A study of the distribution of the genus Neogrosphus in Madagascar with one new species

 

Wilson Lourenco and Lucienne Wilme have recently published a study of the distribution of the genus Neogrosphus Lourenço, 1995(Buthidae) in Madagascar. A new species is described from mesic forest formations in Andohahela National Park in southeastern Madagascar.

Neogrosphus andohahela Lourenço & Wilme 2026

Abstract:
Madagascar remains one of the major hotspots of diversity and endemism in the world. Its scorpion fauna provides a striking example, with more than one hundred known species, all endemic, within a territory of only 587,000 km2. These species are associated with entirely endemic genera and, to a large extent, endemic familial lineages. While some groups are diverse and locally abundant, others are inconspicuous and occur at very low densities, as is the case for the genus Neogrosphus Lourenço, 1995. In this contribution, the distribution patterns of Neogrosphus are reassessed in light of new material and a revised eco biogeographical framework. Until recently, this genus comprised three species: Neogrosphus griveaudi (Vachon, 1969), restricted to the dry forest formations in the southern and western portions of Madagascar; Neogrosphus blanci Lourenço, 1996, known from the central region; and Neogrosphus andrafiabe Lourenço, Wilmé & Waeber, 2015, endemic to northern dry formations. A fourth species is described here from mesic forest formations in Andohahela National Park. The current distribution of the genus is shown to be highly fragmented across a broad environmental gradient ranging from subarid to more humid conditions. This pattern is interpreted as the result of historical fragmentation processes linked to limited dispersal capacity and long-term landscape evolution. On this basis, the general framework previously proposed to explain species diversity and vicariance in Malagasy scorpions is revisited and refined.

Reference:
Lourenco WR, Wilme L. New Insights on the Geographical Distribution of the Malagasy Genus Neogrosphus Lourenço, 1995 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with the Description of a New Species from a More Humid Environment. Arthropoda. 2026;4:11. [Open access]

Family Buthidae 

A new species of Scorpiops from Myanmar

 

Frantisek Kovarik has recently described a new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiopidae) from Myanmar. 

Scorpiops walteri Kovarik, 2026 

It is worth noticing that Kovarik rejects Prendini's (2026) changes for the family Scorpiopidae in this article based on lack of any new evidence and that Prendini ignores previous detailed revisions and DNA results.

Abstract:
A new species Scorpiops walteri sp. n. (Scorpiopidae) is described from Myanmar, fully illustrated with color photos showing its morphology and habitus. S. walteri sp. n. is the only species of the genus with a combination of the following five characters: chelal trichobothrium Eb3 located in middle of manus between trichobothria Dt and Est; patella of pedipalp with 11–12 ventral and 19 external trichobothria; fingers of pedipalps strongly undulate in male; pedipalp movable finger with ca. 47 IAD; and chela length to width ratio 2.8 in male.

Reference:
Kovarik F. Scorpiops walteri sp. n. (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae) from Myanmar. Euscorpius. 2026(437):1–13. [Open Access]

Family Scorpiopidae 

A new species of Alpiscorpius from Denizli Province in Turkey

 

Ersen Yagmur has recently described a new species of Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999 (Euscorpiidae) from near the Çardak District, Denizli Province, in the Aegean Region of western Turkey. In addition, re-examination of two species in the same region have resulted in two new combinations.

New species:

Alpiscorpius akkayai Yagmur, 2026

New combinations:

Alpiscorpius hakani (Tropea & Yagmur, 2016) [Transferred from Euscorpius Thorell, 1876]

Alpiscorpius honazicus (Tropea, Yagmur, Karampatsou, Parmakelis & Yesilyurt, 2016) [Transferred from Euscorpius Thorell, 1876]

Abstract:
A new scorpion species, Alpiscorpius akkayai sp. n., is described from near Lake Acıgöl, Çardak District, Denizli Province, in the Aegean Region of western Turkey, based on morphological characters. The species is assigned to the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al. based on the presence of three trichobothria in the em series on the external surface of the pedipalp patella. Alpiscorpius akkayai sp. n. can be readily distinguished from all its congeners by its yellow-orange body and yellow or yellow-orange metasomal colouration; the presence of distinct ventrolateral carinae on metasomal segment V; the presence of seven trichobothria in the Pv series; and five to six trichobothria in the et series. Alpiscorpius akkayai sp. n. was collected from a low-altitude locality geographically close to the known distributions of Euscorpius hakani Tropea and Yağmur and Euscorpius honazicus Tropea, Yağmur, Karampatsou, Parmakelis and Yeşilyurt. Therefore, the occurrence of this new species in this locality is unexpected. Both species are herein transferred to the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al. because they possess three trichobothria in the em series and a reduced number of trichobothria in the Pv series (Pv = 7 and 6, respectively), and the new species is particularly compared to these two species. With the description of this new species and the new combinations Alpiscorpius hakani (Tropea and Yağmur) comb. n. and Alpiscorpius honazicus (Tropea, Yağmur, Karampatsou, Parmakelis and Yeşilyurt) comb. n., the number of recognised species of the family Euscorpiidae increases to 26, and the genus Alpiscorpius is now represented by 13 species in Turkey.

Reference:
Yağmur EA. Alpiscorpius akkayai an unexpected new species from Denizli Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Journal of Natural History. 2026;60(29-32):1645–61. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Ersen for informing me about the new species!

Family Euscorpiidae