Scorpionidae Latreille, 1802

Scorpionidae Latreille, 1802 View in CoL

Pandinops Birula, 1913

( Figures 1–27 View Figures 1–2 View Figures 3–4 View Figures 5–10 View Figures 11–12 View Figures 13–19 View Figures 20–25 View Figures 26–27 , Table 1)

Pandinus ( Pandinops) Birula, 1913: 419–422 , fig. b; Vachon, 1974: 921, 953, figs. 116–118; Fet, 2000: 469; KovařÍk, 2009: 51–53, 115–118, figs. 294–298, 304–327.

Pandinops KovařÍk, 2016: 1–20 View in CoL , figs. 1–69, table 1; KovařÍk et al., 2017: 1–20, figs. 1–60, table 1.

TYPE SPECIES. Pandinus peeli Pocock, 1900 [now a junior synonym of Pandinops pugilator (Pocock, 1900) ].

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 55–95 mm. External trichobothria on patella number 13–16 (5–6 eb, 2–4 esb, 2 em, 1–2 est, 3 et); ventral trichobothria on patella number 22–35; internal trichobothria on chela number 6–8; ventral trichobothria on chela number 9–13. Pedipalp chela manus lobiform. Movable fingers of pedipalp, length of segments of pedipalps, and telson without noticeable sexual dimorphism. Pectines with fulcra. Pectinal teeth number 11–21. Sternum subpentagonal, longer than wide. Carapace without distinct carinae. Dentate margin of pedipalp chela movable finger with distinct granules divided into 5–7 rows. Tergites I–VI of mesosoma bear one carina. Stridulation organ located on pedipalp coxae and first pair of legs, but can be reduced. Metasomal segments I–IV with paired parallel ventral median carinae or without carinae. Telson without subaculear tubercle. Legs with one pedal spur, retrolateral spur absent. Tarsomere I of legs. Spiniform macrosetae pd, vt, rt, vst are present on legs I–IV, but pd can be replaced by a seta as intraspecific variability; pst is present on legs III–IV; pt and vm are absent on all legs; rm is present on legs I–IV, but is often replaced by seta or spiniform seta. Tarsomere II of legs. Spiniform formula is 3/4: 3/4: 3/4-5: 3/4-5. Tarsomere II with 2 spines on inclined anteroventral surface, but a seta on leg III can be transformed to a „spiniform seta“ which indicates a poorly developed third spine as intraspecific variability.

SUBORDINATE TAXA. Pandinops bellicosus (L. Koch, 1875) ( Eritrea), P. colei (Pocock, 1896) (Somaliland) , P. eritreaensis KovařÍk, 2003 ( Eritrea), P. friedrichi KovařÍk, 2016 ( Somalia), P. platycheles (Werner, 1916) ( Ethiopia), P. pococki KovařÍk, 2000 ( Somalia [Puntland]), P. pugilator (Pocock, 1900) [= Pandinus peeli Pocock, 1900 , = Pandinus hawkeri Pocock, 1900 ] (Somaliland, Ethiopia [the first record, see comments below]), P. sahil sp. n. (Somaliland), P. turieli KovařÍk, 2016 = Pandinops bambii Rossi, 2017 , syn. n. ( Ethiopia, Kenya).

COMMENTS. Rossi (2017) described Pandinops bambii from Ethiopia (type locality) and Somalia in his self-published journal, Rivista Aracnologica Italiana. This journal issue became accessible to the public (i. e., published) in March 2017, but was pre-dated 14 July 2016 (see also KovařÍk et al., 2019: 19, and KovařÍk & Lowe, 2022: 5, 15). I have studied the same specimens several years earlier (see KovařÍk & Whitman. 2005: 114). The holotype is an old, incomplete juvenile identified by Rossi as a “subadult male“; however, there is no possibility to determine sex of this juvenile correctly. Characters cited by Rossi are insufficient but I am sure that at least the juvenile holotype from Ethiopia in reality belongs to Pandinops turieli KovařÍk, 2016 (published 23 August 2016). I conclude that Pandinops bambii Rossi, 2017 is a junior synonym of P. turieli KovařÍk, 2016 , syn. n.

During the 2021-2024 expeditions three new localities of Pandinops pugilator (Pocock, 1900) were confirmed: two in Somaliland ( 9.909383°N 46.833336°E, locality No. 21SH, 10.X.2021, 2juvs., leg. F. KovařÍk; and Beeyo Dhaadheer, 10.4169733°N 45.4316814°E, XI.2023, 1♀ leg. Hassan Elmi) and one in Ethiopia (Jijiga, 9.3693978°N 42.8350769°E, VI.2024, 1♀ 9juvs, leg. H. Elmi), see map ( Figure 26 View Figures 26–27 ) GoogleMaps .