Ecological and social contexts of scorpion stings in Manaus, Brazil

 

Scorpionism is a well known problem in Brazil and also in many urban areas. In a recent article, Zehev Benzaken and co-workers have a more original focus on the occurrence and impact of scorpion stings in Brazil. 

They present the results from 30 interviews with sting victims and field observations of where the sting accidents happened. It is very interesting to read how the sting victims experienced the scorpion sting and how they reacted afterward. Also, the study shows that the structural conditions of households and the unplanned expansion of urban areas over natural environments are key factors in understanding the occurrence of scorpion stings.  

The study is an important contribution to finding ways to prevent scorpion accidents in areas where humans have moved into scorpion habitats. 

Abstract:
Scorpion stings remain a significant public health problem in tropical regions, particularly in Brazil, where an estimatied 117,185 cases are reported annually, reflecting a persistent and growing burden on the healthcare system. Globally, more than two million cases occur each year, especially in areas undergoing environmental disturbances such as deforestation and unplanned urbanization. This study investigates the ecological and social contexts of scorpion stings in Manaus, the largest metropolis of the Brazilian Amazon. This qualitative study was conducted at the Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation (FMT-HVD), a reference center for scorpion stings, between January 2020 and March 2025. Data were collected through clinical questionnaires, indepth interviews, and household field observations. Thematic analysis was performed using Atlas.ti. Thirty participants from different age groups were included. Most cases were clinically mild. Five themes emerged from the qualitative analysis that address perceptions and reactions to the sting, environmental risk factors, postaccident behaviors, emotional impacts, and patient care pathways. Participants reported overlap between domestic spaces and forest fragments, limited knowledge about prevention, emotional distress, and barriers to accessing care, including late referrals and transportation difficulties. Scorpion stings in the Amazon are shaped by environmental, social, and structural factors. Integrated strategies involving environmental management, health education, urban planning, and improved healthcare access are essential to reduce their burden.

Reference:
Benzaken ZS, Cristino JS, Benzaken H, Sachett J, da Silva Carvalho E, da Silva Mendes Y, et al. Ecological and Social Contexts of Scorpion Stings in Manaus, the Largest Metropolis of the Brazilian Amazon. Toxicon. 2026:109122. [Open Access]

The effects of insecticide-contaminated prey on predatory behavior in the scorpion Tityus pusillus

 

Pesticides are commonly used in the fight against "pest-insects" like cockroaches. This can be harmful for other animals, like the predators eating these pesticide-contaminated prey and nature in general. Thayna Rhayane de Brito-Almeida and co-workers have recently published an article investigating the effects of insecticide-contaminated prey on predatory behavior in the scorpion Tityus pusillus  Pocock, 1893 (Buthidae).

The study shows that the acceptance rate prey exposed to insecticides was the same as for prey in the control group. However, there were some modifications in the prey capture behavior in the insecticide group compared to the control group. Also, scorpions that had ingested prey exposed to one type of insecticides showed signs of intoxication, but these were very short lived. It seems that Tityus pusillus is resistant to the insecticides tested.

Abstract:
In many countries, insecticide application in cities is the primary method used for urban pest control. However, the indiscriminate use of these chemical compounds may prejudice native predators which consume contaminated prey. This research aimed to evaluate the behavioural response of Tityus pusillus scorpions to prey previously exposed to different groups of insecticides. Two chemical compounds were tested: pyrethroid cypermethrin spray and the bait-type insecticide indoxacarb, which is an oxadiazine compound. Sixty scorpions were divided into three groups of 20 specimens each: a control group fed on cockroaches not exposed to any insecticide, a pyrethroid group fed on cockroaches previously exposed to cypermethrin, and an indoxacarb group fed on cockroaches exposed to oxadiazine. No difference was detected in prey acceptance among the three groups. Scorpions exposed to oxadiazine showed a non-significant trend toward longer capture latency, while pyrethroid-exposed individuals displayed transient signs of intoxication, with most recovering. Despite these short-term behavioural alterations, scorpions accepted contaminated prey, with no treatment effect on capture latency or acceptance probability. Our findings indicate short-term tolerance to the tested insecticides.

Reference:
Brito-Almeida T, Barbosa de Moura GJ, Lira A. Insecticide-contaminated prey alters predatory behaviour in the scorpion Tityus pusillus (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Arachnology. 2026;20:576–80. [Subscription required for full text]

A revision of all scorpion taxa of the world

 

Yesterday I was informed about a recent monograph published by Lorenzo Prendini containing a complete revision of all scorpion taxa of the world. This publication includes a huge amount of changes on family, genus and species level (synonymizations, new combinations, change of status etc.).

At the moment I'm not sure how to handle all of these changes, some that are controversial. I have gotten input from some researchers that are critical to this work and many of the conclusions. But this if of course a part of the scientific disagreements that we see all the time in science, including scorpion taxonomy.

Regardless of this, I will need time to read, understand and process all the changes proposed in this monograph. So it will take some time before The Scorpion Files will be updated. Those of you who are curious about the new changes can check out the paper, as if is freely available for all.

I will publish more about the changes when I start updating The Scorpion Files.

Thanks for your patience!

Reference:
Prendini L. All genera of the world: Order Scorpiones (Animalia: Arthropoda: Arachnida). Megataxa. 2026;019(2):270–378. [Open Access]

Jan Ove Rein
Editor 

A new species of Androctonus from Algeria

 

The vast areas of North Africa still harbor unidentified scorpion species. In a recent paper, Ersen Yagmur and co-workers describe a new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) from the Guezzam Province in southern Algeria.

Androctonus tinzaouatinensis Yagmur, 2026

The new species inhabits a hyper-arid Saharan biotope with summer daytime temperatures regularly exceeding 40°C and annual rainfall extremely low.

Abstract:
A new scorpion species, Androctonus tinzaouatinensis sp. n. is described and illustrated from the hyperarid Saharan regions of the Tin Zaouatine District, In Guezzam Province and Timiaouine District, Bordj Badji Mokhtar Province, southern Algeria. This new species represents the first record of the genus Androctonus from the Timiaouine and Tin Zaouatine areas. It is compared with congeners from Algeria and Niger, notably A. ajjer Ythier, Sadine, Alioua & Lourenço, A. amoreuxi (Audouin), and A. eburneus (Pallary).

Reference:
Yağmur EA, Benali N, Derradj L, Bikada M. Androctonus tinzaouatinensis a new scorpion species from In Guezzam Province, Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Journal of Natural History. 2026;60(17-20):1033–47. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Buthidae 

A new species of Brotheas from Brazilian Amazonia

 

Eric Ythier and Wilson Lourenco recently published an article describing a new species of Brotheas C.L. Koch, 1838  (Chactidae) from Brazilian Amazonia.

Brotheas pseudogranulatus Ythier & Lourenco, 2026

Abstract:
A new species of scorpion, Brotheas pseudogranulatus sp. n. (Scorpiones: Chactidae), is described from the state of Amazonas in Brazil, near the border with Colombia. The new species is notably characterized by a strong granulation over the carapace and tergites, and appears as a possible vicariant element with Brotheas granulatus Simon, 1877, from the Guayana region of South America. The total number of Brotheas species is now raised to 31, of which 14 occur in the Amazon Basin, including 11 from the Brazilian Amazonia. The geographical distribution of the genus Brotheas is also enlarged.

Reference:
Ythier E, Lourenco WR. A new species of Brotheas C. L. Koch, 1838 from Brazilian Amazonia (Scorpiones: Chactidae). Faunitaxys. 2026;14(30):1–7. [Open Access]

Thanks to Eric for informing me about this article!

Family Chactidae 

 

A new species of Euscorpius from Rhodes Island, Greece

 

It has been quiet about European Euscorpiidae for awhile after several decades of many new genera and species from what was originally less than 10 species. Several new species have been described from many of the Greek islands, showing the importance of insular isolation and diversity. 

Konstantinos Kalaentzis and co-workers have recently published an article describing a new species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Euscorpiidae) from the Greek island Rhodes based on morphological and molecular analysis. 

Euscorpius diagorasi Kalaentzis & Frigioni, 2026

Abstract:
The genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 comprises a diverse and taxonomically challenging group of scorpions in the Mediterranean, with Greece representing one of its principal centers of diversity. In this study, we provide an integrative description of Euscorpius diagorasi sp. n., a new species from Rhodes Island, Greece. The new species is described on the basis of adult male and female morphology and mitochondrial COI sequence data. It is a small oligotrichous species characterized by a total length of approximately 21–25 mm, pale yellow to light brown coloration with darker reddish-brown pedipalps, pectinal tooth count of 8 in the male and 7 in the females, Pv = 7–8, Pe-et = 5–6, and a distinct mitochondrial lineage. Phylogenetic analyses based on COI recovered the Rhodian specimens as a strongly supported monophyletic lineage, sister to E. vignai from Karpathos. Species delimitation analyses with BIN assignment, ABGD, and ASAP consistently supported the Rhodes population as a separate molecular unit. Morphologically, the new species differs from E. vignai and other geographically proximate Aegean and Anatolian congeners in a combination of body size, coloration, trichobothrial counts, pectinal tooth counts, carinal development and granulations. The species was found in pine forest habitat beneath the bark of Pinus brutia, suggesting an association with sheltered corticolous microhabitats. The description of E. diagorasi sp. n. adds to the growing evidence of insular diversification in Greek Euscorpius and highlights the still underestimated scorpion diversity of the Dodecanese.

Reference:
Kalaentzis K, Frigioni F, Kaitetzidou E, Iannucci A, riantafyllidis A. An integrative description of Euscorpius diagorasi sp. n. from Rhodes, Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Euscorpius. 2026(428):1–14.

Family Euscorpiidae 

On Leiurus nigellus in Saudi Arabia

 

Abdulaziz M. Al-Amri and co-workers recently publised an article with a molecular and morphological analysis of Leiurus nigellus Abu Afifeh, Aloufi & Al-Saraireh, 2023 (Buthidae) in Saudi Arabia. Distribution and habitat are also discussed.

Abstract:
This study documents the first confirmed record of the Buthid scorpion Leiurus nigellus from Jabal Arnan in the Ha’il region, located within the King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (KSRNR) in the northwestern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This species was originally described by Abu Afifeh, Aloufi & Al-Saraireh (2023). This locality extends the known distribution range of L. nigellus by over 200 km southeast of the type locality in Al-Ula, Al Madinah province. A total of six specimens of L. nigellus were collected during fieldwork conducted between June 2024 and April 2025, including two adult males, one adult female, and three juveniles. The objective of this study was to confirm the taxonomic identity of Leiurus nigellus from a newly discovered locality using morphological examination and mitochondrial DNA analysis and documentation of its known geographic distribution. Adult specimens (one male and one female) were examined using comparative morphometric analysis following standard scorpion taxonomic protocols, confirming diagnostic traits consistent with the original species description. Meanwhile, habitat assessments indicated adaptation to semi-arid rocky and gravel substrates. Molecular analysis was conducted on one adult male using targeted mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene sequencing (Sanger method). Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using neighbor-joining and maximum-parsimony analyses, placing L. nigellus within the Arabian Leiurus clade with bootstrap-supported affinity to Arabian congeners and limited intraspecific divergence. The generated 16S rRNA sequence represents the first molecular record for L. nigellus and has been deposited in GenBank. Sexual dimorphism was evident in morphometric traits, but these differences reflect normal biological variation rather than taxonomic differentiation. The discovery of L. nigellus in northern Saudi Arabia emphasizes the importance of continued faunistic and genetic surveys in underexplored regions, both to refine species distributions and to inform conservation management of specialized desert arachnofauna.

Reference:
Al-Amri AM, Abdulhakeem MA, Alqahtani AR, Al-Malki AM, Shohdi WM. First Record of Leiurus nigellus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Northern Saudi Arabia: Molecular and Morphological Insights from Ha’il Region, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve. Diversity. 2026;18(3). [Open Access]

Family Buthidae