Relationship between scorpion sting events and environmental conditions in mainland France

 

Jules-Antoine Vaucel and co-workers have published a thorough study of scorpion stings in mainland France. This is interesting in itself and I find it especially interesting that they report of one event of scorpion sting involving the enigmatic B. xambeui Simon, 1879 (Belisaiidae). Unfortunately, they present no details on this incident, but I guess it caused no serious morbidity. Other species represented in the study were Buthus occitanus (Amoreux, 1789) (Buthidae) and Euscorpius concinnus (Koch, 1837), Euscorpius italicus (Herbst, 1800), Euscorpius tergestinus (Koch, 1837), and Tetratrichobothrius flavicaudis (De Geer, 1778) (all in the family Euscorpiidae).

As the title indicate, the authors have tried to find a relationship relationship between scorpion sting events and environmental conditions like level of sunshine, temperature etc. The authors conclude that climatic variations could well predict encounters between humans and scorpions in France. 

Abstract:
In the world, the impact of environmental conditions on the number of scorpion events was evaluated in North Africa,Middle East, and the Amazonian region but not in Europe. In mainland France, scorpion species described are Buthus occitanus (Amoreux, 1789), Belisarius xambeui (Simon, 1879) and 4 Euscorpiidae: Euscorpius concinnus (Koch, 1837), Euscorpius italicus (Herbst, 1800), Euscorpius tergestinus (Koch, 1837), and Tetratrichobothrius flavicaudis (De Geer, 1778). We aimed to describe the impact of environmental conduction on the number of scorpion events. For this, a retrospective multi-center study was conducted with data from the French poison control centers files about scorpion events between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2020. During the study period, 975 incoming calls for scorpion events were recorded and 574 were related to scorpions native to mainland France and Corsica: B. occitanus (n = 86), Euscorpiidae species (n = 222), B. xambeui (n = 1), and undetermined species (n = 265). Cases were mostly reported along the Mediterranean coast, along rivers, and in cities with a trading port. The number of scorpion events was linked to the rivers' water level, rivers' flow, temperature, sunshine, and pluviometry (P < 0.05 for all variables). B. occitanus need warmest and driest environment than Euscorpiidae spp. A link between the severity of the envenoming and climatic condition or seasonality was not demonstrated.

Reference:
Vaucel JA, Larreche S, Paradis C, Labadie M, Courtois A, Grenet G, et al. Relationship Between Scorpion Stings Events and Environmental Conditions in Mainland France. J Med Entomol. 2021. [Subscription required for full text]

A large revision of parts of the genus Euscorpius with two new genera

The genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Euscorpiidae) has turned out two be very complex with many cryptic and hidden taxa that has only been revealed after genetical analysis. A large number of new species have been described in the last decade.

Less attention have been on the complex Alpiscorpius complex containing the old taxa Euscorpius germanus C. L. Koch, 1837 and E. mingrelicus Kessler, 1874. Frantisek Kovarik and co-workers have now published a major study investigating this species complex in Italy, Austria and Slovenia. The study has resulted in the following taxonomical changes:

Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999 is raised from subgenus status. The following species are included in this genus (New comb. = Transfered from genus Euscorpius):

A. alpha (Caporiaco, 1950). New comb.

A. beroni (Fet, 2000). New comb.

A. beta (Di Caporiacco, 1950). New status. Previously part of E. alpha.

A. delta Kovarik, Stundlova, Fet & Stahlavsky, 2019. New species from Italy.

A. gamma (Caporiaco, 1950). New comb.

A. germanus (C.L. Koch, 1837). New comb.

A. kappa Kovarik, Stundlova, Fet & Stahlavsky, 2019. New species from Slovenia.

A. lambda Kovarik, Stundlova, Fet & Stahlavsky, 2019. New species from Slovenia and Italy (?).

A. mingrelicus (Kessler, 1874). New comb.

A. omega Kovarik, Stundlova, Fet & Stahlavsky, 2019. New species from Slovenia.

A. omikron Kovarik, Stundlova, Fet & Stahlavsky, 2019. New species from Slovenia.

A. phrygius (Bonacina, 1980). New comb.

A. sigma Kovarik, Stundlova, Fet & Stahlavsky, 2019. New species from Italy and Slovenia.

A. uludagensis (Lacroix, 1995). New comb.

A. ypsilon Kovarik, Stundlova, Fet & Stahlavsky, 2019. New species from Austria and Slovenia.

The authors inform that the populations of Euscorpius (Alpiscorpius) spp. in the major part of the Balkan Peninsula remain unrevised. This means that there may be further changes in the future.

Tetratrichobothrius Birula, 1917 is raised from subspecies status and the genus' only species is Tetratrichobothrius flavicaudis (DeGeer, 1778), which is transfered from Euscorpius.

The article has a identification key for the new genus Alpiscorpius.

Abstract:
Two subgenera of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) are elevated to the genus status: Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, stat. n. and Tetratrichobothrius Birula, 1917, stat. n. Seven new Alpine scorpion species are described and illustrated: Alpiscorpius delta sp. n. (Italy) from the “alpha group” (“germanus complex”); A. kappa sp. n. (Slovenia) and A. lambda sp. n. (Slovenia) from the “germanus group” (“germanus complex”); A. omega sp. n. (Slovenia), A. omikron sp. n. (Slovenia), A. sigma sp. n. (Italy, Slovenia), and A. ypsilon sp. n. (Austria, Slovenia) from the “gamma group” (“mingrelicus complex”). The taxonomic validity of these cryptic species is confirmed through cytogenetic and DNA analysis (Štundlová et al., 2019). Alpiscorpius beta (Di Caporiacco, 1950), comb. n., stat. n. (Italy, Switzerland) is restored from synonymy and elevated to species level within the “alpha group”. Euscorpius germanus marcuzzii Valle et al., 1971 (Italy), recently elevated to species level, is synonymized with Alpiscorpius germanus (C. L. Koch, 1837), comb. n. (which is found in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland but not in Slovenia). The genus Alpiscorpius currently includes 15 valid species (6 in “germanus complex” and 9 in “mingrelicus complex”). Many populations of Alpiscorpius spp. from the Balkan Peninsula, formerly listed under Euscorpius gamma or E. mingrelicus, remain unassigned.

Reference:
Kovarik F, Stundlova J, Fet V, Stahlavsky F. Seven new Alpine species of the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, stat. n. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Euscorpius. 2019(287):1-19. [Open Access]

Family Euscorpiidae