A Review of the Genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with Description of Four New Species from the Arabian Peninsula Graeme Lowe, Ersen Aydın Yağmur & František Kovařík October 2014 — No. 191 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. 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For further details on the new ICZN amendment, see http://www.pensoft.net/journals/zookeys/article/3944/. Publication date: 17 October 2014 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E467B3C0-D693-4EAF-B5F0-759D8C63FE35 Euscorpius — Occasional Publications in Scorpiology. 2014, No. 191 A review of the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with description of four new species from the Arabian Peninsula Graeme Lowe 1, Ersen Aydın Yağmur 2, and František Kovařík 3 1 Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market St, Philadelphia, USA 2 Alaşehir Vocational School, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey 3 P. O. Box 27, CZ - 145 01, Praha 45, Czech Republic; www.kovarex.com/scorpio http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E467B3C0-D693-4EAF-B5F0-759D8C63FE35 Summary The taxonomy of buthid scorpions belonging to the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 is reviewed. Four new species are described from the Arabian Peninsula: L. macroctenus sp. n. from coastal fog deserts in Oman; L. haenggii sp. n. from mountains of the Red Sea coast, Hadramaut and Dhofar, in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman; L. arabicus sp. n. from the central Najd Plateau and eastern plains in Saudi Arabia; and L. heberti sp. n. from Jabal Samhan in Oman. L. brachycentrus (Ehrenberg, 1829) stat. n. from the Tihamah plain of the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia and Yemen is restored from synonymy and redescribed. Leiurus nasheri Kovařík, 2007 was found to be a junior synonym of L. brachycentrus stat. n. L. quinquestriatus hebraeus (Birula, 1908) is elevated to species level as L. hebraeus (Birula, 1908) stat. n. Revised diagnoses are given for L. quinquestriatus (Ehrenberg, 1828), L. abdullahbayrami Yağmur, Koç et Kunt, 2009, L. jordanensis Lourenço, Modrý et Amr, 2002, and L. hebraeus (Birula, 1908). Key characters used to diagnose and separate species include morphometrics, granulation, tricho- bothriotaxy, tarsal setation, dentition of metasomal carinae and color pattern. Detailed illustrations are provided and the affinities and biogeography of the genus are discussed. In Memoriam This paper is dedicated to the memory of Michael D. Gallagher (1921 – 2014), an extraordinary naturalist, friend and mentor, whose generous support and contributions greatly facilitated our studies on Arabian scorpions. Introduction The name Leiurus was created by Ehrenberg in Hemprich & Ehrenberg (1828, 1829, 1831) for a The genus Leiurus is widely distributed across subgenus of Androctonus that included species with North Africa, the Middle East and the Arabian Pen- slender metasomal segments: leptochelys, macrocentrus, insula. For a long time it was considered monotypic, quinquestriatus, thebanus and tunetanus. All of these with a single variable species L. quinquestriatus, named species except quinquestriatus were subsequently trans- for the presence of five carinae on the first two tergites, ferred to other genera, or were synonymized with other an unusual feature among the buthids. The species has species. Leiurus was elevated to genus level by Vachon medical importance as a large, common scorpion with (1949) who regarded it as monotypic with a single venom containing highly potent, mammal-specific species L. quinquestriatus. Several subspecies have been neurotoxins (Chippaux & Goyffon, 2008). However, in included. Currently, Androctonus (Liurus) quinques- spite of its notoriety, the taxonomy of widespread triatus aculeatus Ehrenberg (1831) is a synonym of the Leiurus populations has received relatively little atten- nominotypic subspecies (Birula, 1908; Fet, 1997), tion over the years. It is important to address this Buthus quinquestriatus hebraeus Birula, 1908, is recog- problem, not only to elucidate the systematics and nized as valid (Levy, Amitai & Shulov, 1970; Levy & biogeography of the genus, but also because there are Amitai, 1980; Fet & Lowe, 2000), Buthus quin- potential public health implications of the comparative questriatus libycus Birula, 1908 is synonymized with the toxicology of Leiurus venoms. nominotypic subspecies (Vachon, 1949), and Androc- 2 Euscorpius — 2014, No. 191 tonus (Liurus) quinquestriatus brachycentrus is synon- (GL, Oman material; EY, Turkey & Syria material). ymized with the nominotypic subspecies (Levy & Specimens were examined under a dissecting micro- Amitai, 1980). The status of Leiurus quinquestriatus scope, viewing reflected white light or blue-green fluor- voelschowi Pohl, 1967 is uncertain (Fet & Lowe, 2000). escence under UV LED illumination (Lowe et al., 2003). Leiurus is no longer monotypic after the recent Biometrics were measured with digital calipers, ocular descriptions of several additional species with restricted reticules or digital cameras (15,056 morphometric or geographic ranges: L. jordanensis Lourenço, Modrý et meristic values were acquired from 350 specimens). We Amr, 2002; L. savanicola Lourenço, Qi et Cloudsley- generally followed definitions of measurements in Thompson, 2006; L. nasheri Kovařík, 2007, and L. Lamoral (1979) and Sissom et al. (1990), except as abdullahbayrami Yağmur, Koç et Kunt, 2009. Recog- follows: carapace anterior width taken between most nition of these distinctive species suggests that there medial pair of lateral eyes; pedipalp femur length taken may be considerable taxonomic diversity within Leiurus from proximal limit of dorsointernal carina; pedipalp arising from local speciation. We confirm this by pre- chela length taken as chord length from external senting results of a detailed study of Leiurus material proximal limit of manus to fixed finger tip; pedipalp mainly from the Arabian Peninsula, including large manus width and depth taken with movable finger collections assembled by Prof. W. Büttiker from Saudi articular condyles level; telson and vesicle length taken Arabia lodged in the Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel from anterior limit of vesicle (Sissom et al., 1990). (Hendrixson, 2006), and by one of us (GL) during Pectine length was taken along the anterior margin of the investigations of the scorpiofauna of Oman. We intro- comb (Stahnke, 1970: 302, Fig. 155). Mid-pectine duce new taxonomic characters, describe four new sensillar margin (MPSM) length was taken as the long Arabian species, and elevate to species status L. brachy- axis dimension of the surface occupied by peg sensillae centrus stat. n., and L. hebraeus stat. n. For comparison, on a pectine tooth near the middle of the comb (close to we also formulate revised diagnoses of several other the distal end of the first marginal lamella) (c.f. Fig. 95B species. inset). Carinal terminology generally follows Vachon (1952) and Stahnke (1970). On metasomal segments I- Abbreviations IV, paired carinae are termed: dorsosubmedian, dorso- lateral, lateral median (if present), ventrolateral and Specimen depositories: BMNH, Natural History Mus- ventromedian. On