A new species of Centruroides from Honduras

 

Luis de Armas and  Alex Cubas-Rodríguez have recently published an article describing a new species of Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Buthidae) from the Pacayita Volcano Biological Reserve in southwestern Honduras.

Centruroides lenca Armas & Cubas-Rodríguez, 2025

Abstract:
A new species of striped bark scorpions, Centruroides lenca sp. n. is described, based on both sexes, from the Pacayita Volcano Biological Reserve (2,385 m a. s. l.), Ocotepeque Department, in the southwestern Honduras. By its general pattern, the new species resembles C. thorellii (Kraepelin, 1891), from which it clearly differs by having stronger and very darker pedipalp chelae, minute subaculear tubercle and basal pectinal plate with a large central pit in the female, among other diagnostic characters. Also, Centruroides tapachulaensis Hoffmann, 1932 is recorded for the first time from Honduras, on the basis of two observed or collected specimens in the Ocotepeque Department. There are currently 12 species of Centruroides known from Honduras, of which three are known only from this Central American country (two other endemic species are C. terueli Armas & Cubas- Rodríguez, 2023, from Guanaja Island, Islas de la Bahía Archipelago, and C. hirsuticauda Teruel, 2011, from Comayagua and Yoro Departments).

Reference:
de Armas LF, Cubas-Rodriguez AM. A new Centruroides species and first record of C. tapachulaensis Hoffmann, 1932 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Honduras. Euscorpius. 2025(412):1-12. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

A new species of Centruroides from Guanaja, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras

 

Luis de Armas and Alex Cubas-Rodríguez have recently described a new species of Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Buthidae) from Guanaja, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras.

Centruroides terueli de Armas & Cubas-Rodriguez, 2023

Abstract:
A new species belonging to the species-group Centruroides gracilis is described from Guanaja Island, Islas de la Bahía, in the Honduran Caribbean, on the basis of an adult female. Because of its dorsal pattern it was misidentified as C. caribbeanus Teruel & Myers, 2017, from which it differs by having the metasomal segments more elongate, pedipalp hands with carinae more developed, sternites immaculate (profusely variegated with dark brown in C. caribbeanus) and a shorter aculeus. This is the third species of this genus recorded from the Islas de la Bahía archipelago and the second endemic scorpion known from the area.

Reference:
De Armas LF, Cubas-Rodriguez AM. Una especie nueva de Centruroides (Scorpiones: Buthidae) de Guanaja, Islas de la Bahia, Honduras. Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2023(43):81-5. [Full text available from author]

Thanks to Alex Cubas-Rodríguez for sending me their article.

Family Buthidae

Clearing the confusion - The type series of Centruroides nigrimanus

 

Luis de Armas and Danniella Sherwood have recently published a research note clearing the confusion of the type series of Centruroides nigrimanus (Pocock, 1898) (Buthidae).

Abstract:
No abstract.

Reference:
de Armas LF, Sherwood D. Round the Twist – on confusion of the type series of Centruroides nigrimanus (Pocock, 1898) (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Newsletter of the British Arachnological Society. 2023(157):6. [Full text available from author on Researchgate]

Thanks to Danniella for sending me their article!

Family Buthidae

Six new species of Centruroides from Guatemala and Mexico

 

Aaron Goodman and co-workers have recently published a phylogenetic analysis based on morphology and genetics of the Neotropical “thorellii” clade of Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Buthidae). Six new species have been described. All of them are tree- and bark living, some of them having been found more than 15 meters above the ground. 

Centruroides berstoni Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito, 2021 (Guatemala)

Centruroides catemacoensis Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito, 2021 (Mexico)

Centruroides chanae Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito, 2021 (Mexico)

Centruroides cuauhmapan Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito, 2021 (Mexico)

Centruroides hamadryas Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito, 2021 (Mexico)

Centruroides yucatanensis Goodman, Prendini, Francke & Esposito, 2021 (Mexico)

Revised diagnosis are given for Centruroides hoffmanni Armas, 1996, Centruroides rileyi Sissom, 1995, and Centruroides schmidti Sissom, 1995. A identification key for the species in the “thorellii” clade of Centruroides is also available.

Abstract:
The arboreal Neotropical “thorellii” clade of Centruroides Marx, 1890, bark scorpions (Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837) is revised, using a novel approach to species delimitation. A phylogenetic analysis, based on 112 morphological characters and 1078 aligned DNA nucleotides from the mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I (COI) gene, provided the framework for placing singletons from geographically disparate localities (and often with suboptimal preservation) using COI minibarcodes, thereby enlarging the taxon sample for diagnosis and delimitation of morphological species. Six new species are described, tripling the known diversity in the clade to nine: Centruroides berstoni, sp. nov.; Centruroides catemacoensis, sp. nov.; Centruroides chanae, sp. nov.; Centruroides cuauhmapan, sp. nov.; Centruroides hamadryas, sp. nov.; Centruroides yucatanensis, sp. nov. Revised diagnoses are presented for Centruroides hoffmanni Armas, 1996, Centruroides rileyi Sissom, 1995, and Centruroides schmidti Sissom, 1995. Comparative images, a key and distribution maps for all species of the clade are provided, along with a summary of available data for their ecology.

Reference:
Goodman AM, Prendini L, Francke OF, Esposito LA. Systematic Revision of the Arboreal Neotropical “Thorellii” Clade of Centruroides Marx, 1890, Bark Scorpions (Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837) with Descriptions of Six New Species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 2021(452):1-92. [Open Access]

Thanks to Oscar Francke for sending me their article!

Family Buthidae

 

Observations on the diet and reproduction of Centruroides gracilis from Honduras

 

Centruroides gracilis (Latreille, 1804) (Buthidae) is a widespread scorpion in Central America and Caribbean, but there is little information published on the behavior and ecology of this species. Anna Davison and co-workers have now published an obervational study on the diet and reproduction of this species on Utila Island in Honduras.

Abstract:
The brown bark scorpion Centruroides gracilis (Latreille, 1804) (Buthidae) is an abundant and widespread species, however, fairly little is known about its ecology and natural history. We include several observations from Utila Island, Honduras, that expand on the known literature regarding the diet and reproductive behavior of C. gracilis. We report several prey items for this opportunistic species, which include invertebrates such as spiders (including tarantulas), centipedes, katydids, and crickets; as well as a case of cannibalism between two adult females C. gracilis. We suggest that such cannibalism may be driven by high population densities and/or strong intraspecific competition for prey sources on the island. Additionally, we observed a courtship dance involving a female that still carried second-instar offspring, a common behavior within the Buthidae family, although, to our knowledge, not previously reported for C. gracilis.

Reference:
Davison AM, Brown TW, Arrivillaga C. Notes on the diet and reproduction of the bark scorpion Centruroides gracilis (Scorpiones: Buthidae) on Utila Island, Honduras. Euscorpius. 2020(314):1-7. [Open Access]

 

A new Centruroides from Southwestern Caribbean

Rolando Teruel and Brandon Myers recently published a new species of Centruroides Marz, 1890 (Buthidae) from Southwestern Caribbean.

Centruroides caribbeanus Teruel & Myers, 2017

Abstract:
Herein we describe a new species of the Buthidae scorpion genus Centruroides Marx, 1890. It occurs at least in two small offshore islands of the southwestern Caribbean: Cozumel in Mexico and Guanaja in Honduras, based upon type specimens from the former and photographic evidence from the latter. It belongs in the "gracilis" species-group and is most closely related to both Centruroides gracilis (Latreille, 1805) and Centruroides nigrescens (Pocock, 1898).

Reference:
Teruel R, Myers B. A New Island Species of Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Southwestern Caribbean. Euscorpius. 2017(252):1-14. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

A new species of Diplocentrus from Honduras

Kevin Sagastume-Espinoza and co-workers have recently published a new species of Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 (Scorpionidae) from Cayos Cochinos in north Honduras, and from a nearby island locality of Utila.

Diplocentrus insularis Sagastume-Espinoza, Longhorn & Santibanez-Lopez, 2015

 An identification key for the genus in Honduras is included.

Abstract:
Three species of genus Diplocentrus are found in north-northwestern Honduras. These species represent the southern east limits of Diplocentrus’ distribution. In recent years, a broad survey of arachnids in Honduras has yielded a collection of several specimens of an undescribed species from two islands in northern Honduras. This new species represents the second species of the genus inhabiting an island. The present contribution describes this new species, and compares it against its most similar relatives. A dichotomous key for the identification of the species of Diplocentrus in Honduras is also included.

Reference:
Sagastume-Espinoza KO, Longhorn SJ, Santibanez-Lopez CE. A new scorpion species of genus Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae) endemic to Islas de la Bahia, Honduras. C R Biol. 2015 May 27. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Scorpionidae

The phylogeny of the genus Diplocentrus

The genus Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 (Scorpionidae) is a very diverse genus with species in North and Central America (Mexico being the hotspot for this genus).

Carlos Santibanez-Lopez and co-workers have now conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the genus based on 29 species. The conclusions are presented in the abstract below.

Abstract:
Karsch, 1880. There is considerable morphological variation among the species of Diplocentrus. It is necessary to test the monophyly and phylogenetic position of Diplocentrus in order to revise its diagnosis and taxonomic limits. The present contribution provides a phylogenetic analysis of 29 species of Diplocentrus, five exemplar species representing the three putatively most closely related diplocentrid genera, and an exemplar of a more distantly related diplocentrid genus. The analysis was based on 95 morphological characters and 4202 aligned nucleotides from DNA sequences of five markers in the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Separate and simultaneous parsimony analyses of the morphological and DNA sequence data were conducted with equal weighting and six implied weighting regimes. The nuclear and mitochondrial DNA datasets were also analyzed separately and simultaneously with Bayesian inference. The resulting topologies recovered the monophyly of Diplocentrus, with the exception of two neobothriotaxic species from central Mexico, for which a new genus Kolotl Santibáñez-López et al., 2014, is justified. The keyserlingii group, as previously defined, was not monophyletic due to the placement of two species in the mexicanus group; the rest of its component species were monophyletic, however. A third clade was recovered that has not been previously recognized: the zacatecanus group, comprising four species from northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S.A. New insights are provided concerning relationships among Diplocentrus and the diplocentrid genera Bioculus Stahnke, 1968 and Didymocentrus Kraepelin, 1905, the phylogenetic positions of which were previously ambiguous.

Reference:
Santibanez-Lopez CE, Francke OF, Prendini L. Phylogeny of the North American scorpion genus Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae) based on morphology, nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny. 2014;72(3):257-79. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Carlos Santibanez-Lopez for sending me his paper!

Family Scorpionidae

Scorpionism in Central America - a review

Tityus pachyurus is the species responsible for most sever envenomation cases in Panama. Photo: Dr. Carlos Viquez

Scorpionism in North America and South America is pretty well documented, but there have been few reports on scorpions of medical importance in Central America. This has probably been due to the scarcity of data for the region.

Borges and co-workers have now published a very good review article summing up the current knowledge of scorpionism in Central America with a special focus on Panama. Scorpions of medical importance includes species in the genera Centruroides (12 species) Marx, 1890 and Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (8 species). Species in the former genera seem to have minor medical importance in Central America, while at least four species in Tityus have been implicated in deaths and severe envenomations in Panama (and possible also in Costa Rica). Species of medical importance are:

Tityus asthenes Pocock, 1893
T. cerroazul Lourenço, 1986
T. festae Borelli, 1899
T. pachyurus Pocock, 1897

Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua have no documented cases of serious scorpion envenomations (but also lack the presence of Tityus).

Abstract:
 Scorpionism in the Americas occurs mainly in Mexico, northern South America and southeast Brazil. This article reviews the local scorpion fauna, available health statistics, and the literature to assess scorpionism in Central America. Notwithstanding its high toxicity in Mexico, most scorpion sting cases in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are produced by species in the genus Centruroides that are only mildly toxic to humans despite the existence of ion channel-active toxins in their venoms. Regional morbidity is low with the exception of Panama, where an incidence of 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded for 2007, with 28 deaths from 1998 to 2006. Taxa belonging to the genus Tityus (also present in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica) are responsible for fatalities in Panama, with Tityus pachyurus being the most important species medically. Most Tityus species inhabiting Panama are also found in northern South America from which they probably migrated upon closure of the Panamanian isthmus in the Miocene era. Incorporation of Panama as part of the northern South American endemic area of scorpionism is thereby suggested based on the incidence of these accidents and the geographical distribution of Panamanian Tityus species.

Reference:
Borges A, Miranda RJ, Pascale JM. Scorpionism in central America, with special reference to the case of Panama. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases. 2012;18(2):130-43. [Free full text]

Thanks to Jacek Szubert for informing me about this paper!

A new Centruroides from Honduras

Rolando Teruel has recently described a new Centruroides (Buthidae) from Honduras:

Centruroides hirsuticauda Teruel, 2011

A identification key for the genus in Honduras is provided.

Abstract:
A new species of the genus Centruroides Marx 1890 is herein described from the west-central region of Honduras, which has been previously confused with Centruroides margaritatus (Gervais 1841). This species can be distinguished from the remaining members of the "margariatus" group by its relatively small size and the abundant metasomal setation, among other features. A key for the identification of the four Honduran members of this group is included.

Reference:
Teruel R. Una nueva especie de Centruroides Marx 1890 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) de Honduras, America Central. Boletin de la SEA. 2011(48):61-6.

Family Buthidae

Centruroides news from Central America

Luis de Armas and Rony Trujillo have published a paper looking into some Centruroides (Buthidae) from Central America. A new species is described from Guatemala and Honduras:

Centruroides fallassisimus Armas & Trujillo, 2010 [Name spelling error corrected 26.09.11]

In addition, Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) from Panama is restored to species status.

The paper has an identification key for Centruroides in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Abstract:
A new species of the buthid genus Centruroides Marx, 1890 is described from northeastern Guatemala and northwestem Honduras, Central America. lt resembles C. margaritatus (Gervals, 1841), but differs from it by having attenuated pedipalpal chelae and telson, the subaculear tubercle situated in a different position, almost bare pedipalps, having chelae with the dorsal intemal carina moderately granulose. It is suggested that some previous records of C. margaritatus might be misidentifications. A key is provided for the identification of the eight species ot this genus known from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Also, the Panamanian Centruroldes granosus (Thorell, 1876), comb. nov., is restored as a valid species.

Reference:
de Armas LF, Trujillo RE. Nueva especie de Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) de Guatemala y Honduras, America Central. Boletin de la SEA. 2010(47):235-40.

Family Buthidae