A new species of Buthacus from Algeria

 

Salah Eddine Sadine and co-workers have recently published a new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 (Buthidae) from Central Algeria.

Buthacus deserticus Sadine, Souilem, Lourenço & Ythier, 2024

Abstract:
A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 is described on the basis of specimens collected in the region of Ghardaïa, Central Algeria. Buthacus deserticus sp. n. belongs to the Buthacus leptochelys (Ehrenberg 1829) complex of species. It is compared with the two other species of the “leptochelys” complex occurring in the region, namely B. spinatus Lourenço, Bissati & Sadine, 2016 and B. elmenia Lourenço & Sadine, 2017. This new taxon represents the 12th known Buthacus species reported from Algeria. A map of the geographical distribution of the Algerian Buthacus species is presented. Emended diagnosis is also provided for Buthacus spinatus Lourenço, Bissati & Sadine, 2016 based on additional material.

Reference:
Sadine SE, Souilem Z, Chedad A, Bahri C, Zebsa R, Houhamdi M, et al. A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 from the Algerian Saharan Desert (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Faunitaxys. 2024;12(9):1-9. [Open Access]

Thanks to Gerard Dupre and Eric Ythier for sending me this article!

Family Buthidae

A new species of Scorpio from Algeria

 

Eric Ythier and co-workers recently published an article describing a new species of Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758(Scorpionidae) from Atakor volcanic field in the Hoggar massif in the south of Algeria.

Scorpio atakor Ythier, Sadine, Bengaid & Lourenço, 2024

The authors also raise Scorpio trarasensis Bouisset & Larrouy, 1962 to species status after it previously was synonymized with Scorpio maurus maurus Linnaeus, 1758 (it was originally described as a subspecies of S. maurus.

Abstract:
A new species of Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758 is described from the Atakor volcanic field in the Hoggar massif, located in the South of Algeria. Scorpio atakor sp. nov. most certainly represents a vicariant element of Scorpio tassili Lourenço & Rossi, 2016, species equally described from a massif formation, the Tassili N’Ajjer, in the South of Algeria. Both species are distributed in high altitudes in these massifs. Scorpio trarasensis Bouisset & Larrouy, 1962 stat. rev., stat. nov. is also restored from its synonymy with Scorpio maurus maurus Linnaeus, 1758 and raised to species level. The number of confirmed species of Scorpio in Algeria is raised to six.

Reference:
Ythier E, Sadine SE, Bengaid Y, Lourenco WR. A new species of Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758 from Algeria (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae) and a new case of vicariance. Arachnides. 2024(113):1-11. [Open Access]

Family Scorpionidae

Two new species of Euscorpius from Bulgaria and Greece

 

Parts of Europe still seem to be an inexhaustible source of new Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Euscorpiidae) species. Gioele Tropea and co-workers have recently published a new article describing a new species from Bulgaria and from Greece based on morphological and molecular evidence.

Euscorpius petaberoni Tropea, Fet, Parmakelis & Stathi, 2024 (Known only from Kovachevitsa in the Western Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria)

Euscorpius trichasi Tropea, Fet, Parmakelis & Stathi, 2024 (Known only from the Mt. Olympos massif in Thessaly in Greece)

Abstract:
Two scorpion species, Euscorpius petarberoni sp. n. (Bulgaria) and E. trichasi sp. n. (Greece), are described based on morphological and molecular evidence; E. petarberoni sp. n. is related to E. popovi Tropea et al., 2015, E. drenskii Tropea et al., 2015, and E. thracicus Kovařík et al., 2020, while E. trichasi sp. n. is related to E. kabateki Kovařík & Šťáhlavský, 2020.

Reference:
Tropea G, Fet V, Parmakelis A, Stathi I. Two New Species of Euscorpius (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae) from Bulgaria and Greece. Zoodiversity. 2024;58(1):1-18. [Open Access]

Thanks to Victor Fet and  Siegfried Huber for informing me about this article!

Family Euscorpiidae

 

An extensive revision of the genus Olivierus in Xinjiang, China

 

Victoria Tang a co-workers recently published a thorough revision of the genus Olivierus Farzanpay, 1987 (Buthidae) in Xinjiang, China.

Based on both morphological and molecular evidence, Olivierus longichelus (Sun & Zhu, 2010) and O. przewalskii (Birula, 1897) are the only representatives of this genus in this region. The authors also have made the following taxonomical conclusions:

Olivierus (Mesobuthus) bolensis (Sun et al., 2010) is synonymized with Olivierus longichelus (Sun & Zhu, 2010).

Olivierus (Mesobuthus) karshius (Sun & Sun, 2011) is synonymized with Olivierus longichelus (Sun & Zhu, 2010).

Olivierus tarabaevi Fet et al., 2021 is synonymized with Olivierus longichelus (Sun & Zhu, 2010).

Some information about the genus' habitat, distribution and biology is also included.

Abstract:
The genus Olivierus Farzanpay, 1987 in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, is revised based on recently collected topotypes and other populations from 12 localities. Brief differential diagnoses are provided, with colored illustrations and photos in vivo habitus, emphasizing the key characters. Chinese appellations, conservation status, and documentation of behavior and post-envenomation symptoms are also included. Only two species are now recognized for this genus in Xinjiang: O. longichelus (Sun & Zhu, 2010) and O. przewalskii (Birula, 1897), based on both morphological and molecular evidence. The two species exhibit extensive distribution in Xinjiang (China) while also occurring in adjacent countries. Three new synonyms are proposed: Mesobuthus bolensis Sun et al., 2010 = Olivierus longichelus (Sun & Zhu, 2010), syn. n.; Mesobuthus karshius Sun & Sun, 2011 = Olivierus longichelus (Sun & Zhu, 2010), syn. n.; Olivierus tarabaevi Fet et al., 2021 = Olivierus longichelus (Sun & Zhu, 2010), syn. n. Two species, Olivierus extremus (Werner, 1936) and O. hainanensis (Birula, 1904), are likely synonymous with O. martensii (Karsch, 1879). Should future examination confirm this assumption, the total number of species in genus Olivierus would be reduced to 16.

Reference:
Tang V, Liu Z, Graham MR, Fet V, Kovařík F, Šťáhlavský F. Revision of the genus Olivierus in Xinjiang, China, with comments on Mesobuthus thersites (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2024;2024(383):1-58. [Open Access]

Thanks to Victoria for informing me about the article and for sharing the illustration picture with us!

Family Buthidae