As a I stated a few days ago, the members of the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) has the most potent scorpion venom in the world, and knowledge about taxonomy and distribution is very important. Abdulmani H. Al-Qahtni and co-workers have recently published a new species in this genus from the Majami al-Hadb Protected Area in the Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia based on morphological and molecular analysis.
Leiurus hadb Al-Qahtni, Al-Salem, Alqahtani & Badry, 2023
The article has an identification guide for the genus in Saudi Arabia.
Abstract:
A new species, Leiurus hadb Al-Qahtni, Al-Salem, Alqahtani & Badry, sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the Majami al-Hadb Protected Area in the Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia. The new species is compared with species of Leiurus distributed in Saudi Arabia, especially L. arabicus Lowe, Yağmur & Kovařík, 2014. The integrated results indicate that the population found in Majami al-Hadb represents a distinct species, which is described herein. Moreover, the molecular analysis is conducted on the mitochondrial gene 16S rRNA to compare L. hadb sp. nov. with samples of L. arabicus and L. haenggii from Saudi Arabia. The analysis revealed a genetic divergence ranging from 6.0 to 12%. The combination of molecular evidence and morphological characteristics provides adequate support for recognizing the Majami al-Hadb population as a distinct species. Additionally, an identification key for the genus Leiurus found in Saudi Arabia is also provided.
Reference:
Al-Qahtni AH, Al-Salem AM, Mesfer F, Al Balawi MS, Allahyani WS, Alqahtani AR, Badry A. A new species and a key to the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) from Saudi Arabia. ZooKeys. 2023(1178):293–312. [Open Access]
Thanks to Eric and Gerard for sending me this article!
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