Androctonus argoubi, Kovařík & Lowe & Šťáhlavský, 2025

Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme & Šťáhlavský, František, 2025, Three new species of Androctonus from Morocco (Arachnida Scorpiones: Buthidae), Euscorpius 420, pp. 1-29 : 5

Androctonus argoubi sp. n.

( Figures 1–40 , 158–159 , 165–166 , 173–174 , 178 , Table 1) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:20069068-

A7AA-4AC0-9865-B5BBAB276CA4

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE DEPOSITORY. Morocco, Argoub , 29.40518°N 10.06301°W ; FKCP.

MATERIAL EXAMINED ( FKCP). Morocco, Argoub , 29.40518°N 10.06301°W, 31.X.2024, 1♂ (holotype, DNA-2866) 1♀ (paratopotype) 3juvs.leg. O. Vaněk ; Aguni , 29.51180°N 10.07057°W, 29.X.2024, 2♀ 4juvs. (paratypes), leg. O. Vaněk ; Ait Aiaaza , 30.5046833°N 8.692°W, 2♂ 2♀ (1517, 1570), leg. M. Stockmann ; Tizrgane , 29.91633°N 09.02171°W, 2015-2016, 1♂ (1512), leg. M. Stockmann ; Sidi Quarzeg , 29.17006°N 10.35768°W, 1♀, 2015, 2♂ 3♀ (1513, 1514), 2017, leg. M. Stockmann ; Ait Baha , 30.064684°N 9.138101°W, 1♂, 2017, leg. M. Stockmann ; Targa Wassay , 29.03817°N 10.14681°W, 2015-2016, 1♀, leg. M. Stockmann.

ETYMOLOGY. Named after the village of the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS ♂ ♀. Adults 55–60 mm in length; base color uniformly black; pectine teeth 26–30 in males, 20–24 in females; metasoma I–IV with ventral and lateral surfaces granulate, usually weakly punctate, although punctuation may be reduced or absent; metasoma V only granulated ventrally; metasoma I–V with 10-8-8-8-5 carinae; metasoma IV length/ width ratio 1.05–1.09 in both sexes; metasoma IV with dorsal carinae composed posteriorly of blunt denticles, posterior-most denticle may be enlarged; sternite V with smooth patch, large in adult males, slightly smaller in females; sternite VI– VII with 4 carinae; pedipalp fixed and movable fingers with 14–15 subrows of denticles, each flanked by external and internal accessory denticles; fingers without basal lobe/notch combination; fingers elongated, chela narrow with length/ width ratio 6.0– 6.4 in both sexes; tarsomere I of legs I–III with bristle combs; telson slender, vesicle small and flat, aculeus about as long as vesicle.

DESCRIPTION ♂ ♀.Adults 55 mm (males) to 57 mm (females) in length, habitus as shown in Figs. 1–4 ; distribution and positions of trichobothria on pedipalps as shown in Figs. 19–23, 25–26 .

Figures

Figures 1–4: A. argoubi sp. n. Figures 1–2. Male holotype in dorsal (1) and ventral (2) views. Figures 3–4. Female paratopotype in dorsal (3) and ventral (4) views. Scale bars: 10 mm (1–2, 3–4).

Figures 5–12: A. argoubi sp. n. Figures 5, 8–12. Male holotype, carapace and tergites I–III (5), coxosternal area and sternites (8), right legs I– IV, retrolateral aspect (9–12 respectively). Figures 6–7. Female paratopotype, carapace and tergites I–II (6), coxosternal area and sternites (7).

Figures 13–18: A. argoubi sp. n. Figures 13–15. Male holotype, metasoma and telson lateral (13), dorsal (14), and ventral (15) views. Figures 16–18. Female paratopotype, metasoma and telson lateral (16), dorsal (17), and ventral (18) views. Scale bars: 10 mm (13–15, 16–18).

Figures 19–40: A. argoubi sp. n., pedipalp segments. Figures 19–29. Male holotype, chela dorsal (19), external (20) and ventral (21) views. Patella dorsal (22), external (23) and ventral (24) views. Trochanter and femur internal (25), dorsal (26) and ventral (27) views. Movable (28) and fixed (29) finger dentition. Figures 30–40. Female paratopotype, chela dorsal (30), external (31) and ventral (32) views. Patella dorsal (33), external (34) and ventral (35) views. Trochanter and femur internal (36), dorsal (37) and ventral (38) views. Movable (39) and fixed (40) finger dentition. Trichobothrial pattern is indicated by white circles (19–23, 25–26).

Figures 153–164: Figures 153–161: Comparative figures of pedipalp chela dorsal and external views of males. Figure 153. A. mauritanicus (Pocock, 1902) from Morocco, Taroudant, Figure 154. A. bourdoni Vachon, 1948 from Morocco, Biougra. Figure 155. A. gonneti Vachon, 1948 from Morocco El Ouatia env., 28.53°N 11.29°W. Figure 156–157. A. sergenti from Morocco, Tafengha, 2 km S Irherm, 30.073246°N 8.461766°W. Figure 158–159. A. argoubi sp. n., holotype. Figure 160–162. A. vaneki sp. n., holotype. Figures 162–163. Metasoma I–III in male of A. bourdoni Vachon, 1948 from Morocco, Biougra (162) and male of A. liouvillei (Pallary, 1924) from Morocco, Taroudant (163). Figure 164. Metasoma in ventral view, A. gonneti Vachon, 1948 from Morocco El Ouatia env., 28.53°N 11.29°W.

Figures 165–172: Comparative figures of metasoma. Figures 165–168: Metasoma IV–V and telson lateral, A. argoubi sp. n., holotype male (165) and paratopotype female (166), A. stockmanni sp. n., holotype male (167), A. vaneki sp. n., holotype male (168). Figures 169–172: Metasoma ventral, A. argoubi sp. n., holotype male (169), A. sergenti male from Morocco, Anti Atlas mts., 62 km SE of Agadir, 30.05°N 9.07°W (170), A. stockmanni sp. n., holotype male (171), and A. vaneki sp. n., holotype male (172).

Figures 173–177: Male mitotic metaphases (173, 175, 177) and postpachytene (174, 176) of Androctonus species. Arrows show extra large chromosomes. Figures 173, 174. A. argoubi sp. n. (2n=24, 12 II). Figures 175, 176. A. stockmanni sp. n. (2n=24, 12 II). Figure 177. A. vaneki sp. n. (2n=24). Scale bar: 5 μm.

Figures 178–179: Confirmed distribution of specimens of dark species of genus Androctonus in Morocco and Western Sahara examined for this study and deposited in the first author collection (178) and the locality of A. sergenti in Morocco, Anti Atlas mts., 62 km SE of Agadir, 30.05°N 9.07°W (179).