Genus Babycurus split into a new genus and two new species from the Arabian Peninsula

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Frantisek Kovarik and co-workers recently published a review of the genus

Babycurus

Karsch, 1886 (Buthidae) resulting into splitting this genus into two genera. The taxanomical decisions from this study are:



Barbaracurus Kovarik, Lowe & Stahlavsky, 2018 (Distributed mainly in the Arabian Peninsula and The Horn of Africa). Species included after review:
B. exquisitus

(Lowe, 2000) (Previously in

Babycurus

)


B. prudenti

Lourenço, 2013 (Previously in

Babycurus

)


B. somalicus

(Hirst, 1907) (Previously in

Babycurus

)


B. sofomarensis

(Kovarik, Lowe, Seiter, Pliskova &Stahlavsky, 2015) (Previously in

Babycurus

)


B. subpunctatus

(Borelli, 1925) (Previously in

Babycurus

)


B. ugartei

(Kovarik, 2000) (Previously in

Babycurus

)


B. winklerorum

Kovarik, Lowe &Stahlavsky, 2018 (New species from Oman)


B. yemenensis

Kovarik, Lowe, Seiter, Pliskova &Stahlavsky, 2015 (New species from Yemen)


B. zambonellii

(Borelli, 1902) (Previously in

Babycurus

)



Babycurus Karsch, 1886 (Strictly African distribution). Species included after review:
B. ansorgei

Hirst, 1911


B. brignolii

Lourenço & Rossi, 2017 (Declared Nomen Dubia)


B. buettneri

Karsch, 1886


B. centrurimorphus

Karsch, 1886


B. dunlopi

Kovarik, Lowe, Seiter, Pliskova &Stahlavsky, 2015


B. gigas

Kraepelin, 1896


B. jacksoni

(Pocock, 1890)


B. kirki

(Pocock, 1890)


B. melanicus

Kovarik, 2000


B. multisubaculeatus

Kovarik, 2000


B. pictus

Pocock, 1896


B. solegladi

Lourenço, 2005


B. taramassoi

Borelli, 1919


B. wituensis

Kraepelin, 1913



Babycurus ornatus

Werner, 1936 is declared as a junior synonym of Lychas burdoi (Simon, 1882).



The article has an identification key for

Barbaracurus

.



Abstract:
The genus Babycurus Karsch, 1886 sensu lato is split into two genera, a strictly African genus Babycurus, and the new genus Barbaracurus gen. n., which mainly includes species from the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula. Two new species Barbaracurus winklerorum sp. n. from Oman and B. yemenensis sp. n. from Yemen are described, compared with other species, and fully illustrated with color photos of morphology, habitus, live specimens and collection localities. Males of Barbaracurus somalicus (Hirst, 1907) comb. n. and Barbaracurus zambonellii (Borelli, 1902) comb. n. are recorded for the first time and fully illustrated. Babycurus ornatus Werner, 1936 from Mozambique is shown to be a junior synonym of Lychas burdoi (Simon, 1882), a species from the same area. Babycurus brignolii Lourenço et Rossi, 2017 is designated to be a nomen dubium. Hemispermatophores are des-cribed and illustrated to show their differences between the species and genera. Analyses of karyotypes reveal a similar degree of interspecific variability of diploid chromosomal numbers within the genera Babycurus (2n=16–30) and Barbaracurus gen. n. (2n=22–36).

Reference:

Kovarik F, Lowe G, Stahlavsky F. Review of the genus

Babycurus

Karsch, 1886 (Arachnida, Scorpiones, Buthidae), with descriptions of

Barbaracurus

gen. n. and two new species from Oman and Yemen.

Euscorpius. 2018(267):1-41

. [Open Access]



Family Buthidae