Androctonus finitimus ( Pocock, 1897 )

Kovařík, František & Ahmed, Zubair, 2013, A review of Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897), with description of two new species from Pakistan and India (Scorpiones, Buthidae), Euscorpius 168, pp. 1-10 : 1-2

Androctonus finitimus ( Pocock, 1897)

( Figs. 1–4, 9–12, 22–24, 31)

Prionurus finitimus Pocock, 1897: 103 ; Birula, 1900: 356; Weidner, 1959: 103.

Buthus australis finitima: Kraepelin, 1899: 16 .

Buthus australis finitimus: Pocock, 1900: 16 ; Kraepelin, 1913: 123; Takashima, 1945: 75; Vachon, 1966: 209; Pérez Minnocci, 1974: 18; Tikader & Bastawade, 1983: 243.

Androctonus australis finitimus: Vachon, 1948: 457 (1952: 163) ; Khatoon, 1999: 208;

Androctonus amoreuxi finitimus: Vachon, 1959: 124 ; Habibi, 1971: 42; Kovařík, 1997: 40; Kovařík, 1998: 103.

Androctonus finitimus: Levy & Amitai, 1980: 22 ; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 73;? Lourenço, 2005: 151;?Lourenço & Qi, 2006: 96.

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Kotri , Sind, British India (now Pakistan) ; BMNH ( Natural History Museum , London, UK) .

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. PAKISTAN, Sindh Province, Kotri District, Kotri , 1 ♂ (holotype, Figs. 1–4, 22–24) , BMNH No. 1896.7.30.69, G. M. Ryan - c . R. C. Wroughton - p .

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. PAKISTAN, Sind Province, Tharparkar District, Nagar Parkar , 8 May 2007, 1juv., 15 September 2010, 2 ♂ ( Figs. 9–10), leg .

Z. Ahmed ( FKCP); Sindh Province, Tharparkar District, Islamkot, Thar , 22 October 2010, 1♀ ( Figs. 11–12) 2 juvs., leg. Z. Ahmed ( FKCP) .

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 65–80 mm. Base color yellow to yellowish brown. Pedipalps including trochanter and legs always yellow. Chelicerae yellow, without reticulation. Fifth metasomal segment and vesicle pale greenish or brownish black, darker pigment may spread to sides and lower surface of fourth metasomal segment which is never entirely black. Carapace densely granulated, with anterior and posterior median carinae developed; anterior margin of carapace straight. Pectinal teeth number 28–32 in males, 22–24 in females. Sternites without carinae; sternite VII finely granulated, with four carinae. First metasomal segment of male wider than long, other segments longer than wide. Third metasomal segment of male longer than deep. First metasomal segment with 10 carinae, second to fourth segments with eight carinae, and fifth segment with five carinae. Missing lateral carinae on second and third metasomal segments replaced by three or four large granules on posterior margin. Dorsal carinae on first throught fourth metasomal segments terminate in a larger tooth. Metasomal segment V with four setae on lateral surface. Anal arch with two or three lobes. Dorsal surface of metasoma smooth except a few granules that may be present on first and second segments. Tarsomeres of legs hirsute with bristlecombs dense on first to third legs but present also on fourth leg. Pedipalp chela without carinae. Movable fingers of pedipalps with 13– 14 rows of granules and external and internal granules. Male with fingers proximally weakly twisted with little gap.

MEASUREMENTS IN MM. Male holotype. Total length 75; carapace length 8.1, width 8.3; metasoma and telson length 46; first metasomal segment length 5.8, width 6, depth 5.1; second metasomal segment length 6.8, width 6.3, depth 5; third metasomal segment length 7, width 6.7, depth 5.5; fourth metasomal segment length 8.5, width 6.7, depth 5.6; fifth metasomal segment length 8.9, width 6, depth 4.2; telson length ca 8; telson width 3.6; pedipalp femur length 6.2, width 2.1; pedipalp patella length 7.7, width 3.3; chela length 13.2; manus width 3.8; movable finger length 8.9.

COMMENTS. Androctonus finitimus has the fifth metasomal segment and vesicle pale greenish or brownish black; the darker pigment may spread on the sides and lower surface of the fourth segment ( Pocock, 1900: 16). Lourenço (2005: 152) and Lourenço & Qi (2006: 96) probably mistook this species for A. baluchicus , which is darker and has namely the fourth and fifth metasomal segments entirely dark. Because of the two closely related species described below, it is likely that also some other papers on scorpions of this region concern these new species. The precise distribution of A. finitimus thus cannot be presently established.