Parabuthus Pocock, 1890

Kovařík, František & Elmi, Hassan Sh Abdirahman, 2025, Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part XLII. Parabuthus qaraaf sp. n. from Ethiopia (Buthidae), Euscorpius 419, pp. 1-11 : 1-3

Parabuthus Pocock, 1890

( Figures 1–59 , Table 1)

Buthus (Parabuthus) : Pocock, 1890: 124–125.

Parabuthus : Pocock, 1895: 309–314, plate IX, figs. 4a–d; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 200–211 (complete reference list until 2000); KovařÍk, 2009: 22, 31; Prendini & Esposito, 2010: 673–710, figs. 1–17; KovařÍk et al., 2016: 1–58, figs. 1–204, tables 1–2; KovařÍk et al., 2019: 1–62, figs. 1–305, tables 1–5; KovařÍk et al., 2024: 1–27, figs. 1–129, table DIAGNOSIS.Total length 35–180 mm. Carapace without distinct carinae, in lateral view with entire dorsal surface horizontal or nearly so. Five pairs of lateral eyes and eyespot present. Pectines with fulcra, female pectines typically with dilated or lobate basal middle lamella. Pectine teeth number 18–62. Hemispermatophore flagelliform, capsule with ‘2+1’ lobe configuration, with broad posterior lobe, small simple anterior lobe, and robust hook-like basal lobe; flagellum arising distally from posterior lobe, pars recta short and narrow, pars reflecta long and fusiform. Sternum subtriangular. Mesosoma with tergites I–VI monocarinate, sternites III–VI with slitlike spiracles. Dorsal surfaces of first and second metasomal segments with stridulatory areas. Telson without subaculear tubercle. Chelicera with typical buthid dentition, fixed finger with two ventral denticles. Orthobothriotaxic type A, dorsal trichobothria of pedipalp femur arranged in α-configuration. Patellar trichobothrium d 2 located external to dorsomedian carina (when carina is present). Chela manus with trichobothria V 1 and V 2 axis oblique, Eb 1–3 in γ-configuration.Trichobothrium eb located on fixed finger of chela. Dentate margin of pedipalp chela movable finger with distinct granules divided into 9–14 rows, 3 terminal granules and one basal terminal granule. Tibial spurs present on third and fourth pairs of legs.

(W, in carapace it corresponds to posterior width), depth (D).

Figures

Figures 1–2. Parabuthus qaraaf sp. n., male (1) and female (2) paratopotypes in vivo habitus on locality 25EB.

Figures 3–6: Parabuthus qaraaf sp. n. Figures 3–4. Male holotype, in dorsal (3) and ventral (4) views. Figures 5–6. Female paratopotype, in dorsal (5) and ventral (6) views. Scale bar: 10 mm (3–4, 5–6).

Figures 7–14: Parabuthus qaraaf sp. n. Figures 7–8, 11–14. Male holotype, carapace and tergites I–III (7), sternopectinal area and sternites III–V (8), right legs I–IV, retrolateral aspect (11–14). Figures 9–10. Female paratopotype, carapace and tergites I–II (9), sternopectinal area and sternite III (10).

Figures 15–22: Parabuthus qaraaf sp. n. Figures 15, 17–19. Male holotype, metasoma V and telson V in lateral (15) view, metasoma and telson in lateral (17), ventral (18), and dorsal (19) views. Figures 16, 20–22. Female paratopotype, metasoma V and telson in lateral (16) view, metasoma and telson in lateral (20), ventral (21), and dorsal (22) views. Scale bar: 10 mm (17–19, 20–22).

Figures 23–44. Parabuthus qaraaf sp. n., pedipalps of male holotype (23–33) and female paratopotype (34–44). Right pedipalp, chela in dorsal (23, 34), external (24, 35), and ventral (25, 36) views, patella in dorsal (26, 37), external (27, 38), and ventral (28, 39) views, femur and trochanter in internal (29, 40), dorsal (30, 41), and ventral (31, 42) views. Dentate margins of movable (32, 43) and fixed (33, 44) fingers. Trichobothrial pattern indicated in Figures 23–27 and 29–30 by white circles.

Figures 45–57: Comparision of pedipalp chela and patella, chela in dorsal (45, 48, 51, 55) and external (46, 49, 52, 56) views, patella in dorsal (47, 50, 53, 54, 57) views. Figures 45–50. Parabuthus qaraaf sp. n., male holotype (45–47) and female paratopotype (48–50). Figures 51–57. P. abyssinicus, male from locality 15EG, Eritrea, Keren, 15°48'33''N 38°28'14.6''E, 1328 m a. s. l. (51–53), male from locality 17SR, Somaliland, Borama, campus Amound University, 09°56'49''N 43°13'23''E, 1394 m a. s. l., and female from locality 15EF, Eritrea, route Halibaret to Keren, 15°43'31.4''N 38°36'02.7''E, 1457 m a. s. l. (55–57).

Figures 58–59: Figure 58. Map showing confirmed distribution of Parabuthus spp.in Djibouti,Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia (including Puntland), and Somaliland. Figure 59. Parabuthus qaraaf sp. n., type locality.