A new species of Paruroctonus Werner, 1934 from California’s San Joaquin Valley, USA

 

Prakrit Jain and co-workers recently described a new species of Paruroctonus Werner, 1934 (Vaejovidae) from lowland, alkali-sink habitats in the Tulare Basin in California, USA.

Paruroctonus tulare Jain, Forbes, Gorneau & Esposito, 2023

The article provides detailed information about morphology, distribution, ecology and conservational status. Regarding the latter, this species inhabits a specialized habitat and its status is probably impacted by human activities like land conversion for agriculture and urban development. In addition, invasive European grasses seem to negatively impact on the species distribution and numbers.

Abstract:
Herein a new species of Paruroctonus Werner, 1934 is described from alkali-sink habitats in the San Joaquin Desert of central California, Paruroctonus tulare sp. nov. It can be differentiated from other Paruroctonus by a combination of morphological features including scalloped pedipalp fingers in males, specific setal counts and morphometric ratios, and specific patterns of fuscous pigmentation. It also inhabits a unique distribution allopatric with all other Paruroctonus species except P. variabilis Hjelle, 1982. Photographs of a large series of live P. tulare sp. nov. from across their range and detailed images of several morphological features are provided, their distribution is modeled, a haplotype network is presented, and details about their habitat, ecology, and conservation are discussed.

Reference:
Jain P, Forbes H, Gorneau JA, Esposito LA. A new species of alkali-sink Paruroctonus Werner, 1934 (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae) from California’s San Joaquin Valley. ZooKeys. 2023(1185):199-239. [Open Access]

Thanks to Matt Simon for informing me about the new species.

Family Vaejovidae

The hunt for easy money from venom extraction may cause the extinction of some scorpion species

 

I guess many of you have seen reports in the media about the value of scorpion venom for research and that it is possible to earn millions of US$ on venom extraction. I get email inquires regularly from hopeful amateurs in Asia that want information about how to get scorpions and how to milk them.

This hunt for easy money may have an impact on the scorpion populations in many areas and may drive species to extinctions. A recent article by Alireza Zamani addresses this challenge and is well worth a read.

And for any money hungry scorpion hunters out there: There are serious doubts about the quality of the venom being extracted at amateur scorpion farms and most serious venom suppliers are probably not interested in purchasing amateur products. So leave the scorpions in nature and get rich in another way!

Abstract:
The pharmacological utility of various biochemical compounds in scorpion venom offers promise in several research fields but its potential economic value has placed pressure on scorpion populations already threatened by habitat destruction and overharvesting for the international trade in exotic pets. Since at least 2016, several countries in Africa and Asia reported an increase in the number of people investing in farms for maintaining scorpions and extracting (‘milking’) their venom for commercial use. In addition to serious doubts about the quality of the venom extracted at these farms, repeated collecting of wild specimens may denude an area of scorpions. Given estimates of a million species threatened with extinction over the next decade, unsustainable overexploitation remains a major driver of biodiversity loss. The amateur venom-extraction business has the potential to adversely affect scorpion biodiversity in several biologically rich but poorly documented countries, which calls for urgent action from governments, universities and scientific societies to enhance the conservation of local scorpions. The following activities should thus be initiated or expanded: faunistic surveys and developing national lists of endemic species, red-listing threatened and endangered species using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, educating local communities, and ceasing to issue permits for the collection of scorpions for commercial exploitation of any kind.

Reference:
Zamani A, Sääksjärvi IE, Prendini L. Amateur venom-extraction business may hasten extinction of scorpions. Arachnologische Mitteilungen. 2021;61:20-3.[Open Access]

Thanks to Jeroen Kooijman for sending me this article!

New information on the "giant" scorpions of West Africa protected by Cites

Very large scorpions have been reported from West Africa since the 19th century. Large size and docile behavior made these "gentle giants" popular in the pet trade for many years, causing them to be put on the CITES list, Appendix II in 1996 because their vulnerable status caused by exportation for the pet trade, especially to Europe, the USA and Japan.

The taxonomy and the distribution of the "giant" scorpions has been little known. In the beginning, only Pandinus imperator (C. L. Koch, 1841) was known. I recent years, investigations have added four more species in the "giant scorpions of West Africa" group: Pandinopsis dictator Pocock, 1888, Pandinus gambiensis Pocock, 1900, Pandinus roeseli (Simon, 1872) and Pandinus ulderigoi Rossi, 2014.

Andrea Rossi has now published a paper presenting new information on some of the species mentioned above and an identification key for the "giant" species is also presented. Rossi also recommend that Pandinus ulderigoi Rossi, 2014 is added to the CITES protection list (the other species are already protected by CITES).

Abstract:
Discoveries of new species of giant scorpion (more than 14 cm in total length) are considered extremely rare. Among the largest scorpions in the world there are some species from West Africa, very popular in the pet trade and, for this reason, protected by the Washington Convention (CITES). Besides the three well-known protected species – Pandinus imperator (C. L. Koch, 1841), Pandinopsis dictator (Pocock, 1888) and Pandinus gambiensis Pocock, 1900 – a fourth giant species, Pandinus ulderigoi Rossi, 2014, was recently described from a supposedly unknown locality in the Central African Republic. Unpublished notes, just discovered, allow clarification of the exact type locality of this species. Besides newly examined material from the type locality, representative of both sexes, allows better definition of the characters of this species including its unusual trichobothrial pattern. A fifth giant species, Pandinus roeseli (Simon, 1872), recently revalidated from Pandinus imperator, is automatically included among the protected species. In light of the vulnerable status, the similar general appearance, the possibly restricted and continuous distribution with regards to the four protected species as well as the recent import suspension of P. imperator from Ghana, P. ulderigoi should be added to the Pandinus species protected by the Washington Convention.

Reference:
Rossi A. Clarification of the type locality of Pandinus ulderigoi with notes on the scorpions protected by CITES (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae). [Proceedings of the 28th European Congress of Arachnology, Torino, 2014 August 24-29]. Arachnologische Mitteilungen. 2015;49:47-54. [Open Access]

Thanks to Andrea Rossi for sending me his article!

Family Scorpionidae