Notes on the Genera Buthacus, Compsobuthus, and Lanzatus with Several Synonymies and Corrections of Published Characters (Scorpiones: Buthidae) František Kovařík October 2018 – No. 269 Euscorpius Occasional Publications in Scorpiology EDITOR: Victor Fet, Marshall University, ‘[email protected]’ ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Michael E. Soleglad, ‘[email protected]’ Euscorpius is the first research publication completely devoted to scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Euscorpius takes advantage of the rapidly evolving medium of quick online publication, at the same time maintaining high research standards for the burgeoning field of scorpion science (scorpiology). Euscorpius is an expedient and viable medium for the publication of serious papers in scorpiology, including (but not limited to): systematics, evolution, ecology, biogeography, and general biology of scorpions. Review papers, descriptions of new taxa, faunistic surveys, lists of museum collections, and book reviews are welcome. 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Publication date: 4 October 2018 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:135FD61B-8E80-4C86-A629-2EF2EAAD19DD Euscorpius — Occasional Publications in Scorpiology. 2018, No. 269 Notes on the genera Buthacus, Compsobuthus, and Lanzatus with several synonymies and corrections of published characters (Scorpiones: Buthidae) František Kovařík P.O. Box 27, CZ - 145 01 Praha 45, Czech Republic; www.scorpio.cz http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:135FD61B-8E80-4C86-A629-2EF2EAAD19DD Summary The taxonomic position of Buthacus armasi Lourenço, 2013, B. clevai Lourenço, 2001, B. huberi Lourenço, 2001, B. maliensis Lourenço & Qi, 2007, B. nigerianus Lourenço & Qi, 2006, Compsobuthus andresi Lourenço, 2004, C. simoni Lourenço, 1999, C. tassili Lourenço, 2010, C. tofti Lourenço, 2001, C. williamsi Lourenço, 1999, and Sabinebuthus elegans Lourenço, 2001 is revised and fictitious characters in their original descriptions are discussed and corrected. Buthacus armasi Lourenço, 2013 is synonymized with Buthacus leptochelys (Ehrenberg, 1829) syn. n., B. huberi Lourenço, 2001 is confirmed to be a synonym of Buthacus occidentalis Vachon, 1953, B. maliensis Lourenço & Qi, 2007 is synonymized with Androctonus aleksandrplotkini Lourenço & Qi, 2007 syn. n., Compsobuthus williamsi Lourenço, 1999 is synonymized with Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905) syn. n., and Sabinebuthus elegans Lourenço, 2001 is confirmed to be a junior synonym of Lanzatus somalicus Kovařík, 2001. Introduction (Werner, 1939)) figs. 5–6 were titled Chactas bonito (family Chactidae) but actually they show the buthid, Wilson Lourenço is the most prolific contemporary Tityus mongei, in illustrations recycled from Lourenço, scorpion systematist in terms of publication output, and 1996. Another case of peer review failure is the pub- has described more than 410 scorpion species, either as lished description of Tibetiomachus himalayensis sole author or as first coauthor. It is evident that he has Lourenço & Qi, 2006 (which is probably a synonym of made major contributions to the field. Nevertheless, Liocheles nigripes (Pocock, 1897)). The genus Tibet- some of his publications may not meet the highest iomachus was allegedly characterized by the absence of standards of research in scorpiology. Authors have had trichobothrium dt as the primary differentiator from difficulties identifying some of his taxa. In South Liocheles Sundevall, 1833 (Lourenço & Qi, 2006: 291), America, for example, Ochoa et al (2013: 108) wrote yet trichobothrium dt was explicitly illus-trated twice in about descriptions of Chactopsis yanomami Lourenço et the original description (figs. 20 and 21, Lourenço & Qi, al., 2011: “The original diagnosis and description of this 2006: 293) (see Kovařík, 2009: 6). species are uninformative and do not permit a satisfac- In practice, published works are almost never per- tory comparison with its congeners”. Outside the South fect and some mistakes inevitably occur, as might be American continent, Lourenço described ca. 250 scor- expected in regular scientific activity of exploring new pion species as author or first coauthor, but 31 of them horizons. Inaccuracies in papers are a normal occurrence (12%) are currently in synonymy and the status of and we can likely find errors in publications of every several dozen others are unclear and occasionally cited author, including our own. But it is essential that authors as nomima dubia. His contributions to scorpion tax- recognize and correct these errors. For example, Kovařík onomy could be improved by more attention to detail in et al. (2015) redescribed the male of Alloscorpiops preparing manuscripts for publication. Of course, journal wongpromi Kovařík et al., 2013 in detail because the editors and reviewers also bear some responsibility for male holotype cited in the original publication (Kovařík quality control of published literature, and peer review et al., 2013) was in reality only a subadult after the fifth appears to have been insufficient in several instances. ecdysis. Unfortunately, it is also commonplace that au- For example, in the description of Chactas bonito thors have difficulty acknowledging their own errors, Lourenço, 1998 (now in synonymy with Chactas exsul even in the face of direct evidence. In competitive activ- 2 Euscorpius — 2018, No. 269 ities like science, this is a probably unavoidable con- remain to be determined, and it could well be up to 40– sequence of human ego, but it can spark fierce clashes of 60 mm long. personalities, precipitate conflicts between competing Examples of invalid genera clearly based on juve- teams, and have corrosive long term effects on scientific niles include the monotypic genera Afghanobuthus progress. Lourenço, 2005 (the holotype of type species A. In this context, the author cites a typical derogatory naumanni is a juvenile of Mesobuthus parthorum (Po- response to an error correction that he published: “It can cock, 1889); see Fet et al., 2018: 4–7) and Riftobuthus only be assumed that Kovařík´s reaction reflects a Lourenço, Duhem & Cloudsley-Thompson, 2010 (the personal frustration at not getting recognition ....... B. holotype of type species R. inexpectatus is a juvenile of mahraouii shows very small external accessory granules Parabuthus pallidus Pocock, 1895; see Kovařík et al., which possibly are not illustrated precisely in my fig- 2016: 4–6). ure.” (Lourenço, 2006: 62–63). Here, it is preferred to not engage in such dramatic (ii) Trichobothrial patterns are incorrectly reported polemics (see for example Teruel et al., 2017: 6), and or analyzed. Vachon (1974) characterized the funda- instead to focus on systematically analyzing and cor- mental numbers and patterns of trichobothria on the recting a number of technical errors in recent papers, pedipalps that are conserved across different scorpion that happened to be authored by Lourenço. These errors taxa, devised a nomenclatural system for them, and can be grouped into three types: recognized the taxonomic utility of basic patterns, as (i) Specimens are not recognized as juveniles and well as of the presence of additional trichobothria or loss are described as adults of new species or genera. As one of basic trichobothria (see also Soleglad & Sissom, example, it is shown below that Buthacus maliensis 2001). However, Lourenço often seems to misinterpret Lourenço & Qi, 2007 is a junior synonym of Androc- basic patterns and confuse homology with nomenclature. tonus aleksandrplotkini Lourenço & Qi, 2007 syn. n.. If Reported locations of trichobothria are frequently unre- a juvenile is viewed as an adult, then size may become liable or erroneous. A typical error that epitomizes the an inappropriate diagnostic character, and may even problem is