Buthus intumescens (Ehrenberg, 1829)

Kovařík, František, 2006, Review of Tunisian species of the genus Buthus with descriptions of two new species and a discussion of Ehrenberg s types (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Euscorpius 34 (34), pp. 1-16 : 10-11

Buthus intumescens (Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehren-

berg, 1829), comb. n.

( Fig. 20 )

Androctonus (Leiurus) tunetanus intumescens Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829: 354.

Androctonus (Liurus) tunetanus intumescens: Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1831 (pages unnumbered).

Androctonus (Leiurus) tunetanus intermedius Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829: 355, syn. n.

Androctonus (Liurus) tunetanus intermedius: Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1831 (pages unnumbered).

Buthus occitanus mardochei var. israelis Shulov & Amitai, 1959: 219 , syn. n.

Buthus occitanus israelis: Levy & Amitai, 1980: 16 , figs. 25–29; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 95.

Material examined: Egypt, 1♀, leg. F. W. Hemprich & C. G. Ehrenberg ( ZMHB No. 145, holotype of A. t. intumescens ) .? Yemen, Lohaie , now Al Luhayyah, probably incorrect locality, 1♀, leg. F. W. Hemprich & C. G. Ehrenberg ( ZMHB No. 146, holotype of A. t. intermedius) . Israel, south part of Negev , Vadi Hazaz near Sede Boqer (Haluqim Ridge), November–December 2004, 1♂ 3♀, 5 juvs., leg. J. Král ( FKCP) .

Comments. It was important to examine the type of Androctonus (Leiurus) tunetanus intumescens Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829, hitherto considered a syn- onym of Buthus tunetanus (see Fet & Lowe, 2000: 97), to verify that it is not one of the species proposed in this study as new. The holotype in question is a female ( Fig. 20 ) from Egypt ( ZMHB No. 145) and has the chela markedly narrower than B. tunetanus ; its movable fingers bear 11 rows of granules.

I have not been able to find any differences between this type, the holotype of Androctonus (Leiurus) tunetanus intermedius , and Buthus specimens from Israel identified as Buthus occitanus israelis . The inevitable conclusion is that Buthus intumescens (Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829), comb. n. is a valid species occurring in Egypt (Sinai) and Israel, and its synonyms are Buthus occitanus mardochei var. israelis Shulov & Amitai, 1959 , syn. n. and Androctonus (Leiurus) tunetanus intermedius Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829, syn. n. The holotype of the latter taxon is a female labeled as from Lohaie ( ZMHB No. 146). Lohaie, now Al Luhayyah, Yemen, probably is an incorrect locality, because no specimen of Buthus from the Arabian Peninsula has ever been confirmed (Braunwalder & Fet, 1998: 34; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 94). Although Androctonus (Leiurus) tunetanus intumescens and A. (L.) tunetanus intermedius are described in the same work, the description of A. t. intumescens (p. 354) precedes that of A. t. intermedius (p. 355), thus the first name must have priority.

In case of Buthus occitanus mardochei var. israelis Shulov & Amitai, 1959 , I have not studied types and base my conclusions on nine studied specimens from Negev. As noted above, the primary criterion for assessing species of the Buthus occitanus complex, i.e. all taxa formerly considered subspecies of Buthus occitanus (Amoreux, 1789) or of Buthus tunetanus (Herbst, 1800) , is the width of pedipalp chela and its relation to sexual dimorphism. In the case of Buthus intumescens (Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829), comb. n. the different width of chela shows this taxon to have the status of a species rather than a subspecies ( Fig. 20 ), as the chela is narrower than in Buthus occitanus (Amoreux, 1789) and Buthus tunetanus (Herbst, 1800) ( Figs. 16 and 18 ).

Figures

Figure 16: Buthus tunetanus, ♂, dorsal aspect.

Figure 18: Buthus tunetanus, ♀, dorsal aspect.

Figure 20: Buthus intumescens (Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829), comb. n., ♀, holotype, dorsal aspect.