A new book about scorpions and humans

Gerard Dupre has recently published the book "Des Scorpions et des Hommes". The publisher has released the following information about the book:

Historians of science have not paid much interest in the history of zoology and even less than the scorpionology. This gap is now partially filled with this book. The scorpions have always fascinated people in the same way that snakes across the danger they can pose to everyone. To classify these animals within the meaning of the zoological term is the subject of the first part of this study. Then the biology of these animals will be explored in the course of history since the earliest human writing until today. Finally, the main part of the book will reveal all reports that different civilizations and religions have had with scorpions through the mythology and medicine.

This french book of 424 pages includes 58 figures and is based on about 1200 references found in a dozen different languages. From size 14 x 20, it is available from the APCI at a price of 20 euros.

Part II of a major review of the scorpions of Iran has been published with the descritpion of a new Compsobuthus species

Part II of a major review of the scorpions of Iran has been published in issue 67 of the journal Euscorpius.

The paper list 14 species from the Bushehr region and their distribution. An identification key for the species are given. Good color photos are given for most species and also habitats.

One new species is described:

Compsobuthus persicus Navidpour, Soleglad, Fet & Kovarik 2008

Reference:Navidpour S, Kovarik F, Soleglad ME, Fet V. Scorpions of Iran (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part II. BushehrProvince. Euscorpius. 2008(67):1-33. [Fulltext freely available, but large file (9.3 mb)]

Family Buthidae

New Diplocentrus species from Mexico

A new species of Diplocentrus has been described from the community of San Miguel Tenango in Southern Oaxaca, Mexico:

Diplocentrus tenango Santibanez-Lopez & Francke, 2008 (Scorpionidae)

Please note that authors that follow the classification of Prendini & Wheeler (2005) place Diplocentrus in Diplocentridae, which was placed as a subfamily in Scorpionidae by Fet & Soleglad (2005).

Reference:
Santibanez-Lopez CE, Francke OF. A new species of Diplocentrus (Arachnida: Scorpiones) from Oaxaca, Mexico. Zootaxa. 2008(1742):53-60

Family Scorpionidae

New Chactopsis species from Colombia

Richardo Botero-Trujillo has recently published a new species of Chactopsis from Selva de Mataven in Eastern Colombia:

Chactopsis carolinae Botero-Trujillo, 2008 (Euscorpiidae)*

This is the first reccord of Chactopsis in Colombia.

* The author follows Prendini & Wheeler's (2005) family classification, which place the genus Chactopsis in Chactidae.

Reference:
Botero-Trujillo R. First reccord of the scorpion genus Chactopsis Kraepelin in Colombia, with the description of Chactopsis carolinae sp. nov. (Scorpiones: Chactidae). Zootaxa. 2008(1743):34-42

Family Euscorpiidae