A new vaejovid genus from Northern California, USA

Michael Soleglad recently published an article presenting the new genus Graemeloweus Soleglad, Fet, Graham & Ayrey, 2016 (Vaejovidae) from Northern California. The following species are transferred from the genus Pseudouroctonus Stanke, 1974 (Vaejovidae) to the new genus:

Graemeloweus glimmei (Hjelle, 1972)
Graemeloweus ivei (Gertsch & Soleglad, 1972)
Graemeloweus maidu (Savary et Bryson, 2016)

An identification key for the new genus is included.

Abstract:
Genus Graemeloweus, gen. nov. (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae) is described from northern California, USA. The genus is composed of three species formerly placed in Pseudouroctonus: Graemeloweus iviei (Gertsch et Soleglad, 1972), comb. nov. (type species), G. glimmei (Hjelle, 1972), comb. nov., and G. maidu (Savary et Bryson, 2016), comb. nov. Major diagnostic characters of Graemeloweus include a non-bifurcated primary lamellar hook, the presence of a secondary lamellar hook, a complex mating plug with a two part base and an asymmetric crescent-shape barb, and the presence of a well-developed ventromedian (V2) carina on the pedipalp chela. Evidence is presented suggesting that Graemeloweus is more closely related to Kovarikia than Pseudouroctonus.

Reference:
Soleglad ME, Fet V, Graham MR, Ayrey RF. Graemeloweus, a New Scorpion Genus from Northern California, USA (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae). Euscorpius. 2016(227):1-38. [Open Access]

Family Vaejovidae

A new species of Buthus from Sudan

Andrea Rossi and Gioele Tropea have recently published a new species of Buthus Leach, 1815 (Buthidae) from the coast of the Red Sea in Sudan.

Buthus duprei Rossi & Tropea, 2016

Abstract:
The presence of the genus Buthus Leach, 1815 in Sudan was recently discussed and two species were reported from the country, Buthus karoraensis Rossi et Tropea, 2016 and Buthus brignolii Lourenco, 2003. Now a third species, Buthus duprei sp. n., is described from the coast of the Red sea.

Reference:
Rossi A, Tropea G. A complementary study on the genus Buthus Leach, 1815 in Sudan with the description of a new species (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Aracnida - Rivista Arachnologica Italiana. 2016;8(2):24-31.

Thanks to Andrea Rossi for sending me this article!

Family Buthidae

A new species of Compsobuthus from Eritrea

Frantisek Kovarik and co-workers are continuing their publication series on the scorpion fauna of the Horn of Africa. In a recent article they review the genus Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Buthidae) in this region, and a new species is described from Eritrea.

Compsobuthus eritreaensis Kovarik, Lowe, Pliskova & Stahlavsky, 2016

 The article also has habitat information for the members of Compsobuthus in this region.

Abstract:
All four Compsobuthus species of the Horn of Africa were newly collected, C. werneri firstly collected in Eritrea and C. eritreaensis sp. n. discovered during scorpiological expeditions in 2011–2016. Information is provided about their taxonomy, distribution, and ecology, fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitat. The hemispermatophore of C. eritreaensis sp. n. is illustrated and described. In addition to morphological analysis, we also describe the karyotype of C. eritreaensis sp. n. (2n=22).

Reference:
Kovarik F, Lowe G, Pliskova J, Stahlavsky F. Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part VI. Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Buthidae), with a description of C. eritreaensis sp. n. Euscorpius. 2016(226):1-21. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

And another new species of Diplocentrus from Guatemala

Luis de Armas and Rony Trujillo have recently published a second new species of Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 (Scorpionidae) from Guatemala (the first one was mentioned in my blog June 1th.).

Diplocentrus izabal Armas & Trujillo, 2016

Abstract:
Diplocentrus izabal sp. n. is herein described on basis to one male (holotype) and two females from El Estor municipality, Izabal department, eastern Guatemala. It seems to be a close relative of Diplocentrus lachua Armas, Trujillo & Agreda, 2012, from which it differs by having carapace almost smooth, with anteromedian notch V-shaped; pectines with 11 teeth in both sexes, and carapace clearly longer than pedipalp manus and metasomal segment V (D. lachua has carapace minutely granulate, with anteromedian notch U-shaped; pectines with 13 teeth in the males (female unknown), and carapace as long as both pedipalp manus and metasomal segment V).

Reference:
De Armas LF, Trujillo RE. A new species of Diplocentrus (Scorpionidae: Diplocentrinae) from western Izabal, Guatemala. Euscorpius. 2016(225):1-8. [Open Access]

Thanks to Rony Trujillo for sending me this article!

Family Scorpionidae

A new species of Diplocentrus from Guatemala

Rony E. Trujillo and Luis F. de Armas have recently published an article describing a new species of Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 from Unión Cantinil in Guatemala.

Diplocentrus popti Trujillo & Armas, 2016

Abstract:
A new species of the genus Diplocentrus Peters, 1861, is herein described from Unión Cantinil (1704 m a.s.l.; 15° 35’ 46.3’’ N – 91° 45’ 43.6’’ W), Huehuetenango department, Guatemala, based on a single adult male. It differs from Diplocentrus chol Francke, 2007 in the following characters: (1) tarsomere II of legs II-IV with 4/4:5/5:5/5:5/5 ventral spiniform setae (4-5/5: 5/5-6: 6/6 in D. chol); (2) pectines with 9 teeth (10-13 in D. chol); (3) pedipalp femur more granulose; (4) telson less globose (length/height ratio = 2,9 vs 2,5 in D. chol). With this new species the number of Guatemalan species of Diplocentrus is raised to seven.

Reference:
Trujillo RE, de Armas LF. Nueva especie de Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae: Diplocentrinae) del occidente de Guatemala. Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2016(28):103-6. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Scorpionidae

A new species of Tityus from Brazil

Wilson Lourenco has recently described a new species of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Buthidae) from the State of Goiás (Tocantins), Brazil.

Tityus karaja Lourenco, 2016

Abstract:
Previous papers included annotated accounts of Jean A. Vellard’s contribution to the knowledge of the Brazilian scorpion fauna. This French arachnologist, who spent most of his life in South American countries, entrusted me with a number of scorpions he collected during some of his field trips back in the 1920/1930s. In the present note, one new species of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836, collected by J. A. Vellard in the ‘cerrados’ (savannas) between Peixe and Porto Nacional, State of Goiás (now Tocantins) is described. The new species belongs to the subgenus Tityus and is related to the Tityus trivittatus group of species.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. Une nouvelle espece de Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), collectee par Jean A. Vellard dans l’ancien etat de Goias, aujourd’hui Tocantins, Bresil. Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2016(28):75-8. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Buthidae

A new species of Centruroides from Mexico

Ana F. Quijano-Ravell and co-workers have recently described a new species of Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Buthidae) from the southern Guerrero State, Mexico.

Centruroides bonito Quijano-Ravell, Teruel & Ponce-Saavedra, 2016

Abstract:
A new species of the medically important buthid scorpion genus Centruroides Marx, 1890 is described herein from two localities in southern Guerrero State, Mexico. On morphological grounds, it is most closely related to three highly toxic species known to occur in this State as well: Centruroides meisei Hoffmann, 1938, Centruroides tecomanus Hoffmann, 1932, and Centruroides villegasi Baldazo-Monsivaiz, Ponce-Saavedra & Flores-Moreno, 2013. After this contribution, the genus is represented in Mexico by 42 nominal species, 12 of them (29%) occurring in Guerrero.

Reference:
Quijano-Ravell AF, Teruel R, Ponce-Saavedra J. A new Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), from southern Guerrero State, Mexico. Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2016(28):25-34. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Buthidae

A new species of Buthus from Algeria

Wilson Lourenco and Salah Eddine Sadine have recently described a new species of Buthus Leach, 1815 (Buthidae) from the Batna Mountains, northern Algeria.

Buthus aures Lourenco & Sadine, 2016

Abstract:
Since the early 2000s, the genus Buthus Leach, 1815 (Buthidae) has been the subject of an important number of studies, involving in particular the species of the ‘Buthus occitanus’ complex. A number of populations previously considered as subspecies or varieties of Buthus occitanus Leach, 1815 have been raised to the rank of species, but also many new species have been described. Most of the species considered in these studies come from North Africa, in particular from Morocco, Mauritania, Chad, Sudan, Libya and Egypt, but only three of them have been recorded from Algeria. One more new species of Buthus is here described from the Algerian mountains, raising the number of confirmed Buthus in Algeria to six.

Reference:
Lourenco WR, Sadine SE. One more new species of Buthus Leach, 1815 from Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2016(28):13-7. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Buthidae