mcrae , FKCP.

ETYMOLOGY. A patronym in honor of Johan Kloppers, who collected the holotype and took photos used as Figs. 309–310. Johan grew up in South Africa and graduated from the University of Johannesburg with a BSc. degree in Zoology and Botany. He spent the next few years working in the pharmaceutical industry before retiring his suit and ties and deciding to travel the world. During this time he became an underwater naturalist in areas as diverse as the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the Pacific. It was also during this time that he became an Eco-Diver Trainer for the Reef Check Foundation, an international organization dedicated to the conservation of tropical reefs around the globe. Returning to the continent of his birth in 2015, he now works as a Lodge Manager in the Kalama Conservancy of North Central Kenya.

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 16–22 mm (males), 25.2 mm (female); carapace with area between anterior median carinae yellow to orange; tergites with fuscous variable pigmentation; pedipalp relatively slender, males with femur L/ W 2.34 –2.48, patella L/ W 2.28 –2.29, chela L/ W 4.42 –4.69; chela movable finger with 5–6 subrows of primary denticles, 4–5 external accessory denticles flanking proximal end of each subrow; trichobothria d 2 present on femur and patella; dorsoexternal and ventroexternal carinae on pedipalp patella in female absent; posterior margins of tergites without or with 1–2 pairs of macrosetae; pedipalps, legs, metasoma and telson with macrosetae very short, stout and spiniform in male, and long, fine setae in females; males with sternites III–VII finely granulated without carinae; females with sternites III–VI smooth, sternite VII granulated to smooth medially, with 4 granulated carinae; metasoma I–III with median lateral carinae absent in female and indicated in males; lateral surface of metasoma V sparsely granulated, with granules separated; soles of telotarsi with relatively sparse setation, leg III of adults with 12–16 ventral macrosetae on telotarsus; pectine teeth: 15–18 (males), 14–16 (females).

DESCRIPTION. Total length of adult males 16–19 mm, of adult female 25.2 mm; measurements of carapace, telson, segments of metasoma and pedipalps given in Table 1; positions and distribution of trichobothria of pedipalps shown in Figs. 288–291 and 294–295; trichobothrium d 2 of pedipalp femur and patella present; base color pale yellow to light orange with variable fuscous pigmentation and extensive patterns of dark maculation on pedipalps, metasoma and legs; chelicerae yellow with dark reticulation on anterior manus, dentition reddish. Sexual dimorphism: strong, adult males substantially 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 and 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. 287–308). Pedipalp mostly sparsely hirsute; finely granulated in males and smooth in females; femur granulated in both sexes, with four conspicuously granulose carinae; patella with seven granulose carinae developed in males and tuberculate, with three to five smooth carinae weakly indicated in females; ventroexternal and dorsoexternal carinae on pedipalp patella in female absent; chela with smooth carinae weakly indicated.

Carapace ( Figs. 274–275). Strongly trapezoidal (narrower anteriorly), wider than long (L/ W 0.82 –0.94); 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 developed, coarsely granular, other carinae indistinct; dense granulation covering most of carapace.

Chelicera. 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, mediumsized subdistal and medial, and 2 small, partially fused basal denticles; ventral margin with 2 denticles.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 270–277). 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 densely granular, with coarser granules on posterior lateral areas; tergite VII densely granular; sternites III–VI smooth in female, and granulate in males; sternite VII granulated to smooth medially, with 4 granulated carinae in female and finely granulated without or with weak carinae in males; sternum type 1, triangular in shape, smooth, with deep posteromedian invagination; genital opercula smooth; genital papillae present; pectines extending to around a quarter of sternite V in male and around end of sternite IV in female; pectine teeth 15–18 in males, 14–16 in female; combs with 3 marginal lamellae and 7–9 middle lamellae; marginal lamellae, middle lamellae and fulcra with dense cover of short macrosetae; fulcra with 2–4 setae.

Legs ( Figs. 278–280). 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, 12–16 macrosetae on telotarsus III; tibial spurs moderate on legs III and IV.

Metasoma and telson ( Figs. 281–286). Metasoma and telson sparsely hirsute, setae very short in males and longer in female, straight and reddish; metasomal segments I–III with 8–10 carinae, IV with 8 carinae, V with 2 carinae; segments I–III with well developed granulate dorsolateral carinae and absent (female) or weakly indicated (males) lateral carinae; other carinae relatively well developed; segment V with strong, granulate to dentate-lobate ventrolateral carinae; segments I–IV with dense granulation on all intercarinal surfaces including dorsal surfaces; segment V sparsely granular on lateral and densely granular on ventral surfaces, granules not arranged into any traces of carinae; telson rather smooth, ventral surface sparsely, weakly granular; vesicle slightly elongated; aculeus stout, shorter than vesicle, tip of aculeus almost vertically directed.

A FFINITIES. The described features distinguish N. kloppersi sp. n. from all other species of the genus. They are recounted in the key below. Mainly, metasomal macrosetae very short, stout and spiniform in male ( Fig. 425) with a combination of dorsally granulated metasomal segments I–III and absence of lateral carinae on metasomal segments I–III in females ( Figs. 429) distinguishing N. kloppersi sp. n. from all other species of the genus.