Leiurus sinai, Badry & Saleh & Sarhan & Younes & Lourenço & Ythier, 2023

Leiurus sinai View in CoL sp. n. Badry, Saleh, Lourenço & Ythier

( Fig. 1- 4, 7-15, Tab. I)

ZooBank:http://zoobank.org/ CE18F3E1-372B-4657-8F33-1464A5CFC2FF

Holotype, ♀, Egypt, N Sinai, Gebel Al Maghara ( ABLQ30105 ), 10/V/1995 (M. Saleh).

Paratypes

- 1 ♀, idem holotype ( ABLQ40109 ) ;

- 15 ♂ & 16 ♀, Sinai, Taba ( ABLQ4001 - ABLQ40031 ), 15/VIII/2016 (A. Badry) ;

- 1 ♂, 1 ♀ & 2 ♂ juveniles, Sinai, Bir El Hassana (coll. E. Simon, 1319), no date, no collector (RS-1578) .

The holotype and paratypes material is deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris and at the Al-Azhar University Zoological Collection ( AUZC), Nasr City , Cairo, Egypt .

Comparative material used in the present study

Leiurus quinquestriatus

- Egypt, Al-Kharga , V/2006 (Ph. Geniez), 1 ♀ ;

- Dakhla Oasis, 23/IX/2014 (A. Badry), 1 ♂;

- Fayium Depression, 20/II/2015 (A. Badry), 1 ♀.

Leiurus hebraeus

- Jordan, Dab’A, 7/IX/2013 (M.Al-Saraireh & B.A.Afifeh), 1 ♀ ;

- Petra, 15/X/2020 (M. Al-Saraireh & B. A. Afifeh), 1 ♂ & 1 ♀;

- Un Al Dananiv, 7/IV/2021 (M. Al-Saraireh & B. A. Afifeh), 2 ♀;

- Kafraim Dam, 4/V/2020 (M. Al-Saraireh & B. A. Afifeh), 1 ♀;

- Kurkumah, 10/I/1993 ( RSCN), 1 ♂ & 1 ♀ .

The totality of the material is now deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris.

Etymology. – The specific name is placed in apposition to the generic name and refers to Sinai Peninsula, where the new species was found.

Diagnosis. – The female holotype has a total length of 76.7 mm, while one male paratype from Bir El Hassana has a total length of 69.4 mm; the other adult paratypes show more or less similar values. The overall size of the Sinai species seems to be closer to that of L. hebraeus , since most adults of L. quinquestriatus show larger sizes. The ground colour is yellow to slightly brownish-yellow; body darker than appendages; ventral carinae of metasomal segments slightly spotted; segment V more heavily spotted with blackish, but some variation can be observed among specimens; carapace only moderately spotted mainly in its central zone. Ocular tubercle moderately prominent; postmedian furrow moderately deep. Pectines with 34 to 40 teeth in males and 30 to 36 teeth in females. Median carinae on sternite III moderate; on sternite IV vestigial; sternite VII with mediate intercarinal surface almost without granulations, shagreened. Pedipalp fingers with 12-12 rows of granules; only in two specimens 11-12 was observed. Telson with a long aculeus, with a similar length to that of vesicle; weakly curved. Dorsal trichobothrium of femur d 4 in a distal position in relation to external trichobothrium e 1; chela fixed finger trichobothrium db in the same level of est. For the other trichobothria the general pattern observed for the new species is similar to that of other Leiurus species, mainly to those of L. hebraeus and L. quinquestriatus .

Description (based on holotype and paratypes; morphometric values presented after the description in Table I)

Coloration. – Ground colour yellow to slightly brownish-yellow; pedipalps and legs yellowish to pale yellow. Carapace brownish-yellow with some spots in its central zone; eyes blackish. Mesosoma brownish-yellow with some infuscations on tergites I to VI; tergite VII paler. Metasomal segments I and II reddish-yellow; III and IV yellow with some vestigial blackish spots over ventral carinae; segment V spotted with blackish, but weakly marked on some specimens. Vesicle pale yellow with the aculeus yellow at the base and red at its extremity. Venter slightly reddish-yellow. Chelicerae pale yellow without any reticulated spots; teeth reddish. Pedipalps pale yellow overall except for the rows of granules on chela fingers which are slightly reddish. Legs yellowish with carinae reddish.

Morphology. – Prosoma: the anterior margin of carapace showsa weak concavity. Carapace carinae moderately to strongly developed; central median carinae moderate; anterior median carinae moderate to strong; central lateral strong; posterior median and posterior lateral carinae moderate to strong, terminating distally in a very small spinoid process that extends slightly beyond the posterior margin of the carapace. Intercarinal spaces with some irregular granules, and most of the surface is partially smooth, in particular laterally and posteriorly. Median ocular tubercle very slightly anterior to the centre of the carapace and moderately prominent;median eyes large in size and separated by about one and half ocular diameters; three pairs of lateral eyes well observed; presence of a fourth pair of reduced eyes. Mesosomal tergites I and II pentacarinate; III and VI tricarinate. All carinae moderate to strong, terminating distallyin a spinoid process that extends slightly beyond the posterior marginof the tergite. Median carinae moderate on I, moderate to strongon II-VI. Tergite VII pentacarinate, with lateral pairs of carinae moderate to strong and fused; median carinae present on the proximal half, moderate to strong. Intercarinal spaces moderately granular. Lateral carinae moderate on sternite III; weak to vestigial on sternites IV to VI; moderate on VII; median carinae on sternites III and IV moderate to weak. Pectines long; pectinal tooth count 32-32 for female holotype and 40-38 for one male paratype from Bir El Hassana (see diagnosis for variation); Metasomal segments I to III with ten carinae, crenulate; lateral inframedian carinaecomplete on I;represented in its posterior zone by 1/3of the length on II; by a few granules on III; IV with eight carinae. Dorsal and dorsolateral carinae moderate, without any enlarged denticles distally. All other carinae moderate to weak on segments I to IV. Segment V with five carinae; ventromedian carinae with several spinoid to lobate granules distally; anal arch with three slightly spinoid lobes. Dorsal furrows of all segments weakly developed and smooth; intercarinal spaces almost smooth, with only a few granulesontheventralsurface of segment V.Telsonsmooth;subaculeartubercle absent; aculeus with a similar length to that of vesicle; weakly curved. Chelicerae with two denticles at the base of the movable finger ( Vachon, 1963). Pedipalps: femur pentacarinate; all carinae moderately to strongly crenulate. Patella with seven carinae; all carinae moderately to weakly crenulate; dorsointernal carinae with 4-5 small spinoid granules. Chelae slender, with elongated fingers, smooth and without carinae. Dentate margins of fixed and movable fingers composed of 12-12 almost linear rows of granules in a large majority of the examined specimens. Legs: ventral aspect of tarsi with short spiniform setae more or less arranged in two rows. Tibial spurs present on legs III and IV and strongly marked. Pedal spurs present on all legs, moderately marked. Trichobothriotaxy: trichobothrial pattern orthobothriotaxic, type A (Vachon, 1974); dorsal trichobothria of femur in β (beta) configuration(Vachon, 1975).Dorsal trichobothrium of femur d 4 slightlydistalinrelationtotheexternal trichobothrium e 1; chela fixed finger trichobothrium db in the same level of est.

Relationships. – The new species can be distinguished from

L. quinquestriatus and L. hebraeus , the two most closely related species, by a combination of several characters: (i) a smaller overall size, (ii) dorsal trichobothrium d 4 of the femur in a distal position in relation to external trichobothrium e 1; chela fixed finger trichobothria db and est situated on the same level, (iii) intercarinal surfaces of carapace with few granules, almost smooth; postmedian furrow moderately deep,