Orthochirus scrobiculosus ( Grube, 1873 ), 1993

Kovařík, Baloorthochirus becvari & 1996, 2004, Revision and taxonomic position of genera Afghanorthochirus Lourenço & Vachon, Baloorthochirus Kova ík, Butheolus Simon, Nanobuthus Pocock, Orthochiroides Kova ík, Pakistanorthochirus Lourenço, and Asian Orthochirus Karsch, with descriptions of twelve new species (Scorpiones, Buthidae), Euscorpius 16, pp. 1-33 : 19-20

Orthochirus scrobiculosus ( Grube, 1873)

Androctonus scrobiculosus Grube, 1873: 56 .

Butheolus melanurus: Kraepelin, 1899: 35 ; Pocock, 1900: 28; Birula, 1900: 13; Birula, 1900: 373; Kraepelin, 1901: 267; Kraepelin, 1903: 566; Birula, 1903: 74; Birula, 1904: 32; Birula, 1905: 125; Schenkel, 1932: 381; Caius, 1938: 579;? Moriggi, 1941: 90; Hadži, 1943: 124;? Bücherl, 1959: 257;? Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 20.

Orthochirus melanurus: Kraepelin, 1895: 84 ; Birula, 1898: 281; Roewer, 1943: 208;? Tikader & Bastawade, 1983: 134.

Orthochirus melanurus forma typica: Birula, 1900: 13.

Butheolus scrobiculosus: Birula, 1909: 356 ; Birula, 1911: 174; Lampe, 1918: 194.

Butheolus scrobiculatus: Roewer, 1943: 208 .

Orthochirus scrobiculosus: Birula, 1917: 215 ; Vachon, 1940: 181; Whittick, 1947: 124 (in part); Vachon, 1949: 136 (1952: 222); Vachon, 1959: 166;? Khalaf, 1962: 2;? Khalaf, 1963: 64; Habibi, 1971: 44; Farzanpay & Pretzmann, 1974: 216; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 28; Fet, 1980: 225; Fet, 1981: 168; Levy & Amitai, 1980: 94; Farzanpay, 1988: 40; Fet, 1989: 113; Polis & Sissom, 1990: 185; Simard & Watt, 1990: 421; Sissom, 1990: 92; El-Hennawy, 1992: 129; Kovařík, 1993: 203; Amr & El-Oran, 1994: 187; Fet, 1994: 529; Lourenço, 1997: 153; Kovařík, 1998: 117; Kovařík, 1998: 116; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 196; Soleglad & Fet, 2003: 5.

Orthochirus scrobiculosa :? Pringle, 1960: 78.

Butheolus scrobiculosus scrobiculosus: Birula, 1909: 359 .

Orthochirus scrobiculosus scrobiculosus: Birula, 1917: 241 ; Birula, 1928: 83; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 28; Levy & Amitai, 1980: 94; Fet, 1989: 116; Fet, 1994: 529; Kovařík, 1997: 49; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 197.

= Androctonus melanurus Kessler, 1874: 16 (TL: Novoaleksandrovskoye, Mangyshlak Region, now Kazakstan; ZISP) (syn. by Birula, 1909: 358).

Butheolus scrobiculosus melanurus: Birula, 1909: 359 .

Orthochirus scrobiculosus melanurus: Birula, 1917: 241 ; Birula, 1918: 40; Birula, 1928: 83; Vachon, 1959: 169; Vachon, 1966: 214; Levy & Amitai, 1980: 94; Fet, 1989: 117; Fet, 1994: 529; Kovařík, 1997: 49; Kovařík, 1998: 116; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 198.

Orthochirus melanurus forma beta (intermedia): Birula, 1898: 282.

Butheolus melanurus typicus Birula, 1900: 373 ;? Pocock, 1900: 29.

= Buthus schneideri L. Koch, 1878: 61 (TL: Krasnowodsk; MNHN) (syn. by Pocock, 1890: 121).

Butheolus schneideri: Simon, 1889b: 386 .

Orthodactylus schneideri: Karsch, 1886: 76 (in part); Pocock, 1889: 117; Kraepelin, 1891: 215 (in part).

= Orthodactylus olivaceus Karsch, 1881: 91 (TL: Sicily (incorrect type locality); ZMHB); Moritz & Fischer, 1980: 321 (syn. by Karsch, 1886: 76)

Orthochirus olivaceus: Birula, 1928: 83 ; Vachon, 1959: 166.

= Butheolus conchini Simon, 1889b: 386 (TL: Bely- Bugor [=Aktepe], Turkmenistan; MNHN); Kraepelin, 1895: 84; Kraepelin, 1899: 36; Birula, 1905: 126; Roewer, 1943: 208; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 20; (syn. by Birula, 1898: 281).

Butheolus melanurus conchini: Birula, 1900: 374 ; Birula, 1904: 32; Birula, 1905: 128.

Orthochirus conchini: Levy & Amitai, 1980: 94 .

=? Orthochirus melanurus forma gama (concolor) Birula, 1898: 282 (TL: Karshi, Uzbekistan; ZISP).

Butheolus melanurus concolor: Birula, 1900: 374 ; Birula, 1904: 32.

Butheolus scrobiculosus concolor: Birula, 1909: 359 ; Werner, 1916: 81; Birula, 1918: 40; Lampe, 1918: 194.

Orthochirus scrobiculosus concolor: Birula, 1917: 241 ; Birula, 1918: 40; Vachon, 1959: 169; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 29; Levy & Amitai, 1980: 94; Fet, 1989: 118; Fet, 1994: 530; Kovařík, 1998: 116; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 198.

=? Butheolus melanurus dentatus Birula, 1900: 375 ; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 20 (Husseinabad, Seistan, Persia; ZISP).

Orthochirus scrobiculosus dentatus: Fet, 1989: 116 ; Fet, 1994: 530; Kovařík, 1997: 49; Kovařík, 1998: 116; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 198.

=? Orthochirus scrobiculosus mesopotamicus Birula, 1918: 35 (TL: Mesopotamia inferior, Iraq; ZISP); Birula, 1928: 83; Vachon, 1966: 214; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 28; Levy & Amitai, 1980: 94; Fet, 1989: 116; El-Hennawy, 1992: 130; Fet, 1994: 530; Kovařík, 1998: 116; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 199.

=? Butheolus melanurus persa Birula, 1900: 374 (TL: Seistan, Kirman, Birdschan, Iran; ZISP); Birula, 1903: 75; Birula, 1905: 145; Weidner, 1959: 99; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 20.

Butheolus scrobiculosus persa: Birula, 1909: 359 ; Penther, 1912: 114; Birula, 1918: 35.

Orthochirus scrobiculosus persa: Birula, 1917: 241 ; Birula, 1918: 40; Birula, 1928: 83; Levy & Amitai, 1980: 94; Fet, 1989: 116; Fet, 1994: 530 (statut?); Kovařík, 1997: 49; Kovařík, 1998: 116; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 199.

Orthochirus persa: Vachon, 1966: 213 ; Habibi, 1971: 44; El-Hennawy, 1992: 129.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Lenkoran (incorrect type locality; see Fet & Lowe, 2000: 196); UWCP.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Italy, Sicily (incorrect type locality), 1♂ A (holotype of Orthodactylus olivaceus Karsch, 1881 ), leg. Schneider, ZMHB No. 3629 .

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. Afghanistan, Prov. Mazar-i-Sharif , 9.XII–17.I. 1964, 365 m (loc. No. J. 2), 1♂ E, leg. Jakeš, MMBC , for locality details see Jakeš & Povolný (1967); Old Balkh, 6.V.1970, 1♂ 2♀ A, leg. E. S. Ross, CASC ; 20 km SW Dosi , 7.V.1970, 1♂ (im.)A, leg. E. S. Ross, CASC . Iran, 10 km W of Baqbaqú (Khorásán), 36°05’N 60°25’E, 10.V.1997, 680 (–) m, 2♀ A, leg. M. Kaftan, FKCP . Turkmenistan, Ashkhabad , 27.IV.1987, 1♂ E, leg. P. Slabý, FKCP ; Ashkhabad , 1988, 1♀ E, leg. Šeda, FKCP ; V.1988, 1♀ E, leg. M. Král, FKCP ; South Ashkhabad , V.1990, 2♀ E, leg. Podhajský, FKCP ; Ashgabat, Bagir , 800 m, 16.V.1996, 1♂ E, leg. Liehtfang, FKCP ; Badkhyz Nature Reserve, ca. 14–16 km SSW of Kyzyldzhar cordon, near Eroilanduz Salt Lake , 340–350 m, (35º40'33"N 61º49'18"E - 35º42'04"N 61º48'53"E), 1♂ 2♀ A, leg. A. V. Gromov, FKCP . Uzbekistan, Derbent , 2.V.1981, 1juv. E, leg. S. Bečvář, FKCP ; Muratan Range , V.1989, 1♂ 1♀ 1juv. E, leg. D. Král, FKCP ; Bukhara, Djeiran Pitomnik ( Gazelle Nursery ), VI.1989, 1♂ 1♀ E, leg. J. Růžička, FKCP ; Nuratinski Reserve, Chajatsaj , 1400 m, 15.V.1996, 1♀ A, FKCP .

DIAGNOSIS: Fourth and fifth metasomal segments ventrally punctate and without carinae. Spaces among punctae smooth, without granules. Dorsal surface of all metasomal segments mesially smooth, without granules. Entire metasoma glabrous (very short, thin setae may issue from punctae). Mesosoma and metasoma black, telson reddish brown, legs yellow, pedipalps yellow to greenish yellow. Movable fingers of pedipalps bear 8–10 rows of granules with internal granules and without external granules. Movable fingers with 2–5 distal granules. Tarsus of first to third legs with bristlecombs, fourth without. Pectinal teeth number 15–18 in females and 19–20 in males.

DISTRIBUTION. Afghanistan (Pocock, 1889: 118), Iran (Vachon, 1966: 214; Habibi, 1971: 44), Kazakhstan ( Fet, 1989: 117), Tajikistan ( Fet, 1989: 117), Turkmenistan (Simon, 1889b: 386), and Uzbekistan ( Fet, 1989: 118).

Published records for Djibouti (Kraepelin, 1901: 267), Egypt (Kraepelin, 1899: 36), India (Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 28; Tikader & Bastawade, 1983: 140), Iraq ( Khalaf, 1962: 2), Israel ( Bücherl, 1959: 257), Pakistan (Kraepelin, 1899: 36; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 28), and Somalia (Moriggi, 1941: 90) must be regarded as erroneous.

COMMENTS: Despite several attempts, it has unfortunately not been possible to examine the types of taxa described by Birula, which have hitherto been regarded as subspecies of O. scrobiculosus . It concerns O. s. concolor Birula, 1898, O. s. dentatus (Birula, 1900), O. s. mesopotamicus Birula, 1918, and O. s. persa (Birula, 1900) . In order to complete the revision, I thus have no choice but to leave the taxonomic positions of those taxa unresolved, and hope that the situation can be corrected in a near future. Birula (1918: 39–40) clearly characterized O. s. concolor Birula, 1898 as lacking external granules on movable fingers, and O. s. mesopotamicus ( Iraq) and O. s. persa ( Iran, Pakistan) as possessing these granules. It is therefore very likely that these two taxa in reality are separate species of which O. s. mesopotamicus is close to O. iraqus sp. n., which may even prove to be its junior synonym. Similarly, one of the four new species described here from Iran could prove to be a junior synonym of O. s. persa .