A review of the scorpion fauna of Syria and their distribution

 

Ersen Yagmur and Nazir Khalil have recently published a review of the scorpion fauna of Syria. The scorpion fauna of Syria has not been extensively investigated and the article present a historic overview of scientific reports previously published on this topic.

The article reports of 19 valid species and 2 subspecies from 11 genera in the families Buthidae, Diplocentridae, and Scorpionidae. Several previously reported taxa are removed from the list of Syrian scorpions. New locality reports are also listed for several species. 

In his mega-revision, Prendini (2026) raised Aegaeobuthus bishri (Lourenço, 2020) (Buthidae) to species status from sub-species status. This change has not yet been included in The Scorpion Files. Yagmur & Khalil have changed this taxa back to sub-species status as Aegaeobuthus nigrocinctus bishri (Lourenço, 2020) due to lack of justification by Prendini.

Abstract:
This study reviews and lists the scorpion fauna of Syria according to current scorpion systematics. Critical evaluation of published records confirms 19 valid species and 2 subspecies across 11 genera and 3 families (Buthidae, Diplocentridae, and Scorpionidae); erroneous records (21 species) have been excluded. New locality records are reported for Aegaeobuthus nigrocinctus (Ehrenberg, 1828), Buthacus tadmorensis (Simon, 1892), Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905), and Scorpio kruglovi Birula, 1910.  Additionally, Aegaeobuthus bishri (Lourenço, 2020) is herein treated as a subspecies of A. nigrocinctus.

Reference:
Yagmur EA, Khalil N. A Review on Scorpion (Arachnida: Scorpiones) Fauna of Syria with New Locality Records. Commagene Journal of Biology. 2026;10(1):211–25. [Open Access]

Thanks to Ersen for sending me their article! 

First record of Scorpio jordanensis from Syria

 

Ersen Yagmur and Ahmed Badry recently reported the discovery of Scorpio jordanensis Afifeh, Yagmur, Al-Saraireh & Amr, 2024 (Scorpionidae) from Syria. This species has previously only been reported from Jordan.

Abstract:
Scorpio jordanensis Abu Afifeh et al., 2024 is recently described from Jordan. Now, it is recorded from Syria. Its illustrations and measurements are given.

Reference:
Yagmur EA, Badry A. First record of Scorpio jordanensis from Syria (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae). Serket. 2024;20(3):230-5. [Open Access]

Thanks to Hisham El-Hennawy for sending me this article!

Venom composition in the medical important scorpion Leiurus abdullahbayrami from The Middle East

 

The 23 species in the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) have the most potent venom of all scorpions and posing a medical threat to humans in their area of distribution. Knowledge of the venom composition and potency of the different species is important for correct treatment and the use of antivenom.

Adolfo Borges and Bruno Lomonte have recently published a study of the venom composition of Leiurus abdullahbayrami Yagmur, Koc & Kunt, 2009, distributed in Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. This species have been involved in serious envenomations and this study confirms the potency of its venom. 

The study also found that the venom composition in Leiurus abdullahbayrami and other species vary and more research on this potential interspecific variation is necessary to decide whether a species-specific antivenom is necessary for sting cases involving this species.

Abstract:
The scorpion Leiurus abdullahbayrami has been associated with severe/lethal envenomings throughout the Levant region of the Middle East, encompassing Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon, and only scarce information is available on its venom composition, activity, and antigenicity. We report on the composition of L. abdullahbayrami venom collected from Lebanese specimens using nESI-MS/MS, MALDI-TOF MS, SDS-PAGE and RP-HPLC. Venom lethality, through LD50 determination in mice (intraperitoneal), was also assessed (0.75 (0.16–1.09) mg/kg), confirming L.abdullahbayrami venom vertebrate toxicity. Fifty-four peaks were detected using RP-HPLC, half of which eluted in the gradient region between 20 and 40% acetonitrile. In reducing SDS-PAGE, most predominant components were <10 kDa, with minor components at higher molecular masses of 24.4, 43.1, and 48.9 kDa. Venom mass fingerprint by MALDI-TOF detected 21 components within the 1000–12,000 m/z range. Whole venom ‘shotgun’ bottom-up nLC-MS/MS approach, combined with in-gel tryptic digestion of SDS-PAGE bands, identified at least 113 different components belonging to 15 venom families and uncharacterized proteins, with ion channel-active components (K+ channel toxins (28); Na+ channel toxins (42); Cl􀀀 channel toxins (4); Ca+ toxins (2)) being predominant. A single match for a L. adbullahbayrami NaTx was found in the UniProt database with other congeneric species, toxin h3.1 from Leiurus hebraeus, suggesting this might be an indication of venom divergence within Leiurus, eventhough this warrants further investigation involving venom proteomics and transcriptomics of relevant species. Considering such potential interspecific venom variation, future work should address whether preparation of a specific anti-L. abdullahbayrami antivenom is justified.

Reference:
Borges A, Lomonte B. Venomics of Leiurus abdullahbayrami, the most lethal scorpion in the Levant region of the Middle East. Toxicon. 2024;237:107548. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Luis A. Roque for informing me about this article!

A new study elevates several Scorpio maurus subspecies in Palestina and Israel to species status

Scorpio maurus Linneaus, 1758 (Scorpionidae) has been considered monotypic (one species) for almost a century, having at the most 19 recognized subspecies. In spite of a wide distribution in Africa and Asia and occurrence in different habitats, is has been very difficult to find taxonomical characteristics proving that Scorpio maurus in reality is a species complex with many hidden species. The opinion for many years has been that Scorpio maurus is a single, widespread, polymorphic species.

In 2009, Lourenco elevated several subspecies in North Africa to species status. Since them, other species have been described (Blog posts on Scorpio). Talal and co-workers have now published a very interesting study of the Scorpio maurus populations in Palestina and Israel, focusing especially on the two subspecies Scorpio maurus fuscus Ehrenberg, 1829 and Scorpio maurus palmatus Ehrenberg, 1829. The study revealed seven geographically-delimited clades of Scorpio maurus, corresponding to at least four currently recognized subspecies in their study area. Based on genetic, morphological and behavioral support, the authors elevate four subspecies to species status. The results presented support the theory that Scorpio maurus in reality is a species complex, comprising of multiple distinct phylogenetic, ecological and biological species.

Scorpio fuscus (Ehrenberg, 1829). Previously Scorpio maurus fuscus Ehrenberg, 1829.
Scorpio kruglovi (Ehrenberg, 1829). Previously Scorpio maurus kruglovi Ehrenberg, 1829.
Scorpio palmatus (Ehrenberg, 1829). Previously Scorpio maurus palmatus Ehrenberg, 1829.
Scorpio propinquus (Simon, 1872). Previously Scorpio maurus propinquus Simon, 1872.

 Check the article for information about the distribution of the new species.

Abstract:
Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758 (family Scorpionidae Latreille, 1802) was considered monotypic for over a century, and comprised a single species, Scorpio maurus Linnaeus, 1758, with 19 subspecies, distributed fromWest Africa, throughout the Maghreb and the Middle East, to Iran. Two parapatric subspecies, Scorpio maurus fuscus (Ehrenberg, 1829) and Scorpio maurus palmatus (Ehrenberg, 1828), have long been recognized in Israel.We examined morphological variation, burrow architecture and genetic divergence among 39 populations across the distribution of the two subspecies to assess whether they are conspecific and, if not, how many species might be involved. Cuticle coloration, pedipalp chela digital carina condition, and selectedmeasurements were recorded. Sixty burrows were excavated and examined for burrow structure and depth. A multilocus dataset comprising concatenated fragments of one nuclear (28S rDNA) and three mitochondrial (12S rDNA, 16S rDNA, Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I) loci, totaling ca. 2400 base-pairs, was produced for individuals, and a single-locus dataset comprising 658 base-pairs of the COI locus for 156 individuals. Despite overlapping ranges in morphometric characters of pedipalp chela shape, the putative subspecies were easily distinguished by cuticle coloration and condition of the pedipalp chela digital carina, and were also found to differ significantly in burrow architecture and depth. Phylogeographical analyses of the COI and multilocus datasets recovered seven distinct clades. Separate analyses of mitochondrial sequences, and combined analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear sequences support most clades. The two major clades corresponded with the geographical distributions of S. m. fuscus and S. m. palmatus in the region. Specimens from these clades were genetically distinct, and exhibited different burrow structure in geographically-proximate localities, suggesting reproductive isolation. The palmatus clade included two distinct subclades of specimens from localities adjacent to the Dead Sea. Three other clades, comprising specimens from the most northeastern localities, were tentatively assigned to subspecies previously recorded in neighboring Jordan and Syria. The morphological, behavioral and genetic evidence supports previous suggestions that Scorpio maurus is a species complex and justifies the following taxonomic emendations: Scorpio fuscus (Ehrenberg, 1829), stat. nov.; Scorpio kruglovi (Ehrenberg, 1829), stat. nov.; Scorpio palmatus (Ehrenberg, 1828), stat. nov.; Scorpio propinquus (Simon, 1872), stat. nov.

Reference:
Talal S, Tesler I, Sivan J, Ben-Shlomo R, Muhammad Tahir H, Prendini L, et al. Scorpion speciation in the Holy Land: Multilocus phylogeography corroborates diagnostic differences in morphology and burrowing behavior among Scorpio subspecies and justifies recognition as phylogenetic, ecological and biological species. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2015 May 15.[Subscription required for full text]

Family Scorpionidae

Biology of scorpions from Syria

There are limited data available about the scorpion fauna of Syria. Awan Shehab and co-workers have recently published a paper on the ecology and biology of scorpions in Palmyra, Syria.

The paper takes an extra look at the population structure of Buthacus tadmorensis (Simon, 1892).

Abstract:
Near Palmyra, in the Syrian Desert, 5 species of scorpions belonging to 2 families (Buthidae and Scorpionidae) were observed; Buthacus tadmorensis, Androctonus crassicauda, Leiurus quinquestriatus, Orthochirus scrobiculosus, and Scorpio maurus palmatus. B. tadmorensis accounted for 80.6% of the total number of recovered or observed scorpions, while O. scrobiculosus was the least common (1.4%). Pitfall traps proved to be more effi cient at sampling (304 individuals) than checking under stones (57 individuals). Pitfall trapping results showed that scorpion abundance differed significantly between the 3 survey areas, while their abundance showed no significant diff erence among the 3 areas when employing the under-stone method. Notes on predation of scorpions (interspecific and intraspecific) and predators of scorpions are also included. Seasonal abundance and emergence of scorpions is described briefly. Biometric data on collected scorpion species indicating their weight are given. Population structure of B. tadmorensis during the study period is analyzed.

Reference:
Shehab AH, Amr ZS, Lindsell JA. Ecology and biology of scorpions in Palmyra, Syria. Turkish Journal of Zoology. 2011;35(3):1-9. [Free fulltext]

Thanks to Gerard Dupre for sending me this paper!

Leiurus abdullahbayrami discovered in Syria

Recently, several new species have been split from Leiurus quinquestriatus (Ehrenberg, 1828). One of these was Leiurus abdullahbayrami Yagmur, Koc & Kunt, 2009, which was described from southeastern Turkey. Khalil & Yagmur now report that Leiurus abdullahbayrami Yagmur, Koc & Kunt, 2009 is also present in Syria.

Abstract:
This study reports second Leiurus species recorded first time for the Syrian scorpion fauna. The scorpion Leiurus abdullahbayrami Yağmur, Koç & Kunt, 2009, was recorded from Al-Hasakah Province and Homs Province. Morphology, ecological conditions and geographical distribution of the species are discussed.

Reference:
Khalil N, Yagmur EA. Leiurus abdullahbayrami (Scorpiones: Buthidae), a new species for the scorpion fauna of Syria. Serket. 2010;12(1):1-6.

Thanks to Ersen Yagmur for sending me his recent papers!

Family Buthidae