A review of the scorpions of Nepal

 

Binu Shrestha and Tobias Dörr have recently published a review of the scorpion fauna of Nepal. At the moment, 12 species in four families are known, but the scorpion fauna of Nepal is understudied and these numbers may change in the future. An identification key to the known taxa is presented.

Abstract:

The arachnid fauna of Nepal is poorly studied. Here, we present a literature review summarizing the current state of knowledge about the occurrence and distribution of scorpion species reported from Nepal. In addition, we offer field notes about scorpion observations made during several visits to Nepal between 1998 and 2018. Finally, we present a genus-level identification key to the scorpion taxa likely to be encountered in Nepal.

Reference:
Shrestha B, Dörr T. Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) of Nepal: literature review and field notes. Arachnology. 2020;18(5):430-5, 6. [Subscritpion required for full text]

 

Nine new species of Scorpiops described from Asia

Frantisek Kovarik recently published a new article describing nine new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Euscorpiidae or Scorpiopidae depending on which famly structure you choose) from from China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Scorpiops furai Kovarik, 2020 (India)
Scorpiops grosseri Kovarik, 2020 (India)
Scorpiops harmsi Kovarik, 2020 (Nepal)
Scorpiops hofereki Kovarik, 2020 (Pakistan) 
Scorpiops kejvali Kovarik, 2020 (India)
Scorpiops tryznai Kovarik, 2020 (India)
Scorpiops wrzecionkoi Kovarik, 2020 (China)
Scorpiops yagmuri Kovarik, 2020 (Pakistan)
Scorpiops zubairi Kovarik, 2020 (Pakistan)

The following species is raised to species from subspecies status:

Scorpiops vonwicki Birula, 1913

All species are illustrated with color pictures.

Abstract:
Nine new species are described: Scorpiops furai sp. n. (India), S. grosseri sp. n. (India), S. harmsi sp. n. (Nepal), S. hofereki sp. n. (Pakistan), S. kejvali sp. n. (India), S. tryznai sp. n. (India), S. wrzecionkoi sp. n. (China), S. yagmuri sp. n. (Pakistan), and S. zubairi sp. n. (Pakistan), fully complemented with color photographs of preserved specimens. New species are distinguished from all other species of the family Scorpiopidae by combinations of eight major characters: position of pedipalp chelal trichobothrium Eb3; number of pedipalp patella ventral trichobothria; shape of pedipalp fingers; number of inner accessory denticles (IAD) of pedipalp movable finger; chela length to width ratio; telson length to depth ratio; total length; and pecten morphology. Also, Scorpiops vonwicki Birula, 1913 stat. n. (India) is elevated to species rank; a new diagnosis of its only known specimen (female holotype) is given, fully illustrated with color photographs; and the fascinating story of its discovery is revealed for the first time.

Reference:
Kovarik F. Nine new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae) from China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Euscorpius. 2020(302):1-43. [Open Access]

Family Euscorpiidae

A new Chaerilus from the Himalayas (Nepal)

Lourenco & Duhem have described a new species of Chaerilus (Chaerilidae) from Nepal:

Chaerilus annapurna Lourenco & Duhem, 2010

The article also discuss the status of the different Chaerilus species reported from the Himalaya region.

Abstract:
A new species is described belonging to the genus Chaerilus Simon, 1877. Chaerilus annapurnaChaerilus truncatus Karsch, 1879, originally described from an imprecise locality in Himalaya. This species has recently been discussed by several authors: nevertheless, it has the subject of misidentification. sp. n. was discovered in the high plateaux of the Himalayas in Central-Western Nepal. For comparative purposes a precise re-diagnosis is proposed for

Reference:
Lourenco WR, Duhem B. The genus Chaerilus Simon, 1877 (Scorpiones, Chaerilidae) in the Himalayas and description of a new species. ZooKeys. 2010;37:13-25. [Free fultext]

Family Chaerilidae