A review of the scorpions of Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles and a description of a new species of Oiclus

 

Eric Ythier and Thibault Ramage recently published an article with an updated list of the scorpions found in The Guadeloupe archipelago (Lesser Antilles) and their distribution. A new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 (Diplocentridae) is described from the island of La Désirade.

Oiclus desirade Ythier & Ramage, 2025

The article has an identification key for the known species in The Guadeloupe archipelago.

Abstract:
A synopsis is provided for the scorpions of the Guadeloupe archipelago, including diagnoses, illustrations and distribution records. A biodiversity survey recently conducted in three islands of Guadeloupe (La Désirade, Marie-Galante and Les Saintes) allowed the description of a new species of the genus Oiclus Simon, 1880: O. desirade sp. n. from La Désirade, possibly endemic from this island. This new taxon raises to height the number of described Oiclus species and confirms again that this genus endemic to the Lesser Antilles is more diverse than originally suspected. The number of known scorpion species occurring in the Guadeloupe archipelago is increased to nine. A map of their geographical distribution is presented and a key for their identification is provided. Comments on the conservation status of some species from Guadeloupe are also proposed.

Reference:
Ythier E, Ramage T. Synopsis of the scorpions (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Diplocentridae) of Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, with description of a new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 from La Désirade. Faunitaxys. 2025;13(23):1–12. [Open Access]

Family Diplocentridae

A new species of Oiclus from Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles

 

Eric Ythier and co-workers have recently described a new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 (Diplocentridae) from Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles.

 Oiclus tite Ythier, Jourdan & Malglaive, 2022

 The article includes an identification key for the genus in the area.

Abstract:
The scorpion fauna of Petite Terre, in the Guadeloupe archipelago, Lesser Antilles, is studied for the first time, based on material recently collected during an entomological inventory. Two species are discovered here, Centruroides pococki Sissom & Francke, 1983 (family Buthidae C. L. Koch, 1837; also recorded from several other islands in the Lesser Antilles) and a new species of the genus Oiclus Simon, 1880 (family Diplocentridae Karsch, 1880), O. tite n. sp., described in this work and possibly endemic to Petite Terre. This new taxon raises to seven the number of described Oiclus species (one of them being polytypic) and confirms again that this genus endemic to the Lesser Antilles is more diverse than originally suspected. The number of known Oiclus species occurring in the Guadeloupe archipelago is increased to five; a map of their geographical distribution is presented and a key for their identification is provided.

Reference:
Ythier E, Jourdan T, Malglaive L. The Scorpions of Petite Terre, Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, with description of a new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 (Scorpiones, Buthidae, Diplocentridae). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France. 2022;127(2):187-201. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Eric for sending me this article!

Family Diplocentridae

Three new species of Oiclus from the Guadeloupe islands

Eric Ythier also published a second paper this summer. In this paper three new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 (Scorpionidae) are described from the Guadeloupe islands.

Oiclus ardens Ythier, 2019 (Guadeloupe: BasseTerre)
Oiclus cousteaui Ythier, 2019 (Guadeloupe: Îlets Pigeon)
Oiclus tipunch Ythier, 2019 (Guadeloupe: Îles des Saintes)

It has to be mentioned that the new species name "tipunch" refers to the national drink "ti’ punch" that is popular in the Guadeloupe islands and other French overseas departments. First time a scorpion is named after a drink? ;)

The article also has an identification key for the genus.

Abstract:
Three new species of scorpion belonging to the genus Oiclus Simon, 1880 (family Diplocentridae Karsch, 1880) are described on the basis of material collected in two islands and one islet of the Guadeloupe archipelago in Lesser Antilles: Basse Terre, Terrede Haut (Îles des Saintes) and Grand Îlet (Îlets Pigeon). The new descriptions raise to six the number of Oiclus species (one of them being polytypic) and confirm again that this genus endemic to Lesser Antilles is more diverse than suspected. Material collected in Grande Terre (Guadeloupe) and Saint Barthélemy also adds new localities for the two species previously described from these islands.

Reference:
Ythier E. On the genus Oiclus Simon, 1880 (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae) in Guadeloupe islands, with description of three new species. Arachnida - Rivista Aracnologica Italiana. 2019;5(12):17-49.

Thanks to Eric for sending me his article!

Family Scorpionidae

A new Tityus from Martinique, Lesser Antilles

Wilson Lourenco has recently published a paper describing a new species of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Buthidae) from the island of Martinique (Lesser Antilles).

Tityus marechali Lourenco, 2013

Abstract:
Tityus marechali sp. n. is described from the island of Martinique, Lesser Antilles. It is tentatively placed in the subgenus Tityus s. str. pedning further studies on the intrageneric classification. The new species, described from two males and three females taken in a patch of secondary or pristine tropical forest in the region of Grande Anse, seems to be a local endemic.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. A new species of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the island of Martinique, Lesser Antilles. Arthropoda Selecta. 2013;22(3):227-31.

Thanks to professor Lourenco for sending me his paper!

Family Buthidae

The scorpions of Sint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles

Rolando Teruel and Hannah Madden have published an interesting paper describing the scorpion fauna of Sint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles. Three species from three genera and two families were found on the island. The paper has information about the habitat of the species present, and also an identification key for the taxa on the island.

Abstract:
In the present note, we revise the scorpion fauna of the small island of Sint Eustatius, in the Lesser Antilles. A total of two families, three genera and three species are confirmed to occur there: the buthids Centruroides barbudensis (Pocock, 1898) and Isometrus maculatus (DeGeer, 1778), and the scorpionid Oiclus purvesii (Becker, 1880). These include the first record of the occurrence in Sint Eustatius of the family Scorpionidae and the genus Oiclus Simon, 1880, as well as the first published findings of I. maculatus since 1942. A key to the easy identification of all three species is provided.

Reference:
Teruel R, Madden H. The Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) of Sint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles. Euscorpius. 2012 (145):1-9. [Free full text]

Tityus smithii restored and a revision of Tityus from the Lesser Antilles

Rolando Teruel has made a revision of the Tityus described from the Lesser Antilles. Tityus smithii Pocock, 1893 is restored to species status and redescribed. Tityus pictus Pocock, 1893 is redescribed.

Abstract:
In the present paper, the taxonomic status of Tityus pictus Pocock, 1893 and all of its junior synonyms is revised. Tityus smithii Pocock, 1893 is restored as a valid species, and the subspecies Tityus smithii microdon Pocock, 1893 (currently T. pictus microdon) is regarded as its junior synonym. Both T. pictus and T. smithii are redescribed, supplementary information on their morphological variability are given, and their geographical distribution is up- dated, including a new locality record for the latter. Also, the taxonomic position and relationships of all Lesser Antillean species of the genus are clarified: it is demonstrated that T. exstinctus Lourenço, 1995 and Tityus insignis Pocock, 1889 are actually more closely related to T. pictus and T. smithii, and they all form a morphologically compact group of species which shows no clear affinities to any other species-group but “crassimanus” and “quisqueyanus”.

Reference:
Teruel R. Redescription of Tityus pictus Pocock, 1893 and Tityus smithii Pocock, 1893, with notes of the Tityus species from Lesser Antilles (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2011(125):1-26. [Free fultext].

Family Buthidae

New Centruroides from Lesser Antilles and a redescription of Centruroides granosus

de Armas, Teruel & Kovarik have published a paper where they present a redescription of Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) (Buthidae) from Panama.

In the same paper the identity of Centrurus granosus simplex Thorell, 1876 from the Lesser Antilles is discussed. The authors propose a species status for Centruroides simplex (Thorell, 1876). C. simplex is proposed as a senior synonym of Centruroides hasethi arubensis Stahnke & Calos, 1977 and Centruroides testaceus arubensis Sissom, 1991.

Abstract:
Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) is redescribed based on several specimens of both sexes from Panama. We demonstrate that the original description of this species was based on an immature (subadult) male, which is herein designated as the lectotype. We conclude that Centrurus granosus simplex Thorell, 1876 is a senior synonym of Centruroides testaceus arubensis (Bakker, 1963), and elevate it to species level: Centruroides simplex (Thorell, 1876), comb. nov.

Reference:
de Armas LF, Teruel R, Kovarik F. Redescription of Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) and identity of Centrurus granosus simplex Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2011(127):1-11. [Free fultext]

Family Buthidae

A redescription of Tityus atriventer

Rolando Teruel and Frantisek Kovarik have published an article with a redescription of Tityus atriventer Pocock, 1897 (Buthidae) from the Caribbean.

Abstract:
The largely neglected Lesser Antillean scorpion Tityus atriventer Pocock, 1897 is herein redescribed, after study of the two syntypes and one additional adult male. The latter was recently collected from Union Island (about 55 km northeast of Grenada), and it implies the first published finding of this species after its original description, and the first record of the species both outside the type-locality and from the Grenadines islands. The taxonomic position of T. atriventer is clarified (including designation of a lectotype and a paralectotype), its diagnosis is updated, a fully illustrated redescription is presented according to the current taxonomy of the genus, and a comparison to its morphologically closest relatives is also provided.

Reference:
Teruel R, Kovarik F. Redescription and taxonomic position of Tityus atriventer Pocock, 1897 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2011(115):1-9. [Free fultext]

Family Buthidae

Description of the female of Oiclus nanus

Teruel & Chazal described very recently Oiclus nanus Teruel & Chazal, 2010 (Scorpionidae) from Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles. In the current paper, the adult female is described for the first time.

Abstract:
The adult female of Oiclus nanus Teruel et Chazal, 2010 is herein described for the first time, on the basis of a topotypic specimen. Taxonomic diagnosis of this species endemic from Guadeloupe is emended, and the comparison to its closest relative is also improved.

Reference:
Teruel R, Chazal L. On the adult female of Oiclus nanus Teruel et Chazal, 2010 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae: Diplocentrinae). Euscorpius. 2010(106):1-6. [Free fulltext]

Family Scorpionidae

A new Oiclus species from Lesser Antilles

Rolando Teruel & Leonard Chazal have recently described a new species of Oiclus (Scorpionidae) from a dry costal forest in Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles:

Oiclus nanus Teruel & Chazal, 2010

Abstract:
A new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 is described from Guadeloupe in Lesser Antilles. It is closely related to Oiclus purvesii s. s. (Becker, 1880), and represents the first record of this genus from mainland Guadeloupe. The previous record of O. purvesii s. s. from Terre-de-Haut (Les Saintes, a small islet offshore Basse-Terre) is regarded as dubious, as it possibly refers to the new taxon herein described. Also, some topics on the taxonomy and distribution of this genus are briefly discussed.

Reference:
Teruel R, Chazal L. A new species of the genus Oiclus Simon, 1880 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae: Diplocentrinae) from Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles. Euscorpius. 2010(92):1-9. [Free fulltext]

Family Scorpionidae

New Oiclus species from the Lesser Antilles

Rolando Teruel (2008) has described a new species in the genus Oiclus from the island of Saint-Barthelemy (Lesser Antilles):

Oiclus questeli Teruel, 2008 (Scorpionidae)

This is the seccond species described for this previous monotypic, endemic genus from the Lesser Antilles.

The papers also discuss some topics on the taxonomy and distribution of the genus.

Reference:
Teruel R. A new species of Oiclus Simon 1880 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae: Diplocentrinae) from Saint-Barthelemy, Lesser Antilles. Boletin Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa. 2008(43):95-9. [Subscription required for fulltext for recent years, but free fulltext for older issues]

Family Scorpionidae