An updated look at scorpion envenomations in Namibia

 

Scorpion envenomations and their medical importance in Namibia have been underreported and neglected. Namibia is the home for several Parabuthus Pocock, 1890 (Buthidae) species, a genus known for hosting several species of medical importance.

Francois Theart and co-workers recently published an article with updated information about scorpionism in Namibia. They conclude that scorpions are a health concern in this country and especially the species Parabuthus granulatus (Ehrenberg, 1831), P. villosus (Peters, 1862), kraepelini Werner, 1902 and P. schlechteri Purcell, 1899 can cause death and serious morbidity. No antivenom is available. More research is necessary to understand more about the situation and to develop measures to improve prevention and treatment.

Abstract:
Namibia harbours a rich diversity of scorpions, including seventeen species of the highly venomous genus Parabuthus, although the biology and medical relevance of most species are poorly documented. Severe envenoming is caused by at least P. granulatus, P. villosus, P. kraepelini and P. schlechteri, which are considered to be of particular importance. Data on epidemiology, venom composition and variation, and clinical effects remain scarce. A lack of effective antivenom and long distances to hospitals in rural areas complicate clinical management and compromise patient outcomes.

Reference:
Theart F, Buys C, Lagneau S, Berg P. Scorpion envenoming by Parabuthus is a public health concern in Namibia. Toxicon. 2025;270:108934. [Subscription required for full text]

On the occurence of the medically important scorpion Tityus stigmurus in the São Paulo area in Brazil

 

As mentioned in several other posts, the expanding distribution of medical important Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Buthidae) species in Brazil and other South American countries has had an increasing attention, especially because many of these species are also spreading into urban habitats.

Paulo Goldoni and co-workers have recently published an article looking into the distribution of the medically important scorpion Tityus stigmurus Kraepelin, 1898 (Buthidae) in the municipality of Sorocaba, São Paulo in Brazil. The study conforms that this species is introduced and successfully established on this area.

Abstract:
Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876) is among the most venomous scorpion species in Brazil. It occurs mainly in the northeastern region, particularly within the Caatinga biome, where it represents a major public health concern, with several fatal envenomation cases reported. The species has also been recorded as introduced in urban areas of São Paulo, confirming its establishment in a colder and more humid environment than its native range in the country. During the 2010s and 2020s, records of T. stigmurus were also reported from Sorocaba, about 100 km from São Paulo city. Here, we confirm the successful establishment of the species in Sorocaba, based on 53 examined specimens (41 females and 12 juveniles) collected between 1997 and 2025 and deposited in the arachnid collection of the Instituto Butantan (IBSP). Although no envenomation cases have been reported for this species in the municipality, our findings underscore the need for strengthened surveillance of T. stigmurus in Sorocaba and surrounding areas, as this and other Tityus species already confirmed in the region represent a major public health concern.

Reference:
Goldoni PA, Ennser JRP, Iniesta LF, Brescovit AD. Long-term surveillance and monitoring of Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876): a study in the municipality of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Studies in Environmental and Animal Sciences. 2025;6(3):e21937.

Thanks to Paulo Goldoni for sending me their article!

 

A new species of Androctonus from Saudi Arabia

 

Ersen Yagmur and co-workers recently described a new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) from Najd Plateau of Saudi Arabia.

Androctonus najdensis Yagmur, Alqahtani & Badry, 2025 

The article also provides an identification key for the genus Androctonus in the Middle East, Turkey, and Iran.

Abstract:
A new scorpion species, Androctonus najdensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated from Saudi Arabia. It is compared with existing species from the Middle East and Iran, notably A. crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) and the recently described A. tihamicus Alqahtani, Yağmur & Badry, 2023. Molecular analysis using the COI mitochondrial gene revealed a genetic divergence of 7.0 to 11% between A. najdensis sp. nov. and A. crassicauda sensu lato samples from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran. The combination of molecular and morphological data supports the recognition of the Najd populations as a distinct species. Additionally, an identification key for Androctonus species in Iran and the Middle East is provided.

Reference:
Yagmur EA, Alqahtani AR, Badry A. A new species of Androctonus from the Najd Plateau of Saudi Arabia (Scorpiones, Buthidae). ZooKeys. 2025(1262):33–59. [Open Access]

Thanks to Ersen Yagmur, Gerard Dupre and Matt Simon for all sending me a link to this new article! It is easy to stay updated with so much great help from all of you! :)

Family Buthidae 

New study on the Buthus species in Tunisia with the description of a new species

 

Sarra Hajri and co-workers have recently published an article looking into the genetics and morphology of the known species Buthus Leach, 1815 (Buthidae) in Tunisia. Most known species are confirmed and a new species is described from the country.

Buthus saidnouirai Hajri, Bahri & Harris, 2025 

Abstract:
The taxonomy of the scorpion genus Buthus is complex due to the considerable increase in newly reported species, their high degree of similarity, and consequently, the great difficulty in their morphological differentiation. Tunisian species are not exempt from this issue, with several references highlighting the need for taxonomic revisions. This study integrates DNA sequence data and morphological assessments to investigate the diversity present in Tunisia and to provide morphological details that facilitate species identification. The results show that most Tunisian specimens are distributed within two clades. One clade comprises four subclades corresponding to B. tunetanus Herbst, 1800, B. paris C. L. Koch, 1839, B. chambiensis Kovařík 2006 and a southern group corresponding probably to B. lourencoi Rossi, Tropea & Yağmur, 2013. The second clade represents a new species described in this study as B. saidnouirai Hajri, Bahri & Harris, sp. nov. No evidence of B. dunlopi Kovařík 2006 have been recorded in the studied samples. Distances between all five species exceed the minimum divergence thresholds for Buthus species. The greatest distance was observed between B. saidnouirai. sp. nov. and the southern group, while the smallest distance was between B. tunetanus and B. paris. Although the genetic differences revealed considerable divergence of the new group from the four remaining species, the morphological assessment did not identify the same pattern. These five species demonstrate a morphological shape gradient in which B. paris and the southern group represent the two extremes, with B. paris being the most ornamented and the latter the least. The new species presents an intermediate morphology. The geographic distributions of the five reported species are discussed in this work according to the topography and orography of the region. Additional lineages known from Algeria may also enter the western fringes of Tunisia.

Reference:
Hajri S, Bahri L, Harris DJ. New Insights on Genetic and Morphological Divergence Among a Buthus Species Complex From Tunisia With the Identification of a New Species. Ecology and evolution. 2025;15(12):e72556. [Open Access]

Thanks to Gerard for sending me this article!

Family Buthidae 

A new species of Androctonus from Iran

 

 In a recent paper by Fatemeh Salabi and co-workers, a new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) is described from the Khuzestan Province in Iran.

Androctonus nazarii Salabi, Zangi, Forouzan, Jahan-Mahin & Kazemi, 2025

Abstract:
Recent research has clarified the historically complex taxonomy of the medically significant scorpion genus Androctonus in Iran, chiefly by resolving the A. crassicauda Olivier, 1807 species complex and describing numerous new species. However, the taxonomic status of certain populations in Khuzestan Province (south-western Iran) has remained unsettled. Here, we describe a new species, Androctonus nazarii sp. nov., from Baghmalek in the Zagros Mountains of Khuzestan Province, Iran. The new scorpion species, Androctonus nazarii sp. nov., is described from two male specimens based on a suite of distinct morphological features. Its key diagnostic traits include a brownish-yellow coloration, a light brown carapace without ocular black patches and with fine granulation, uniformly yellow legs, and a specific yellowish-brown, finely granulated chela manus. The species is distinguished via detailed comparison with its closest relatives (A. crassicauda, A. zagrosensis, A. sumericus, and A. barahoeii). Its discovery fills an important taxonomic gap in south-western Iran and carries significant implications for public health and conservation. The new species is most similar to A. sistanus in overall light coloration but can be separated by the lack of black patches on the carapace and the uniformly yellowish-brown metasoma and telson, contrasting with the black metasomal segments IV–V and telson in A. sistanus.  The combination of coloration (uniformly brownish-yellow carapace, metasoma, and chela manus), granulation (densely and finely granulated carapace and internal chela manus, smooth intercarinal surface of tergite VII), and morphological features (smooth sixth sternite lacking carinae) serves to unequivocally diagnose A. nazarii sp. nov. from all other known species in the genus.  This discovery highlights the ongoing taxonomic diversity within Androctonus and underscores the importance of detailed morphological analysis for species delineation.

Reference:
Salabi F, Zangi B, Forouzan A, Jahan-Mahin MH, Mahdi Kazemi S. Androctonus nazarii, a new species of scorpions from Khuzestan Province, Iran 1 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Archives of Razi Institute. 2025;In Press:1–26. [Open Access]

Thanks to Gerard for informing me about this article!

Family Buthidae 

A new species of Tityus from Ecuador

 

Wilson Lourenco and Elise-Anne Leguin have recently described a new species of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Buthidae) from Ecuador.

Tityus cuyabeno Lourenco & Leguin.

The article also comments on the distribution of a few other Tityus species in Eucador and the scorpion diversity in this country. 

Abstract: 
A new species of Tityus, subgenus Atreus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) is described from the Province of Sucumbíos in the Ecuadorian Amazonia. Although a noticeable number of studies have been produced on the Ecuadorian scorpion fauna in recent years, many regions of this country remain unexplored. Comments about the remarkable diversity present in Ecuador are addressed and discussed.

Reference:
Lourenco WR, Leguin E-A. New comments on the scorpion diversity of Ecuador and descrption of a new species of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2025(46):27–32. [No full text available]

Thanks to Michiel Cozijn for sending me this article!

Family Buthidae 

Niche partitioning in scorpions across neotropical dry-wet forests in Brazil

 

Species inhabiting the same ecosystem usually tries to find their own niche to avoid competition and predation. A ecosystem with high heterogeneity will probably provides more niches and thereby contribute to a higher diversity.

Andre Felipe de Araujo Lira have recently published an article looking into "spatial niche dynamics of a scorpion assemblage along a dry-wet bioclimatic gradient characterized by sharp transitions in precipitation and humidity regimes" in an area in Brazil.

The study concludes that "spatial niche dynamics of scorpion assemblages along the dry-wet bioclimatic gradient in Brazilian forests are strongly influenced by both microhabitat availability and species ecological specificity". Check out the article for further details.

Abstract:
Understanding spatial niche partitioning can provide useful insights into habitat use, especially in predator assemblages. This study investigated the spatial niche partitioning of scorpion assemblages along a dry-wet bioclimatic gradient in northeastern Brazil, encompassing the Atlantic Forest and two types of Caatinga ecosystems. Using microhabitat presence-absence data from 2692 specimens collected at 20 sites, were quantified niche volumes and overlaps through principal component analysis and kernel density estimation. Results showed that dominant species such as Ananteris mauryi and Tityus pusillus exhibit large niche volumes in the Atlantic Forest, while species distributions and niche breadth vary notably between hypoxerophytic and hyperxerophytic Caatinga. Intraspecific niche overlap was generally high for widely distributed species, reflecting behavioral plasticity and ecological adaptability. Conversely, species with specialized microhabitats exhibited lower niche overlap, indicating niche differentiation. Interspecific overlap varied with ecosystem complexity; high overlaps likely facilitate coexistence through spatial segregation and avoidance of intraguild predation. These findings emphasize the role of microhabitat availability and species ecological traits in shaping niche dynamics, contributing to species coexistence along environmental gradients. The study underscores the importance of habitat heterogeneity for maintaining scorpion diversity and informs conservation efforts aimed at protecting Neotropical dry and wet forest ecosystems.

Reference: 
de Araujo Lira AF. Niche partitioning in scorpions across neotropical dry-wet forests: an intra- and interspecific analysis. Acta Oecologica. 2025;129:104134. [Subscription required for full text]