A new species in Pandinus from Chad

Pandinus vachoni is named after the very famous French scorpion researcher Max Vachon.

Andrea Rossi has discovered a new species of Pandinus Thorell, 1876 (Scorpionidae) from Shael zone in the centrral area of Chad.

Pandinus vachoni Rossi, 2014

The biogeography of the subgenus Pandinurus Fet, 1997 is also discussed. An identification key for this subgenus is included.

Abstract:
Despite their large size, the scorpions of the genus Pandinus Thorell, 1876 are surprisingly not sufficiently recorded in the African countries. This is particular true for the species that inhabit the Sahel zone, which seem to be very rare. The peri-Saharan pattern of distribution of the subgenus Pandinurus Fet, 1997 is very fragmented and this reflects the presence of endemic species such as the recent discovered Pandinus nistriae Rossi, 2014 in the northern Djibouti, where this genus was never recorded. In the present study, an additional new species, Pandinus (Pandinurus) vachoni, is described from Chad to represent the most western species of the subgenus Pandinurus ever recorded.

Reference:
Rossi A. The fragmented peri-Saharan distribution of the subgenus Pandinurus Fet, 1997 with the description of a new species from Chad (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae, Pandinus). Serket. 2014;14(1):6-14.

Thanks to Dr. Hisham K. El-Hennawy (Editor of the journal Serket) for sending me this paper!

Family Scorpionidae