A new species of Androctonus from Burkina Faso

 

Eric Ythier has describe a new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) from the Sahelian wooded steppes of Burkina Faso. 

Androctonus burkinensis Ythier, 2021

Abstract:
A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 is described on the basis of one male specimen collected in the wooded steppes of Sahel in Northern Burkina Faso. The new species is characterized by a small size in relation to other species of the genus, a yellowish coloration without any darker spots, and metasomal segments narrow with a moderately deep dorsal depression. This new scorpion taxon represents the 30th known species of the genus Androctonus.

Reference:
Ythier E. A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the Sahelian wooded steppes of Burkina Faso (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Faunitaxys. 2021;9(31):1-7. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

A new species of Compsobuthus from Saudi Arabia

 

Bassam Abu Afifeha and co-workers have recently described a new species of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Buthidae) from Ain El-Hamah, Khaybar, Saudi Arabia.

Compsobuthus  khaybari Abu Afifeh, Aloufi & Al-Saraireh, 2021

An identification key for the species of Compsobuthus from Saudi Arabia is included. 

Abstract:
A new species of scorpion belonging to the genus Compsobuthus is described based on a single male specimen collected from Ain El-Hamah, Khaybar, Saudi Arabia. The new species, Compsobuthus khaybari sp. n., belongs to the werneri group of Compsobuthus and is closely related with C. longipalpis and C. fuscatus. A key for species of the genus Compsobuthus known from Saudi Arabia is given. With this new species, the number of Compsobuthus species increases to six.

Reference:
Afifeh BA, Aloufi A, Al-Saraireh M, Amr Z. A new species of Compsobuthus from Saudi Arabia (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Zoology in the Middle East. 2021;Published online: 21 Sep 2021. [Open Access]

Thanks to Luis A. Roque for sending me this article!

Family Buthidae

A new species of Pseudouroctonus from Arizona, USA

 

Richard Ayrey and co-workers are continuing their investigations into US vaejovids. This time they have published a descritpion of a new species of  Pseudouroctonus Stahnke, 1974 (Vaejovidae) from Arizona, USA.

Pseudouroctonus moyeri Ayrey, Kovarik & Myers, 2021

In their paper they also synonymize Ruberhieronymus Rossi, 2018 with Pseudouroctonus Stahnke, 1974. The former taxa was never included in The Scorpion Files so change have been done regarding this decision.

Abstract:
A new scorpion species, Pseudouroctonus moyeri sp. n. (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae) is described. This large, dark, reddish brown species is found in the Pinaleño Mountains, Arizona. This is the largest species of Pseudouroctonus found in Arizona. Ruberhieronymus Rossi, 2018 is synonymized with Pseudouroctonus Stahnke, 1974

Reference:
Ayrey RF, Kovarik F, Myers BT. A new species of Pseudouroctonus from the Pinaleño Mountains, southern Arizona (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae). Euscorpius. 2021(338):1-12. [Open Access]

Family Vaejovidae

Two new species of Brachistosternus from high altitude habitats in Chile

 

The deserts in northern Chile have a high scorpion diversity, but many parts of this region are not yet fully investigated. Andres Ojanguren-Affilastro and co-workers have recently publish an article describing two new species of  Brachistosternus Pocock, 1893 (Bothriruidae) from high altitude habitats in the Antofagasta Region in Chile.

Brachistosternus chimba Ojanguren Affilastro, Alfaro & Pizarro-Araya, 2021

Brachistosternus llullaillaco Ojanguren Affilastro, Alfaro & Pizarro-Araya, 2021

Abstract:
We describe two new scorpion species of genus Brachistosternus from protected areas of Antofagasta Region in northern Chile. Brachistosternus chimba n. sp. has only been collected in La Chimba National Reserve, in the Chilean Coast Range. Brachistosternus llullaillaco n. sp. is a high altitude Andean species of the Lullaillaco National Park. Both species were collected as part of the first survey of the terrestrial arthropods of the protected areas of Antofagasta Region, in the frame of the First National Biodiversity Inventory of Chile of the Integrated System for Monitoring and Evaluation of Native Forest Ecosystems (SIMEF) and Project FIC-R Recovery Plan for La Chimba National Reserve.

Reference:
Ojanguren Affilastro AA, Alfaro FM, Pizarro-Araya J. Two new scorpion species from protected areas in Antofagasta Region, Chile (Scorpiones, Bothriuridae, Brachistosternus). Zootaxa. 2021;5040(1):111-31. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Matt Simon for informing me about this article and to Andres for sending it to me! 

Family Bothriuridae

Scorpions found at elevated altitudes of an area of conservation in the Caatinga, Brazil

 

In a 2020 article, Phelipe Rêgo Lisboa de Souza and co-workers presented the results of a study of the scorpion fauna at elevated altitudes of an area of conservation in the Caatinga, Brazil. Nine species from Buthidae and Bothriuridae were found in the study area.

Abstract:
This study aims to report the diversity of scorpions at elevated altitudes in the Parque Estadual das Sete Passagens (PESP), in an area of conservation located in the Chapada Diamantina within the Caatinga domain in north-eastern Brazil. Data collection occurred in December 2016 and December 2017, through the use of pitfall traps and nocturnal manual collection with the help of ultraviolet torches. 86 individuals were collected, pertaining to nine species, grouped into two families. The Bothriuridae represented 71% of samples, with Bothriurus sp. 1 occurring at all sample altitudes. Whereas, the Buthidae represente 29% of samples, with Ananteris sp, the most represented species, occurring at altitudes of 1,000m and 1,076m and Tityus stigmurus inhabiting areas with extensive human presence. The ample diversity found in the PESP, reveals that this location can be considered representative of the scorpiofauna of Bahia and of the Caatinga, especially due to the lack of data available on scorpions in semi-arid environments.

Reference:
de Souza PRL, Benati KR, Peres MCL. Scorpions (Arachnida, Scorpiones) at elevated altitudes of an area of conservation in the Caatinga. Ciencia e Natura. 2021;42:e29. [Open Access]

Thanks to Phelipe Rêgo Lisboa de Souza for sending me their article!

Phylogeny of the Asian forest scorpions and the evolution of ecomorphotypes

Last year,  Lorenzo Prendini and Stephanie Loria published a huge systematic revision of the Asian Forest Scorpions (Scorpionidae). Recently, they have published a follow-up article with a phylogenetic analysis of these scorpions. This analysis seems to confirm the taxonomic decisions made in the 2020 paper. 

The new article also looks into the ecomorphological adaptions seen in Heterometrinae. Three ecomorphotypes were found: A wet silvicolous (living in or inhabiting woodlands) ecomorphotype inhabiting evergreen forest, a dry silvicolous ecomorphotype inhabiting deciduous forest, and a savannicolous ecomorphotype inhabiting savanna or scrubland. Most Asian scorpionid genera exhibited one or two of these ecomorphotypes among their species. The authors conclude that the ancestor of Asian scorpionids probably was wet silvicolous and inhabited humid, evergreen forests.

Abstract:
Asian forest scorpions (Scorpionidae Latreille, 1802: Heterometrinae Simon, 1879) are distributed across South and Southeast Asia. All are fossorial, constructing burrows under stones or in open ground, in habitats differing in precipitation and vegetation cover, from rainforests and tropical deciduous forests to savanna and scrubland. The systematics of these scorpions has long been confused due to bad taxonomy and the absence of a phylogenetic framework. Although the monophyly of the group was previously confirmed as part of broader phylogenetic analyses based on exemplar species, the only quantitative analysis of species-level variation to date was based on overall similarity. This contribution presents the first species-level phylogenetic analysis of Asian Scorpionidae, based on 186 morphological characters and 4188 aligned base-pairs of DNA sequence data from two nuclear and three mitochondrial loci for 132 terminals including all 41 ingroup species and four outgroup species. Simultaneous analyses of the morphological and molecular datasets with parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference provided the framework for a revised classification presented elsewhere. In order to understand how adaptation following dispersal into new habitats has driven the morphological diversification of Asian forest scorpions, species were scored for 10 characters concerning morphology and burrow architecture, which contributed to an ensemble index of adaptation to habitat aridity. Species were classified into three ecomorphotypes based on the index, and ancestral state reconstruction of ecomorphotypes performed on the phylogeny. A pattern was recovered in which lineages and species occurring in different habitats on a continuum from wet (evergreen forest) to dry (savanna, scrubland) exhibited characters presumed to be adaptive and hence responsible for driving scorpion diversification.

Reference:
Loria SF, Prendini L. Burrowing into the forest: Phylogeny of the Asian forest scorpions (Scorpionidae: Heterometrinae) and the evolution of ecomorphotypes. Cladistics. 2021;37(2):109-61. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Scorpionidae

All you need to know about scorpion weapons and their function

 

Scorpions are armed with two types of weapons: their pedipalps with powerful pincers and their stinger which can inject an effective venom. These weapons are essential for the scorpion's survival and have three main functions: Prey capture, defense and sexual behavior. 

Yuri Simone and Arie van der Meijden have recently published an very thorough and interesting review on all aspects of the scorpion weapons. Here you will find all you need to know about our current knowledge on the scorpion's use of their pincers, sting and venom, how they work and how the originated. This is probably the most complete overview I have ever read on this topic and I recommend the article very much! 

Abstract:
Scorpions possess two systems of weapons: the pincers (chelae) and the stinger (telson). These are placed on anatomically and developmentally well separated parts of the body, that is, the oral appendages and at the end of the body axis. The otherwise conserved body plan of scorpions varies most in the shape and relative dimensions of these two weapon systems, both across species and in some cases between the sexes. We review the literature on the ecological function of these two weapon systems in each of three contexts of usage: (i) predation, (ii) defense and (iii) sexual contests. In the latter context, we will also discuss their usage in mating. We first provide a comparative background for each of these contexts of usage by giving examples of other weapon systems from across the animal kingdom. Then, we discuss the pertinent aspects of the anatomy of the weapon systems, particularly those aspects relevant to their functioning in their ecological roles. The literature on the functioning and ecological role of both the chelae and the telson is discussed in detail, again organized by context of usage. Particular emphasis is given on the differences in morphology or usage between species or higher taxonomic groups, or between genders, as such cases are most insightful to understand the roles of each of the two distinct weapon systems of the scorpions and their evolutionary interactions. We aimed to synthesize the literature while minimizing conjecture, but also to point out gaps in the literature and potential future research opportunities.

Reference:
Simone Y, Meijden Avd. Armed stem to stinger: a review of the ecological roles of scorpion weapons. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis. 2021;27. [Open Access]

Thanks to Yuri Simone for informing me about their article!

New species of Ananteris from Brazil

 

Wilson Lourenco has recently described a new species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Buthidae) from Brazil.

Ananteris martensi Lourenco, 2021

Abstract:
Some additional comments are proposed on the historical aspects of the subfamily Ananterinae (sensu Pocock 1900). The worldwide pattern of distribution of the elements associated with this subfamily is briefly discussed. The biogeographic patterns presented by extant and fossil elements of this subfamily confirm not only the characteristics of a group presenting a typical Gondwanian distribution, but may also correspond to older Pangaean patterns. One unexpected new species is described for the genus Ananteris Thorell from the State of Goiás in Central Brazil, Ananteris martensi sp. n., suggesting that the diversity levels of the Cerrados formations are most certainly higher than what is normally admitted.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. Some additional comments on the Ananteridae or 'Ananteris group' and description of a new species of Ananteris Thorell from Central Brazil (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Zootaxa. 2021;4984(1):347356. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Jairo A. Moreno-González  for sending me this article!

Family Buthidae

Four new lithophilic species of Scorpiops from peninsular India

 

India has a large scorpion diversity, and much of it is probably not discovered yet. Shauri Sulakhe and co-workers have recently described four new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiopidae) from peninsular India. All species are lithophiles.

Scorpiops lioneli Sulakhe, Deshpande, Dandekar, Padhye & Bastawade, 2021

Scorpiops nagphani Sulakhe, Deshpande, Dandekar, Padhye & Bastawade, 2021

Scorpiops neera Sulakhe, Deshpande, Dandekar, Padhye & Bastawade, 2021

Scorpiops vrushchik Sulakhe, Deshpande, Dandekar, Padhye & Bastawade, 2021

Some of these species inhabit some truly beautiful habitats based on the pictures in the article. The article has an identification key for all species known from peninsular India.

Abstract:
Four new lithophilic species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiopidae) have been described from peninsular India using an integrated taxonomic approach. Three species Scorpiops vrushchik sp. n., S. nagphani sp. n. and S. neera sp. n. have been described from northern Western Ghats and S. lioneli sp. n. is described from Deccan Plateau. S. vrushchik sp. n. is closely related to S. tenuicauda and S. telbaila and differs by a raw genetic divergence of 9.6-9.8% from S. tenuicauda and 11% from S. telbaila. S. nagphani sp. n. is closely related to S. lioneli sp. n. and S. maharashtraensis and differs by a raw genetic divergence of 6.7% from S. lioneli sp. n. and 9.6% from S. maharashtraensis. S. neera sp. n. is closely related to S. deccanensis, S. satarensis and S. phaltanensis and differs by a raw genetic divergence of 6.1–7.1% from S. deccanensis, 7.3% from S. satarensis and 9.6–9.8 % from S. phaltanensis. S. lioneli sp. n. is closely related to S. nagphani sp. n. and S. maharashtraensis and differs by a raw genetic divergence of 6.7% from S. nagphani sp. n. and 11% from S. maharashtraensis. Hemispermatophore morphology of all the new species is described with photographs. A taxonomic key to all species of Scorpiops from peninsular India is provided. This study elevates the number of species of Scorpiops found in India to 27, out of which 11 are found in peninsular India.

Reference:
Sulakhe S, Deshpande S, Dandekar N, Padhye A, Bastawade D. Four new lithophilic species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae) from peninsular India. Euscorpius. 2021(337):1-49. [Open Access]

Family Scorpiopidae