Compsobuthus abyssinicus
Creators: name: Kovařík, František
name: Lowe, Graeme
name: Plíšková, Jana
name: Šťáhlavský, František
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Scorpiones
Buthidae
Compsobuthus
Compsobuthus abyssinicus

description: Compsobuthus abyssinicus (Birula, 1903)   
(Figs. 1–4, 15–16, 19–22, 45–46, 77)  
 Buthus acutecarinatus abyssinicus Birula, 1903: 108.   
 Compsobuthus acutecarinatus abyssinicus: Kraepelin, 1913: 127.   
 Compsobuthus abyssinicus: Vachon, 1949: 99 (1952: 219); Fet & Lowe, 2000: 124; Kovařík, 2003a: 88– 89; Kovařík, 2003b: 138; Kovařík & Whitman, 2005: 107 (in part); Kovařík & Ojanguren, 2013: 146–147, figs. 777–782, 921–925.   
 Compsobuthus acutecarinatus: Sissom, 1994: 9 (in part, record from Assab, Eritrea)   
 Compsobuthus maindroni: Kovařík, 2003b: 138, fig. 1 (misidentification).   
TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Ethiopia (Abyssinia), Kachenuha; ZISP.  
 MATERIAL EXAMINED. Ethiopia, 30 km W Metahara, VIII.1982, 2♀; Awash, Metahara env., 08°54'N 39°54'E, 960-1050 m a.s.l. (Locality 11EA), 2008, 1♀, leg. Trailin, 19.-22.VII.2011, 3♂ 1♀ 3ims., leg. F. Kovařík; Awash, 09°00'34.5"N 40°17'56.5"E, 1012 m a.s.l. (Locality 11 EW), 19.VII.2011, 1♂ 1♀, leg. F. Kovařík; Awash n. p., 08°52'N 40°05'E, 981 m a.s.l. (Locality 11 EX), 20.VII.2011, 1♀ 2juvs before first ecdysis, leg. F. Kovařík; 13°43'10"N 39°55'34"E, 879 m a.s.l. (Locality 12 EI), 18.XI.2012, 1im. 1juv., leg. F. Kovařík; 11°29' 47"N 40°25'07"E, 766 m a.s.l. (Locality 12 EL), 20.XI. 2012, 1♂ 1♀, leg. F. Kovařík; Gewane, 10°09'38"N 40°39'45"E, 631 m a.s.l. (Locality 12 EO), 23.XI.2012, 1♀ (Fig. 2), leg. F. Kovařík; 09°34'06"N 40°23'45.9"E, 601 m a.s.l. (Locality 12 EQ), 24.XI.2012, 1♂ (Fig. 1), leg. F. Kovařík; Awash, 09°00'34.5"N 40°17'56.5"E, 1012 m. a.s.l. (Locality 12 EW), 1♀, 25.XI.2012, leg. F. Kovařík; Awash, Metahara env., 08°54'N 39°54'E, 960- 1050 m a.s.l. (Locality 12 EX), 25.XI.2012, 1♀, leg. F. Kovařík; Afar State, Awash, 09°09'03.6"N 40°31'38.8"E, 1378 m a.s.l. (Locality 14 ES), 26.XI.2014, 1♀, leg. F. Kovařík; Afar State, 09°34'06"N 40°23'45.9"E, 601 m a.s.l. (Locality 14EU =12 EQ), 27.XI.2014, 1♀, leg. F. Kovařík; Oromia State, East Shewa, Fantale zone, volcanic crater Fantale near Metahara, 09°00'56.2"N 39°51'21"E, 1050 m a.s.l. 29.XI.2014, (Locality 14 EV, Fig. 4), 4♂ 3♀ 3juvs.(Fig. 3), leg. F. Kovařík. Somaliland, 4 km S of Borama, Awdal, 09°53'01"N 43°11' 56"E, 1662 m a.s.l., 17.I.2015, 1♂, leg. T. Mazuch. All specimens are in the first authors collection (FKCP).   
 DIAGNOSIS. Total length 28–40 mm. Sexual dimorphism minor, adult males with chela of pedipalps broader and fingers of pedipalps flexed proximally; there is no difference in length and width of metasomal segments. Base color uniformly reddish to gray. Pedipalps with or without spots. Movable finger of pedipalp bears 10 rows of granules, all without external and with internal accessory granules (acutecarinatus group). Pedipalp chela length/width ratio 3.7–3.8 in males and 4.4–4.6 in females. Manus of chela shorter than fixed finger. Trochanter of pedipalps with numerous long setae. Anterior margin of carapace bears eight symmetrically distributed spiniform setae. First to third metasomal segments bear 10 carinae, fourth bears 8 or 10 carinae. All metasomal segments longer than wide. Pectinal teeth number 21–24 in males and 19–23 in females. Sternites and ventral surface of metasoma granulated and with numerous small black setae. Seventh sternite bears four crenulate carinae. Telson bulbous, aculeus shorter than vesicle. Subaculear tubercle present but not spinoid.   
 COMMENTS ON LOCALITIES AND LIFE STRATEGY. C. abyssinicus inhabits semi-desert, in the south limited by the town of Metahara, Ethiopia. This area is characterized by volcanic bedrock with lava fields around the lake, and this terrain transitions to sandy semi-desert with scattered volcanic boulders where C. abyssinicus prefers more rocky areas (Fig. 4). C. abyssinicus is often sympatric with Buthus awashensis Kovařík, 2011, Neobuthus awashensis Kovařík et Lowe, 2012, and Parabuthus abyssinicus Pocock, 1901.
description: Published as part of Kovařík, František, Lowe, Graeme, Plíšková, Jana & Šťáhlavský, František, 2016, Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part VI. Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Buthidae), with a description of C. eritreaensis sp. n., pp. 1-21 in Euscorpius 226 on page 3