Lanzatus Kovařík, 2001

Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme & Šťáhlavský, František, 2016, Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part IX. Lanzatus, Orthochirus, and Somalicharmus (Buthidae), with description of Lanzatus somalilandus sp. n. and Orthochirus afar sp. n., Euscorpius 232, pp. 1-38 : 2

Lanzatus Kovařík, 2001

( Figs. 1–40, 123–124, 155, Table 1)

Lanzatus Kovařík, 2001: 41–44 , figs. 1–7; Fet & Soleglad, 2005: 11; Fet et al., 2005: 3, 11–12, 20, 22–25, Tab. 1, Fig. 23–25; Prendini & Wheeler, 2005: 462, 481; Dupré, 2007: 7, 13, 16; Kovařík et al., 2007: 207; Kovařík, 2009: 23, 31.

= Sabinebuthus Lourenço, 2001a: 16–18 , figs. 1–5; Fet & Soleglad, 2005: 4, 11; Fet et al., 2005: 3, 11, 20, 22–23, Tab. 1, Fig. 23; Prendini & Wheeler, 2005: 462, 481; Dupré, 2007: 10, 13, 17; Kovařík, 2009: 23, 31 (syn. by Lourenço, 2001b: 174).

TYPE SPECIES. Lanzatus somalicus Kovařík, 2001 .

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS. Total length 17.9–27.6 mm. Pedipalps orthobothriotaxic type A (Vachon, 1974); dorsal trichobothria of femur arranged in β -configuration (Vachon, 1975); trichobothrium d 2 of femur internal to dorsointernal carina; d 3 of patella internal to dorsomedian carina, when carina present; V 2 on chela manus located behind V 1; it on distal fixed finger. Pectines with fulcra. Pectine teeth number 18–24. Basal middle lamella of pectines in females not dilated. Hemispermatophore unknown. Sternum subtriangular. Tibial spurs absent on legs I– IV. Cheliceral fixed finger with one ventral denticle, margins of fingers with standard pattern of buthid dentition (Vachon, 1963). Carapace without distinct carinae, in lateral view with entire dorsal surface horizontal, or nearly so. Lateral eyes number 5 pairs. Pedipalp chela movable finger with distinct granules divided into 7 diagonal rows. Tergites I– VI smooth to finely granulated with one indicated carina or acarinate. Stigmata are narrow slits. Metasomal segments all elongate, smooth, acarinate. Telson elongate, smooth, without subaculear tubercle, aculeus shorter than vesicle.

COMMENTS ABOUT SYNONYMY. Lourenço (2001b: 174) stated that Lanzatus somalicus Kovařík, 2001 is a synonym of Sabinebuthus elegans Lourenço, 2001 . He provided no evidence whatsoever that S. elegans and L. somalicus are the same species, and instead only told a story about searching for specimens and competing, which the first author perceives very differently. However, this discussion has no place in a technical paper and we therefore refrain from commenting. The published descriptions of these two genera/species include substantial differences that would indicate that they belong to separate genera, distinguishable in a key as follows:

Movable finger of pedipalp with six rows of granules which do not form diagonal rows and lack accessory granules (see fig. 4 in Lourenço, 2001a: 19) ……..…. ....................................................... Sabinebuthus elegans – Movable finger of pedipalp with seven rows of granules which form diagonal rows and have accessory granules (see Fig. 15 and fig. 6 in Kovařík, 2001: 44) ...........……….................................................... Lanzatus

Since the request of the first author for a loan of the holotype of Sabinebuthus elegans was refused, we can only speculate about two possibilities: a) fig. 4 in Lourenço, 2001a: 19 is correct and Lourenço, 2001b: 174 is incorrect in claiming that the two taxa are synonyms; b) fig. 4 in Lourenço, 2001a: 19, and with it the entire diagnosis of Sabinebuthus elegans , are incorrect and these two genera/species are synonyms. To mention one additional detail, Lourenço (2001b: 174) correctly states that the description of Lanzatus somalicus was published on 30 March 2001. However, he is incorrect in stating that the description of Sabinebuthus elegans was published on 1 March 2001, since the date of the issue is given only as “ March 2001 ”. According to the ICZN, if only the month is given then the last day of that month, not the first, is the valid publication date. Consequently, Sabinebuthus elegans was described on 31 March 2001.