Orthochirus farzanpayi (Vachon et Farzanpay, 1987), 2006

Kovařík, František & Fet, Victor, 2006, Taxonomic position of the genus Simonoides Vachon et Farzanpay, 1987, and description of a new species of Orthochirus Karsch from Iran (Scorpiones, Buthidae), Euscorpius 38 (38), pp. 1-10 : 1-4

Orthochirus farzanpayi (Vachon et Farzanpay, 1987) ,

comb. n.

( Figs. 1–2 )

Orthochirus scrobiculosus: Farzanpay & Pretzmann, 1974: 216 (in part).

Simonoides farzanpayi Vachon et Farzanpay in Farzanpay, 1987: 162; Farzanpay, 1988: 41; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 223.

= Orthochirus sobotniki Kovařík, 2004: 20 . Syn. n.

Type locality and type repository. Iran, 215 km N of Bandar-e-Abbas ( NMW) .

Type material examined. Iran, 215 km N of Bandar- Abas [Bandar-e-Abbas], 22 March 1972, 1♀ (lectotype) 1♂ 1♀ (paralectotypes), NMW Nos. 68–70, studied by Max Vachon in 1977, No. VA 1910 [no collec- tor’s name]; 5 km SE of Posht Chenár, 19–20 April 2000, 29°12’941”N, 53°20’014”E, alt. 1692 m, 1♂ 1♀ 1im. ♂ A (holotype, allotype, and paratype of Orthochirus sobotniki ), leg. J. Šobotník ( FKCP) .

Other material examined. Iran, Pass 135 km S of Sirjan, 21 March 1972, 1♀, leg. Pretzmann, NMW No. 3400, det. R. Farzanpay as O. scrobiculosus (see Farzanpay & Pretzmann, 1974: 216) .

Diagnosis: Metasomal segments IV and V ventrally punctated and without carinae. Spaces among punctae smooth, without granules. Entire metasoma glabrous (short, thin setae may originate from punctae). Dorsal surface of all metasomal segments mesially smooth, without granules (several scattered granules may be present on fifth segment). Mesosoma and metasoma black, telson reddish brown, femur of pedipalp gray. In adults, legs and pedipalps yellow; in juveniles, femur of legs and pedipalps black. Movable fingers of pedipalps bear 8 rows of granules with internal and external granules and two or three distal granules. Tarsi of all legs without bristlecombs. Pectinal teeth number 18 to 23.

Comments. The description of the monotypic genus Simonoides (and type species Simonoides farzanpayi ) was published in a book by Farzanpay (1987: 162) in Farsi, and the Latin names were transliterated in the Farsi text as well. The Index in this book, however, included Latin names, separate for species and genus names (pp. 217, farzanpayi ; p. 221, Simonoides ), which technically makes these names available under Farzanpay’s authorship.

It is clear, however, that Farzanpay had no intention to be an author of these taxa. In a publication that appeared next year (Farzanpay, 1988: 41), he listed these taxa again, and clearly stated that a full description was being prepared by M. Vachon: “ Simonoides (n. gen. to be described by Vachon); Simonoides farzanpayi (n. sp. to be described by Vachon)”. Indeed, a forthcoming publication in the Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris) by Vachon was announced ( CIDA, 1986: 45, item 739) under the title “ Simonoides farzenpayi , gen. nov, nov. sp. de scorpion Buthidae (Arachnida) habitant le sud-ouest de l’Iran”. As far as we could establish, this paper was never published.

Farzanpay (1988: 39, 40) also listed three other new scorpion genera, where he indeed planned to be one of the authors: “ Olivierus (n. gen. to be described by Farzanpay & Vachon),” “ Razianus (n. gen. to be described by Vachon & Farzanpay),” and “ Sassanidothus (n. gen. to be described by Farzanpay & Vachon)”. In the introduction, he wrote (Farzanpay, 1988: 34): “The new creations are based on the co-operation and suggestion of Professor Max Vachon of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris as agreed by personal communication....(letter August 30, 1984)”. However, again inadvertently, Farzanpay (1987) published descriptions of Olivierus , Razianus , and Sassanidothus in his book, in Farsi with the Latin names listed in the Index. The genus Olivierus was recently synonymized with Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950 by Gantenbein et al. (2003). The name Razianus , on the contrary, happens to be valid under Farzanpay’s authorship, and is the senior synonym of Neohemibuthus Lourenço, 1996 (Fet & Lowe, 2000: 216; see also Fet, 1997). The validity of Sassanidothus is being currently studied (Kovařík & Fet, in progress).

There is no evidence that Vachon was aware that descriptions of four new genera and one new species were published by Farzanpay (1987). No further descriptions of any of these genera by Vachon appeared until Vachon’s death in 1992. The genus Simonoides and species Simonoides farzanpayi were never revised. These taxa were considered valid by Fet & Lowe (2000), as well as Olivierus , Razianus , and Sassanidothus . The authorship of the three latter genera, however, was assigned only to Farzanpay (1987) by Fet & Lowe (2000: 189, 216, 222) since they did not think that Vachon was responsible for the descriptions (quite incomplete and inadequate) as published by Farzanpay (1987). At the same time, Fet & Lowe (2000: 223) decided to assign the joint authorship of Simonoides and Simonoides farzanpayi to Vachon and Farzanpay, to avoid creation of a taxon both named after Farzanpay and described by him. In general, we do not think that posthumous authorship assignment is a good practice unless it can be proved that the deceased author indeed prepared a description ready for publication.

The series of NMW specimens considered here to be the types of Simonoides farzanpayi does not bear any label with the Latin names of this genus or species. They , however, match the information contained in the Farsi description of Farzanpay (1987) in both locality (north of Bandar-e-Abbas ) and type series size (three specimens). The description also mentions one specimen that is deposited in NMW (other two specimens presumably were loaned to Vachon), and the photograph given in Farzanpay (1987) matches the habitus and coloration of NMW specimens. As the label shows ( Fig. 3 ), this series of three specimens was indeed analyzed by Vachon in 1977. These specimens were evidently collected during the NMW exedition to Iran in March 1972, since the date of their collection (March 22) closely matches the date of collection of another specimen of the same species ( NMW No. 3400) by G. Pretzmann on March 21. Moreover, the handrwiting on the March 22 label ( Fig. 3 ), likely belongs to K. Bilek, the collector for the same expedition (J. Gruber, pers. comm. to V.F., February 2006). No other similar specimens from Bandar-e-Abbas could be found in NMW or in Vachon’s collection in MNHN (C. Rollard, pers. comm. to V.F., November 2005). We are confident therefore that the NMW series represents syntypes of Simonoides farzanpayi . Our attempts to locate and contact Dr. Farzanpay to confirm this information proved unsuccessful. Using all the evidence listed above, we therefore treated NMW specimens as syntypes of Simonoides farzanpayi , and designated one of them as the lectotype.

Another confusion in this issue was a description of a new genus Paraorthochirus Lourenço & Vachon, 1997 (Vachon was included by Lourenço posthumously as a co-author), species of which are also found in the south of Iran, near Bandar-e-Abbas (Lourenço & Vachon, 1997; see also Fig. 9 ). According to a personal communication from W. R. Lourenço to V.F. (February 1996), Paraorthochirus could be the genus Vachon intended to call Simonoides . If these genera were indeed synonyms, then Simonoides would be the senior synonym (as mentioned in Fet & Lowe, 2000: 212, 223). However, according to the current diagnosis of Paraorthochirus Lourenço & Vachon, 1997 , it differs from Orthochirus only by presence of trichobothrium d 2 on pedipalp femur (which is absent in Orthochirus ; Kovařík, 2004: 25). Thus, NMW specimens belong to Orthochirus , and Simonoides is the junior synonym of the latter.

At the time of the description of Orthochirus sobotniki Kovařík, 2004 , the taxonomic position of the genus Simonoides was not clear, and for that reason Orthochirus sobotniki Kovařík, 2004 was compared only with other species of Orthochirus . Its synonymy with Simonoides farzanpayi could be recognized only during our recent examination of the Iranian material from NMW (see Figs. 1–2 ).

Figures

Figure 1: Orthochirus farzanpayi (Vachon et Farzanpay, 1987) comb. n., female lectotype, dorsal aspect.

Figure 2: Orthochirus farzanpayi (Vachon et Farzanpay, 1987) comb. n., male paralectotype, dorsal aspect.

Figure 3: Label of Orthochirus farzanpayi type series, NMW 69– 70.

Figure 9: Paraorthochirus cf. stockwelli Lourenço & Vachon, 1997 (Iran, Hormozgan Province, 12 km W Faryab, NE Bandare-Abbas, 27–28 April 2002, coll. M. Johanides, FKCP).