A new species of Androctonus from Turkey

 

Ersen Yagmur has recently published the description of a new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) from the Şanlıurfa Province in Turkey.

Androctonus turkiyensis Yagmur, 2021

The populations of this species have previously been identified as Anrodoctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807).

Abstract:
A new species Androctonus turkiyensis sp. n. is described and illustrated from the Şanlıurfa Province of Turkey. The new species is compared with A. crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), which was previously misidentified from Turkey. A. crassicauda specimens used for comparison were collected from Kashan County (Iran), the type locality of this species; a neotype from Kashan is designated.

Reference:
Yagmur EA. Androctonus turkiyensis sp. n. from the Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2021(341):1-18. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

A remarkable find of two new troglobitic species from the Dominican Republic

 

Rolando Teruel and co-workers have recently published an article describing two new fully troglomorphic species in the genus Cazierius Francke, 1978 (Diplocentridae) from isolate limestone caves in the Dominican Republic.

Cazierius cayacoa Teruel, Jimenez & de los Santos, 2021

Cazierius ciguayo Teruel, Jimenez & de los Santos, 2021 

There are little information available for the new species as only one specimen has been found of each species, but hopefully further exploration of the cave systems that are assumed to host these interesting species  will reveal more information about them.

Abstract:
Two new species of the Greater Antillean endemic scorpion genus Cazierius Francke, 1978, are herein described from the island of Hispaniola. They were found inside isolate limestone caves in the Dominican Republic and are fully troglomorphic, thus, apparently being strict troglobites that represent the first ever documented for this genus. The present additions raise the number of Hispaniolan species of both Cazierius and the family Diplocentridae Karsch, 1880, to five and ten, respectively.

Reference:
Teruel R, Jimenez C, de los Santos G. The first troglobitic scorpions from Hispaniola, Greater Antilles: two new species of Cazierius Francke, 1978 (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae). Euscorpius. 2021(340):1-9. [Open Access]

Family Diplocentridae

The identity of Centruroides hoffmanni and a new species of Centruroides from Chiapas, Mexico

 

Luis de Armas & Rolando Teruel have recently published an article discussion the identity of Centruroides hoffmanni Armas 1996 (Buthidae) in Mexico. This work has also resulted in the description of a new species of Centruroides from Chiapas, Mexico, previously misidentified as C. hoffmanni.

Centruroides concordia Armas & Teruel, 2021

Abstract:
The Mexican scorpion Centruroides hoffmanni Armas, 1996 was described on the basis of a supposed adult female (actually a juvenile) from La Gloria, Arriaga Municipality, southwest of the Chiapas State. In its redescription, this species was also recorded from the southeastern of Oaxaca State. Nevertheless, in the recent revision of the “thorellii” species-group of the genus Centruroides Marx, 1890, a new species from Chiapas was misidentified as C. hoffmanni and, also, an erroneous new diagnosis was given for C. hoffmanni. In the present contribution, this new species is named Centruroides concordia sp. n., and the correct identity of C. hoffmanni is established.

Reference:
de Armas LF, Teruel R. The correct identity of Centruroides hoffmanni Armas, 1996 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), with the description of a new species from Chiapas, Mexico. Euscorpius. 2021(339):1-5. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

A new, troglomorphic species in the enigmatic genus Troglotayosicus from Ecuador

 

One of the rarest and most enigmatic genera in South America is the troglomorphic genus Troglotayosicus Lourenço, 1981 (Troglotayosicidae). Ricardo Botero-Trujillo and co-workers have recently described a new species in this fascinating genus from Ecuador.

Troglotayosicus ballvei Botero-Trujillo, Ochoa & Prendini, 2021

The new species has troglomorphies, but doesn't seem to be troglobitic in nature as the specimens were collected in the leaf-litter on walls/stones of a collapse cave. It is only T. vachoni Lourenço, 1981 of the six species the genus that has been reported from a cave habitat.

Abstract:
For several decades, Troglotayosicus Lourenço, 1981, remained an enigmatic, monotypic scorpion genus believed to be troglobitic. The discovery and description in recent years of several endogean species of the genus, inhabiting the leaf litter of tropical rainforests in Colombia and Ecuador, advanced knowledge about these scorpions. The known distribution of Troglotayosicus was considerably expanded along the Andes, and it was demonstrated that, despite the absence of median ocelli, the genus is composed primarily of species that inhabit leaf litter. In the present study, Troglotayosicus ballvei, sp. nov., is described from Sacha Huagra Lodge, adjacent to Archidona Municipality, in Napo Province, Ecuador, raising the number of Troglotayosicus species to six, three each in Colombia and Ecuador. An updated map of the known distribution of the genus is presented.

Reference:
Botero-Trujillo R, Ochoa JA, Prendini L. A New Troglomorphic, Leaf-litter Scorpion from Ecuador (Troglotayosicidae: Troglotayosicus). American Museum Novitates. 2021(3981):1-24. [Open Access]

Thanks to Luis Roque for sending me this article!

Family Troglotayosicidae

A new species of Trypanothacus from Jordan

 

Mohammad Al-Saraireh and co-workers have recently described a new species of Trypanothacus Lowe, Kovarik, Stockmann & Stahlavsky, 2019 (Buthidae) from Jordan.

Trypanothacus azraqensis Al-Saraireh, Afifeh, Aloufi, Amr & Lourenco, 2021

Abstract:
The genus Trypanothacus Lowe, Kovařík, Stockmann & Šťáhlavský, 2019 (Family Buthidae) is recorded for the first time in Jordan and a new species is described based on specimens collected in the region of Al Azraq.

Reference:
Al-Saraireh M, Afifeh BA, Aloufi A, Amr ZS, Lourenco WR. First record of the genus Trypanothacus Lowe, Kovařík, Stockmann & Šťáhlavský, 2019 in Jordan and description of a new species (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Serket. 2021;18(1):11-21. [Open Access]

Thanks to Dr.Hisham K. El-Hennawy for sending me this article from the journal Serket!

Family Buthidae

A new species of Leiurus from Nigeria

 

Wilson Lourenco has recently published an article describing a new species of the medical important genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) from a savannah-like habitat in Nigeria.

Leiurus nigerianus Lourenco, 2021

Abstract:
One more African new species belonging to the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg is described. The description is based on two pre-adult male specimens collected in the region of Kaura Namoda, NW of Nigeria. The new species shows affinities with other Leiurus species distributed in the Western portion of Africa; however several characteristics attest that this population is certainly distinct. The ecological features of the type locality are particular since the area is characterised by savannah-like vegetation, instead of arid-desert formations; formation previously defined exclusively for Leiurus savanicola described from Cameroon. The type locality of the new species is the most Southwestern region of Africa in which a Leiurus species was collected.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. A new species of Leiurus Ehrenberg (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Nigeria, with extension of the distribution range of the genus to the Southwestern portion of the African continent. Serket. 2021;18(1):1-10. [Open Access]

Thanks to Dr.Hisham K. El-Hennawy for sending me this article from the journal Serket!

Buthidae

Systematics of the ‘thorellii’ clade of Centruroides and the efficacy of mini-barcodes for museum specimens

 

Museums around world have large collections of scorpions collected in the last centuries and the specimens found in these collections are naturally important in the study of scorpion taxonomy and diversity. 

Today's studies on taxonomy and phylogeny are relying more and more on molecular and genetic tools, and old museum specimens may pose a problems for these tools as they have never been preserved in the collections with these in mind. 

Aaron Goodman and co-workers have recently published an article investigating the efficacy of mini-barcodes combined with longer sequences of the Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I (COI) gene in the systematics of scorpions. This method can be used on old, badly preserved museums specimens from complete barcodes cannot be obtained.

The results also support the recognition of nine species of the ‘thorellii’ clade, in accordance with a recent taxonomic revision published by the same authors.

Abstract:
Fragmented and degraded DNA is pervasive among museum specimens, hindering molecular phylogenetics and species identification. Mini-barcodes, 200–300-base-pair (bp) fragments of barcoding genes, have proven effective for species-level identification of specimens from which complete barcodes cannot be obtained in many groups, but have yet to be tested in arachnids. The present study investigated the efficacy of mini-barcodes combined with longer sequences of the Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I (COI) gene in the systematics of the arboreal Neotropical ‘thorellii’ clade of Centruroides Marx, 1890 bark scorpions (Buthidae, C.L. Koch 1837), the species of which have proven to be difficult to identify and delimit due to their similar morphology. The phylogeny of 53 terminals, representing all nine species of the clade and representative species belonging to related clades of Centruroides, rooted on Heteroctenus junceus (Herbst, 1800) and based on up to 1078 base pairs of COI and 112 morphological characters, is presented to test the monophyly of the clade and the limits of its component species. The results support the recognition of nine species of the ‘thorellii’ clade, in accordance with a recent taxonomic revision, and highlight the efficacy of mini-barcodes for identifying morphologically similar cryptic species using specimens of variable age and preservation.

Reference:
Goodman AM, Prendini L, Esposito LA. Systematics of the Arboreal Neotropical ‘thorellii’Clade of Centruroides Bark Scorpions (Buthidae) and the Efficacy of Mini-Barcodes for Museum Specimens. Diversity. 2021;13(9):441. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae