New records of scorpion stowaways discovered in United Kingdom

 

It is well known that scorpions occasionally are discovered in areas and countries where they do not belong. These are usually accidental introductions from holiday luggage and shipments of goods. In most cases these scorpions will not be established in their new country. 

Daniella Sherwood and Luis de Armas have recently published an article presenting old and new records of scorpions detected as stowaways in the United Kingdom.

Abstract:
Previous and new records of scorpions detected as stowaways in the United Kingdom are presented and discussed. Five taxa are recorded in the scientific literature for the first time: Centruroides insulanus (Thorell, 1876, Centruroides sp. (nigrovariatus species group), Hottentotta cf. tamulus (Fabricius, 1798), Mesobuthus sp. and Cercophonius squama (Gervais, 1844). Also, we discuss a sixth undeterminable scorpion of which only a single photograph was available.

Reference:
Sherwood D, de Armas LF. Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) as stowaways accidently imported into The United Kingdom. Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2023(42):209-13. [Full text supplied by author]

Thanks to Daniella for sending me this article!

A new species of Heteroctenus from an interesting habitat in Cuba

 

Rolando Teruel and Sheyla Yong have recently published the discovery of a new species of Heteroctenus Pocock, 1893 (Buthidae) from several localities in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Río.

Heteroctenus turieli Teruel & Yong, 2023

The new species has a troglobitic life style occupying cracks, cavities and caves in mogotes in the area of distribution. The article includes an identification key for the genus in Cuba.

The article is in Spanish.

Abstract:
In the present contribution, a remarkable new species of scorpion of the genus Heteroctenus Pocock, 1893, is described from several localities in the Sierra de los Órganos range, in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Río. This new taxon represents a litophilic and troglophilic scorpion, which also fills a biogeographical gap so far existing in Cuban scorpiology: western Cuba remained the only region of the archipelago where no locally endemic or original species of this genus had ever been described or confirmed. Now, Heteroctenus accounts for seven species present in Cuba, all of them being endemics.

Reference:
Teruel R, Yong S. Una Nueva Especie de escorpion del genero Heteroctenus Pocock, 1893 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), de Cuba Occidental. Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2023(42):119-29. [Available from authors]

Family Buthidae

A review of the Heterometrus of Thailand

 

The status of some members of the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpionidae) and their presence in Thailand has been burdened with uncertainty. In a recent review authored by Kazusa Kawai and co-workers, five species of Heterometrus species are now confirmed for Thailand. In addition, two previously synonymized species are restored to species status:

Heterometrus cimrmani Kovařík, 2004 (previously synonymized with Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876))

Heterometrus minotaurus Pliskova, Kovarik, Kosulic & Stahlavsky, 2016 (previously synonymized with Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876))

Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876) is now considered nomen dubium.

Abstract:
Five species of the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 are currently confirmed from Thailand and revised, with their respective distribution range in this country updated. Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876) is considered a nomen dubium, while its two previous junior synonyms, H. cimrmani Kovařík, 2004, stat. rev. and H. minotaurus Plíšková et al., 2016, stat. rev. are revalidated and redescribed based on the examination of topotypes. Females of H. minotaurus Plíšková et. al., 2016, stat. rev. were also collected and examined, and their characters are herein described with a special attention to sexual dimorphism. Furthermore, some populations previously regarded as H. laoticus Couzijn, 1981 found in Thailand turned out to belong to H. silenus (Simon, 1884). Additionally, ambiguous records of H. spinifer (Ehrenberg, 1828) in Thailand are now confirmed. Finally, we speculate that the difference in pedipalp length between males of H. cimrmani and H. minotaurus is evolved due to the armspan competition.

Reference:
Kawai K, Unnahachote T, Suttisatid Y, Tang V. А Review of Heterometrus in Thailand (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae). Euscorpius. 2023(373):1-25. [Open Access]

Family Scorpionidae

Scorpion biology and folklore in Durango City, Mexico

 

Mexico is a hot spot for scorpion diversity and also hosts many of the worlds most venomous species in the genus Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Buthidae).  One of the most famous scorpion places in Mexico is "The City of Scorpions" Durango, where the infamous and very venomous species Centruroides suffusus Pocock, 1902 is very common.

 Eduardo Gonzalez-Ponce and several co-workers have recently published an interesting article about different aspects of the biology of the Durango scorpion including the scorpions' response to light, medical importance and the use of its venom for research and medicine. Of special interest is the description of how the peoples of Durango utilize the scorpions as souvenirs for tourists and as an exotic food source.

Abstract:
Scorpions are incredible venomous animals found on almost every continent. According to fossil data, these animals have been able to adapt to the different environments from the Cambrian period until today with minimal anatomical changes. Scorpions are mostly nocturnal animals, and their ability to detect and tolerate light stimuli seems to be an essential tool for their subsistence, homing and mating. Centruroides suffuses is the most predominant specie of scorpions in Durango City, Mexico. Interestingly, and despite their life-threatening venom, these predatory arthropod animals have been adopted by locals as part of the landscape and daily life, by including them as part of their folklore and their economic resources, and learning how to take advantage of their abundance. In addition, the venom of scorpions possesses potential for therapeutic uses, while the scorpions themselves represent a nutritional food resource rich in protein, which has been poorly explored so far. Therefore, they are an excellent model for exploring the interplay between light sensibilities, survival and therapeutic–medicinal uses. Here, we review some of the potential benefits of scorpions and share the ways people in Durango City, Mexico, use UV light devices to detect and avoid or catch them for business and research purposes.

Reference:
Gonzalez-Ponce E, Rodríguez-Rangel S, Martinez R, Alvarado A, Ruiz-Baca E, Miranda P, et al. Scorpions, Science and Folklore in Durango City. Diversity. 2023;15(6):743. [Open Access]

Diversity and distribution of the scorpion fauna in the Tiaret region in southeast Algeria

 

Mohammad Ait Hammou and co-workers have recently published a study on the diversity and distribution of the scorpion fauna of the Tiaret region in southeast Algeria.

The article is in French.

Abstract:
The present study aims to inventory the scorpions of the region of Tiaret which is located in the northwest of Algeria on the  one hand and on the other hand to establish the distribution patterns of each species. During two years of prospecting between 2021 and 2022, more than 467 scorpions were collected, divided into 17 species belonging to five genera (Androctonus, Buthacus, Buthiscus, Buthus and Scorpio) and grouped into two families (Buthidae and Scorpionidae). The Buthidae family is the most represented by 14 species of which 5 species are endemic to Algeria. On the other hand, the Scorpionidae family contains only 3 species with an endemic species in Algeria. The result of the relative abundance (RA%) shows that Androctonus australis is the most abundant with a value of 22.06% against 5.78% of that of Scorpio maurus. Shannon's index is estimated at 1.57 bits, indicating a high level of scorpion diversity in the study region (Tiaret). It should be noted that the inventory that we have drawn up constitutes a pioneering study on scorpions in this important region which contains more than 31% of Algerian scorpion species and brings together several species reported for the first time in this region.

Reference:
Ait Hammou M, Dahmani W, Chedad A, Feghoul MA, Benali N, El Bouhissi  M, et al. Diversie et modele de dtsribution des scorpions (Arachnida:Scorpiones) de la Region de Tiaret (Nord-Ouest Algerie). Arachnides. 2023(109):1-18. [Open Access]

Thanks to Mohammad Ait Hammou for sending me their article and to Gerard Dupre for sharing the journal archive of Arachnides on The Scorpion Files