A new Mesobuthus from China

The scorpion fauna of China is growing. This time Sun, Zhu & Lourenco have described a new species from Xinjiang Province of China.

Mesobuthus bolensis Sun, Zhu & Lourenco, 2010 (Buthidae)

In the same paper they transfer Mesobuthus songi Lourenco, Qi & Zhu, 2005 to Hottentotta. The same decision was very recently published by Teruel & Rein (2010).

Abstract:
A new species, Mesobuthus bolensis from the Province of Xinjiang, in the Western region of China, is described. The new species can be defined by a densely granular carapace; carinae, granulation, and metasomal segment V without any dark pigmentation; carinae of carapace and pedipalp patella dispersively granular. Furthermore, restudy of the characters of Mesobuthus songi Lourenc¸o, Qi & Zhu 2005, described from the southern region of Pulan, Xizang (Tibet), China led us to accommodate this species in the genus Hottentotta Birula, as a new combination Hottentotta songi (Lourenc¸o, Qi & Zhu 2005).

Reference:
Sun D, Zhu M-S, Lourenco WR. A new spcies of Mesobuthus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Xinjiang, China, with notes on Mesobuthus songi. Journal of Arachnology. 2010;38:35-43 [Subscription required for fulltext, but free fulltext after 12 months].

Family Buthidae

A new genus and species from Kenya

Wilson Lourenco and co-workers have recently discovered a new buthid scorpion from Northern Kenya that have made them create a new genus, Riftobuthus Lourenco, Duhem & Cloudsley-Thompson, 2010.

Riftobuthus inexpectatus Lourenco, Duhem & Cloudsley-Thompson, 2010 (Buthidae)

The species name inexpectatus was chosen because the authors never expected to find such a new taxa in Kenya.

Abstract:
A new genus and species of peri-Saharian buthid scorpion is described on the basis of single specimen collected in the Great Rift Valley, North of Kenya. This new scorpion taxon represents yet another endemic relict element for the faunas of the peri-Saharian regions. Comments are also included on the evolution of the Sahara and peri-Saharian regions and its possible consequences on the distribution of the extant scorpion fauna.

Reference:
Lourenço WR, Duhem B, Cloudsley-Thompson JL. A new relictual buthid scorpion from the region of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Comptes Rendus Biologies. 2010;333(3):280-5. [Subscription required for fulltext]

Family Buthidae

A new Hottentotta from Afghanistan

A few years ago I recceived a couple of live Hottentotta from a Belgian soldier in Afghanistan. I belived these to belong to Hottentotta alticola. Last year I sent a specimen to my good friend Rolando Teruel, who discovered that these specimens actually didn't match the description of any known species. Now, I'm proud to present my first paper (together with Rolando, of course :) describing a new scorpion species:

Hottentotta flavidulus Teruel & Rein, 2010 (Buthidae)

In this paper we also transfer Mesobuthus songi Lourenco, Qi & Zhu, 2005 to Hottentotta. New name is Hottentotta songi (Lourenco, Qi & Zhu, 2005).

Abstract:
A new species of Hottentotta Birula, 1908 is described from the Kabul area in Afghanistan; this addition represents the fifth species of this genus confirmed for this Middle East country. It is a member of the “Indian group” of the genus (the first one recorded from Afghanistan), and is most closely related to Hottentotta jabalpurensis Kovařík, 2007, Hottentotta stockwelliHottentotta tamulus (Fabricius, 1798) and Hottentotta songi (Lourenço, Qi et Zhu, 2005) n. comb., which is herein demonstrated to be a member of Hottentotta and is thus formally transferred to this genus.

Reference:
Teruel R, Rein JO. A new Hottentotta Birula, 1908 from Afghanistan, with a note on the generic position of Mesobuthus songi Lourenco, Qi & Zhu, 2005 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2010 (94):1-8. [Free fulltext]

Family Buthidae

Fungus infection in scorpions

It is well known that scorpions are victims of both predators and parasites, but little is known about fungus infection in scorpions. Santana-Neto and co-workers have now published an article presenting a Fusarium solani fungus infection in Tityus stigimurus (Buthidae).

Abstract:
Members of the Fusarium solani species complex are agents of human mycoses, also affecting plants and other animals. Nevertheless, this fungus has not been reported on scorpions. Ten specimens of Tityus stigmurus collected in the field and showing their surface covered by white mycelia were used to assess fungus presence in the animal after its death. Identification of the fungi was based upon the cultural and morphological characteristics. The fungus was isolated from chelicerae and intersegmental regions. Infected individuals had their behaviour modified by reducing feeding and locomotion. None of the infected individuals survived. It is likely that this fungus may have a role in the regulation of field scorpion populations.

Reference:
Santana-Neto P, Albuquerque C, Silva A, Svedese V, Lima E. Natural occurrence of the Fusarium solani on Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Braz J Biol. 2010 Feb;70(1):151-3. [Free fulltext]

Robert W. Mitchell - RIP

I'm sorry to announce the recent death of the cave biologist and invertebrate zoologist Robert W. Mitchell (1933-2010). Dr. Mitchell has a very long and impressive list of publications, but for us scorpion people he is especially known for his work on troglobitic and troglomorphic scorpions.

Scorpion taxa described by Dr. Mitchell:

Typhlochactas Mitchell, 1971
T. reddelli Mitchell, 1968
T. rhodesi Mitchell, 1968
Sotanochactas elliotti (Mitchell, 1971)

Typhlochactas mitchelli Sissom, 1988 was named in honor of Dr. Mitchell.

In the early days of The Scorpion Files (2001-2002), Dr. Mitchell contacted me and sent me several pictures of some of "his" troglobitic scorpions to be used in The Scorpion Files. This was a great gesture, as these scorpions are among the rarest scorpions in the world, and I'm very grateful for his contribution!

RIP!

The Scorpion Files Gallery

Two new genera and five new species from Oman

Graeme Lowe has looked into some very interesting materials from Oman and described several new taxa of very small, but special buthids. The new taxa are:

Femtobuthus Lowe, 2010 (new genus)
Femtobuthus shutuae Lowe, 2010 (new species)

Microbuthus Kraepelin, 1898
Microbuthus gardneri Lowe, 2010 (new species)
Microbuthus kristensensorum Lowe, 2010 (new species)

Picobuthus Lowe, 2010 (new genus)
Picobuthus dundoni Lowe, 2010 (new species)
Picobuthus wahibaensis Lowe, 2010 (new species)

I reccomend to check out the article (free fulltext - see link below) for more details and pictures.

Abstract:
Five new species of diminutive buthid scorpions are described from Oman. Two belong to Microbuthus Kraepelin, 1898, a genus with heavily sclerotized, smooth, strongly pitted posterior metasomal segments, abbreviated telson, and pedipalps with 9 femoral and 6–7 external patellar trichobothria: M. gardneri, sp. nov., from the Al Hajar Mountains, and M. kristensenorum, sp. nov., from the Dhofar Mountains and Hadhramaut of Yemen, which was long misidentified as M. pusillus Kraepelin, 1898. Two additional new species are placed in a new genus Picobuthus, gen. nov., differentiated by granular posterior metasomal segments, elongate telson, pedipalps with 7–9 femoral and 5 external patellar trichobothria: type species P. wahibaensis, sp. nov., from the Wahiba Sands, and P. dundoni, sp. nov., from sand deserts in central Oman. A second new genus, Femtobuthus, gen. nov., is monotypic with type species F. shutuae, sp. nov., from the southern coast and plateau of Jiddat Al Harasis, differentiated by enlarged, granular, dentate metasomal segments, abbreviated telson, and pedipalps with 6 femoral and 5 external patellar trichobothria. The relationship of Microbuthus and the two new genera to other buthid scorpions is discussed, and their trichobothrial homologies are addressed. These three genera are hypothesized to represent a monophyletic ‘picobuthoid’ lineage that originated in the Arabian Peninsula.

Reference:
Lowe G. New picobuthoid scorpions (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Oman. Euscorpius. 2010(93):1-53. [Free fultext - click here if you want the high resolution version (24 mb)]

Family Buthidae

A new Euscorpiops from China

The scorpion fauna of China is increasing. Sun & Zhu have now described a new species of Euscorpiops (Euscorpiidae) from China:

Euscorpiops xui Sun & Zhu, 2010

Abstract:
A new species of the genus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 is described, based on specimens collected from Menglian County, Yunnan Province, China. It is characterized by the following characters: (1) pectinal teeth number 7–7 in females and 8–8 in males; (2) cheliceral movable finger with 6–7 basal teeth on ventral edge; (3) chela ratio of length to width over 3.5 in females and over 4.1 in males; (4) a slight lobe on movable finger and corresponding notch on fixed finger in both males and females, with no marked sexual dimorphism; (5) patella with 19 external trichobothria (6eb, 2esb, 2em, 4est, 5et), and with 10 ventral trichobothria. With the species described in the present publication, the number of known species of Euscorpiops is raised to 17.

Reference:
Sun D, Zhu M-S. One new species of scorpion belonging to the genus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 from Yunan, China (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae, Scorpiopinae). Zootaxa. 2010(2399):61-8. [Subscription required for fulltext]

Thanks to Jean-Michel Pacaud for sending me this paper!

Family Euscorpiidae