Leiurus fezzanensis Yağmur, Aboshaala and Kovařík, 2025

Leiurus fezzanensis Yağmur, Aboshaala and Kovařík sp. n

( Figures 1–8 View Figure 1 View Figure 2 View Figure 3 View Figure 4 View Figure 5 View Figure 6 View Figure 7 View Figure 8 , 10 View Figure 10 , Table 1)

Material examined

Holotype ♂ LIBIYA: Fezzan , Wadi Al Hayaa District, Qabriawn, 26.585556°N, 13.446389°E, 462 m, 14 September 2024, leg. Faraj Aboshaala ( AZMM /Sco-2024:81) . Paratypes ( 1 male, 5 females and 5 juveniles): LIBIYA: Fezzan, Wadi Al Hayaa District, Qabriawn , 26.585556° N, 13.446389°E, 462 m, 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, 2 juv ., 14 September 2024, leg. Faraj Aboshaala and Saad Al-Werfaly ( AZMM /Sco-2024:82–87). Fezzan Province, Wadi Al Hayaa District, Qabriawn , 26.585556°N, 13.446389°E, 462 m, 2 ♀♀, 3 juv ., 27 January 2022, leg . Faraj Aboshaala & Saad Al-Werfaly ( AZMM/2022 :237–241) .

Etymology

The species name fezzanensis refers to the Fezzan Province in south-western Libya, the type locality where all examined specimens were collected .

Diagnosis ( ♂ ♀)

The base colour is pale yellow brown in male, brown black in females. Carapace subtrapezoidal. Five couple lateral eyes (3 large, 2 small) present on each side. Carinae features typical for the genus Leiurus , with moderate and coarsely granular anterior median, superciliary, central lateral, central median, posterior median and posterior lateral carinae. Central lateral and posterior median carinae fused forming a lyre-shaped figure. Posterior median and posterior lateral carinae terminate with inconspicuous spinoid protrusions. Areas between central lateral carinae and central median carinae finely granular. Areas between anterior median carinae, and posterior median and posterior lateral carinae, smooth with several moderate rounded granules. The pectinal tooth count is 32–34 in males, 24–28 in females. The pectines have three marginal lamellae and 7–8 middle lamellae. Metasomal segments moderately slender; I L/ W 1.33; II L/ W 1.85; III L/ W 2.01; IV L/ W 2.58; V L/ W 3.16 in male holotype; I L/ W 1.24; II L/ W 1.68; III L/ W 1.85; IV L/ W 2.32; V L/ W 2.79 in female paratype . Metasomal segments I–III bear 10, IV bears 8 and V bears 5 carinae. Ventrolateral carinae of metasoma V strong with rounded granules increasing in size posteriorly, with two enlarged conical and pointed denticles in the male, four large, rounded and slightly pointed denticles in females in segment V. Vesicle smooth and sparsely setose; slightly elongate in male, bulbous in female (Telson length/width ratio = 2.94 in male holotype, 2.75 in female paratype). Aculeus moderately curved and slightly shorter than vesicle (aculeus length/vesicle length ratio = 0.77 in male holotype, 0.73 in female paratype).

Affinities

Leiurus ater LourenÇo, 2019 View in CoL ; L. quinquestriatus (Ehrenberg, 1828) ; and L. libycus ( Birula, 1908) are known from regions geographically close to the type locality of L. fezzanensis Therefore , we compared L. fezzanensis with these species.

The pectinal tooth count in L. quinquestriatus ranges from 34 to 39 in males and from 26 to 38 in females (according to Lowe et al. 2014), and from 35 to 43 in males of L. libycus (according to Birula 1908), whereas it ranges from 32 to 34 in males and from 24 to 28 in females of L. fezzanensis Pectinal tooth counts in L. fezzanensis are thus lower than those observed in L. quinquestriatus and L. libycus .

In L. libycus , the trichobothria db and est are positioned at approximately the same level on the fixed finger ( Yağmur et al. 2025, fig. 9). In L. ater View in CoL , trichobothrium db is located between dt and et ( LourenÇo, 2019, fig. 9), whereas in L. fezzanensis and L. quinquestriatus , db is positioned between et and est. Trichobothrium db is proximal to est in L. fezzanensis ( Figures 4 View Figure 4 (c) and 5(c)), whereas in L. quinquestriatus , trichobothrium db is located nearly in the middle of et and est ( Lowe et al., 2014, figs. 75F, 79H).

On metasomal segment V, L. quinquestriatus exhibits somewhat enlarged subtriangular denticles in males, and two large, rounded to subspinoid denticles in females ( Lowe et al. 2014, figs. 80A, C). In contrast, L. fezzanensis displays one large triangular denticle in males, and four large, rounded denticles in females ( Figure 7 View Figure 7 (b, d)).

The area between the central lateral carinae and the central median carina is smooth in L. ater , L. quinquestriatus and L. libycus , whereas it is finely granular in L. fezzanensis ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (a, b)).

Description

Description is based on the male holotype and female paratypes. The total length is 78.54 mm in the male holotype. Measurements are given in Table 1.

Colouration

Carapace yellow brown, around median eyes and carinae dark brown, anteriomedian carinae black in males; dark yellow brown or dark brown, around median eyes and carinae black in females. Mesosoma yellow brown, dark yellow laterally, carinae dark brown in males; brown black, yellow brown laterally, posterior of segments I–VI with dark yellow bands in females. Pedipalp segments lustrous yellow, carinae yellow brown, dorsal surface of femur, patella and manus with indistinct light brown reticulations. Denticles on fingers red black. Condyles red. Metasomal segments I–IV pale dark yellow, ventral submedian carinae in segments II–IV dark brown. Metasomal segments V red black or brown black but most posterior portion of segment brown yellow to dark yellow. Vesicle lustrous yellow, base of aculeus dark yellow, tip of aculeus red black. Legs pale yellow with black spinules ( Figures 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 , 6 View Figure 6 and 10 View Figure 10 ).

Morphology

Carapace. Carapace subtrapezoidal; lateral margins of carapace steeply sloped at anterior ¾ and there is first a shallow depression and then a convexity here. The anterior margin of the carapace slightly concave and crenulate, bearing four conical coarse granules, with and bordered by a row of moderate and rounded granules. Median eyes located anterior to the middle of the carapace (distance from centre of median eyes to anterior margin/carapace length ratio = 0.72 in male, 0.79 in female). Five couples of lateral eyes (3 large, 2 small) present on each side. Carinae features typical for the genus Leiurus , with moderate and coarsely granular anterior median, superciliary, central lateral, central median, posterior median and posterior lateral carinae. Central lateral and posterior median carinae fused forming a lyre-shaped figure. Posterior median and posterior lateral carinae terminate with inconspicuous spinoid protrusions. A transverse row of granules lies between posterior median carinae. Anterior median carinae do not extend to the anterior margin. Anterior area with two groups of coarse and rounded granules. Between median eyes smooth. Areas between central lateral carinae and central median carinae finely granular. Lateral area smooth with several medium-sized granules. Areas between anterior median carinae, and between posterior median and posterior lateral carinae, smooth with several moderate-sized, rounded granules. The area between the posterior median carinae is depressed with a shallow median furrow forming an inverted ‘T’ ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (a, b)). The pectinal tooth count is 32–34 in male, 24–28 in females. The pectinal marginal tips extend well past trochanter-femur joint in male, almost reaching it in females. The pectines have three marginal lamellae and 7–8 middle lamellae. The lamellae bear numerous stout macrosetae ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (c, d)).

Sternum. Standard for the genus. Type 1, triangular. The lateral margins are parallel along the anterior quarter ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (c, d)).

Chelicerae. The dentition of the chelicerae is typical for the genus; the surface of the manus is shiny and smooth, with fine granules arranged in longitudinal rows anteriorly ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (a, b)).

Pedipalps. Pedipalps orthobothriotaxic, pattern type A and in β ( Vachon 1974, 1975), the femur with trichobothrium d2 on its dorsal surface. Femur bears five carinae. Dorsointernal, dorsoexternal and ventrointernal carinae strong with coarse, closely spaced rounded granules. Internal carina strong and crenulate, with irregular medium or large and spaced conical granules. External median carina moderate with irregular and spaced subspinoid granules. Dorsal surface almost smooth with scattered fine granules, ventral surface smooth. Patella bears eight carinae. Dorsointernal carina strong and crenulate with 3–4 somewhat large subconical granules and distinct dorsal patellar spur. Dorsal carina moderate with medium granulations. Dorsomedian carina weak with fine granulation. Dorsoexternal and ventromedian carina weak, almost smooth, bears a few fine granules. External median and ventral external carinae weak and smooth. Ventrointernal carina strong and crenulate, with well-spaced medium granules and with a weak ventral patellar spur. Dorsal surface with scattered fine granules and in distinct granular reticulations. Ventral surface smooth. Chela slender and elongated (chela length/ manus width ratio = 6.68 in male, 6.74 in female). Chela manus short and rounded but bears five obsolete and smooth carinae, which may be incomplete. Chela fingers elongated (movable finger length/manus length ratio = 2.08 in male, 1.94 in female). Pedipalp movable and fixed fingers bear 12–13 principal rows of denticles, with external and internal accessory granules and four distal granules. Trichobothrium et located between dt and db, and slightly proximal to dt; trichobothrium db located between et and est, proximal to est ( Figures 4 View Figure 4 and 5 View Figure 5 ).

Legs. Leg pairs III and IV bear long tibial spurs. Leg pairs I–IV with tarsal spurs. The telotarsi of legs bear two rows of 5–6 spiniform macrosetae on their ventral surfaces. Basitarsi I–III bear bristle-combs, and basitarsus III has 9–14 retrosuperior macrosetae ( Figure 8 View Figure 8 ).

Mesosoma . Tergites I–II bear 5 granular carinae, terminating with inconspicuous spinoid protrusions; median carinae weak with minute granules; submedian carinae moderate with medium granules and aligned with the posterior median carinae of the carapace; lateral carinae moderate and oblique with medium granules, aligned with the posterior lateral carinae of the carapace. Tergites III–VI bear 3 moderate carinae with medium granules, terminating with inconspicuous spinoid protrusions that extend slightly beyond the posterior margins. The surface between submedian carinae finely granular, laterals finely granular with dense coarse granules, some of which are arranged in rows in tergites I–VI. Tergite VII is pentacarinate; median and submedian carinae strong and granular with coarse and rounded granules; lateral carinae strong and serrate with coarse and subspinoid granules. Submedian and lateral carinae are joined anteriorly by transverse rows of granules. Intercarinal area smooth with several minute granules between submedian and lateral carinae ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (a, c)). Sternite III–IV shagreened but poststernites smooth medially; bearing 4 weak and finely granular carinae. Sternite VII shagreened with 4 moderately granular carinae ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (b, d)).

Metasoma and telson. Metasomal segments moderately slender; I L/ W 1.33; II L/ W 1.85; III L/ W 2.01; IV L/ W 2.58; V L/ W 3.16 in male holotype; I L/ W 1.24; II L/ W 1.68; III L/ W 1.85; IV L/ W 2.32; V L/ W 2.75 in female paratype . Metasomal segments I–III bear 10, IV bears 8 and V bears 5 carinae. Lateral inframedian carinae complete and granular on segment I; incomplete, reduced on segment I–II, present on the anterior 1/3 and bears 8 granules on segment II and present on the anterior 1/4 and bears 6 granules on segment III. Dorsolateral carinae strong, finely serrate to finely dentate on segment I with fine subspinoid or subconical granules; finely serrate and costate on segment II with fine subspinoid or flattened granules; finely granular to smooth on segments III–IV, terminating in a moderate conical granule. Lateral supramedian carinae moderate and faintly serrate on segments I–IV, granules small and almost fixed. Ventrolateral carinae strong on segments I–IV, serratocrenulate to finely serrate on segment I with small granules; smooth to serratocrenulate on segments II and III; crenulate to serratocrenulate on segment IV. Ventral submedian smooth to crenulate on segments I and II, crenulate III and IV. Segment V: Dorsolateral carinae strong, rounded and sparsely granular with fine granules. Ventrolateral carinae strong with rounded granules increasing in size posteriorly, with two enlarged conical and pointed denticles in male, four large, rounded and slightly pointed denticles in females. Ventromedian carina moderate, armed with small to large dentate and spaced granules. Segments I–V sparsely setose. Intercarinal surfaces smooth on segment I–V, only lateral surfaces with indistinct reticular fine granules and scattered minute granules. Telson: Vesicle smooth and sparsely setose; slightly elongate in male, bulbous in female (Telson length/width ratio = 2.94 in male, 2.75 in female). Aculeus moderately curved and slightly shorter than vesicle (aculeus length/vesicle length ratio = 0.77 in male, 0.73 in female) ( Figures 6 View Figure 6 and 7 View Figure 7 ).

Habitat. The environment of Qabroun in southern Libya is characterised by harsh desert conditions. The soil is predominantly sandy and gravelly, with occasional patches of saline or compacted earth found in depressions. It is generally light brown to yellow in colour, loose in texture, and extremely poor in nutrients due to low organic content and intense aridity. Vegetation is sparse and scattered, typically occurring near shallow groundwater sources or along seasonal watercourses. Common plant species include salt-tolerant Tamarix shrubs, Acacia tortilis (umbrella thorn), Retama raetam, Zygophyllum sp., and ephemeral grasses that briefly emerge following rare rainfall events. The climate is extremely hot in summer, with temperatures often exceeding 45°C, while winters are mild to cool, especially at night, when temperatures can drop to 5–10°C. Rainfall is scarce and unpredictable, amounting to less than 50 mm per year. The region experiences significant diurnal temperature variation, with hot days and notably cooler nights. The collection site is located in a depression near an agricultural area that includes palm trees ( Figures 11 View Figure 11 and 12 View Figure 12 ).