27 July, 2009

A new Buthus species from Mauritania

The "Buthus species complexes" of North Africa have been under investigation by Wilson Lourenco and co-workers for several years. Research on the "Buthus occitanus species complex" and the "Buthus atlantis species complex" have revealed several new species.

Lourenco, Sun & Zhu have now described a new Buthus species from Mauritania:

Buthus occidentalis Lourenco, Sun & Zhu, 2009 (Buthidae)

This is the first confirmed presence of this genus in Mauritania. The new species belongs to the "Buthus occitanus species complex" and is related to Buthus draa Lourenco & Slimani, 2004 from southern Morocco.

Reference:
Lourenco WR, Sun D, Zhu M-S. About the presence of the genus Buthus Leach, 1815 in Mauritania, with description of a new species (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Boletin Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa. 2009; (44):71-5.

Family Buthidae

No comments:

Post a Comment