A review of the East African genus Neobuthus with a description of seven new species

A new paper in the series "Scorpions of the Horn of Africa" has been published. This time, Frantisek Kovarik and co-workers present a revision of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 (Buthidae). Seven new species from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland are described.

Neobuthus amoudensis Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Ethiopia and Somaliland)

Neobuthus erigavoensis Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus factorio Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus gubanensis Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus maidensis Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus montanus Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus kloppersi Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Kenya)

An identification key for the genus is also presented.

Abstract:
New information about the taxonomy and distribution of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 is presented, based on material recently collected mainly from Somaliland, but also Djibouti and Kenya. Emended diagnoses are proposed for N. berberensis Hirst, 1911 and N. ferrugineus (Kraepelin, 1898) sensu stricto. New species described are: N. amoudensis sp. n. from Ethiopia and Somaliland; N. erigavoensis sp. n., N. factorio sp. n., N. gubanensis sp. n., N. maidensis sp. n., and N. montanus sp. n. from Somaliland; and N. kloppersi sp. n. from Kenya. This doubles the number of species in Neobuthus, unearthing a rich diversification of this genus of diminutive buthids in the Horn of Africa. Included is a key and distribution map. In N. gubanensis sp. n., we report a second known case of anomalous pectine development with tarsal-like structures that implicate homeotic mutation, providing further evidence of pectine-leg homology in scorpions.

Reference:
Kovarik F, Lowe G, Awale AI, Elmi HSA, Hurre AA. Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part XVII. Revision of Neobuthus, with Description of Seven New Species from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland (Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2018(271):1-81. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae