A new troglobitic genus and species described from Australia

Erich Volschenk and Lorenzo Prendini has described an interesting new troglobitic genus and species from Ledge Cave, Barrow Island, off the north-western coast of Western Australia:

Aops Volschenk & Prendini, 2008 (Urodacidae)*
Aops oncodactylus Volschenk & Prendini, 2008 (Urodacidae)*

*The family Urodacidae was abolished by Soleglad, Fet & Kovarik in 2005 and the subfamily Urodacinae was transfered to Scorpionidae. Volschenk & Prendini have not accepted this deccision (more information about this), and retained the family Urodacidae (and placed the new genus and species in this family because of its close relationship to Urodacus). The taxonomy of The Scorpion Files follows Soleglad & Fet (2005), and I have here listed Aops in Scorpionidae. This is formally not correct, but is the best choice in the current situation until a new revision on higher scorpion systematics is published.

The paper also has a very interesting review of scorpion troglobites and discuss the different forms of troglobitic lifestyle and troglomorphisms (troglomorphic adaptions) in scorpions.

Here is the abstract from the paper:

"
We describe a new genus and species of troglomorphic scorpion from Ledge Cave, Barrow Island, off the north-western coast of Western Australia. This troglobite scorpion was initially difficult to place within the superfamily Scorpionoidea Latreille on account of its unusual morphology. Based on cladistic analysis, we demonstrate that this scorpion is phylogenetically most closely related to the endemic Australian genus Urodacus Peters (Urodacidae Pocock). The new taxon, named Aops oncodactylus, gen. et sp. nov., is the first troglobitic urodacid and the first troglobitic scorpion recorded from continental Australia. In light of this discovery, we re-assess the known diversity of troglobitic scorpions and the troglomorphic adaptations (troglomorphies) of cavernicolous scorpions. A distinction is recognised between the exclusive occurrence in cavernicolous habitats and the presence of troglomorphies, which are exhibited by some endogean (humicolous) scorpions. The definition of troglobitic scorpions is limited to species that are both restricted to cavernicolous habitats and exhibit pronounced troglomorphies. Only 20 scorpion species meet both criteria and are considered unequivocally troglobitic according to this definition.
"

Reference:
Volschenk ES, Prendini L. Aops oncodactylus, gen. et sp. nov, the frist troglobitic urodacid (Urodacidae: Scorpiones), with a re-assessment of cavernicolus, troglobitic and troglomorphic scorpions. Invertebrate Systematics. 2008;22:235. [Subscription required for fulltext]

Family Scorpionidae

A new book about scorpions and humans

Gerard Dupre has recently published the book "Des Scorpions et des Hommes". The publisher has released the following information about the book:

Historians of science have not paid much interest in the history of zoology and even less than the scorpionology. This gap is now partially filled with this book. The scorpions have always fascinated people in the same way that snakes across the danger they can pose to everyone. To classify these animals within the meaning of the zoological term is the subject of the first part of this study. Then the biology of these animals will be explored in the course of history since the earliest human writing until today. Finally, the main part of the book will reveal all reports that different civilizations and religions have had with scorpions through the mythology and medicine.

This french book of 424 pages includes 58 figures and is based on about 1200 references found in a dozen different languages. From size 14 x 20, it is available from the APCI at a price of 20 euros.

Part II of a major review of the scorpions of Iran has been published with the descritpion of a new Compsobuthus species

Part II of a major review of the scorpions of Iran has been published in issue 67 of the journal Euscorpius.

The paper list 14 species from the Bushehr region and their distribution. An identification key for the species are given. Good color photos are given for most species and also habitats.

One new species is described:

Compsobuthus persicus Navidpour, Soleglad, Fet & Kovarik 2008

Reference:Navidpour S, Kovarik F, Soleglad ME, Fet V. Scorpions of Iran (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part II. BushehrProvince. Euscorpius. 2008(67):1-33. [Fulltext freely available, but large file (9.3 mb)]

Family Buthidae

New Diplocentrus species from Mexico

A new species of Diplocentrus has been described from the community of San Miguel Tenango in Southern Oaxaca, Mexico:

Diplocentrus tenango Santibanez-Lopez & Francke, 2008 (Scorpionidae)

Please note that authors that follow the classification of Prendini & Wheeler (2005) place Diplocentrus in Diplocentridae, which was placed as a subfamily in Scorpionidae by Fet & Soleglad (2005).

Reference:
Santibanez-Lopez CE, Francke OF. A new species of Diplocentrus (Arachnida: Scorpiones) from Oaxaca, Mexico. Zootaxa. 2008(1742):53-60

Family Scorpionidae

New Chactopsis species from Colombia

Richardo Botero-Trujillo has recently published a new species of Chactopsis from Selva de Mataven in Eastern Colombia:

Chactopsis carolinae Botero-Trujillo, 2008 (Euscorpiidae)*

This is the first reccord of Chactopsis in Colombia.

* The author follows Prendini & Wheeler's (2005) family classification, which place the genus Chactopsis in Chactidae.

Reference:
Botero-Trujillo R. First reccord of the scorpion genus Chactopsis Kraepelin in Colombia, with the description of Chactopsis carolinae sp. nov. (Scorpiones: Chactidae). Zootaxa. 2008(1743):34-42

Family Euscorpiidae

Parthenogenesis in scorpions - new review article

Professor Wilson Lourenco has published an interesting review on parthenogenesis in scorpions. This is a rare phenomenon in arachnids, but so far parthenogenesis has been reported in 12 scorpion species:

Tityus columbianus (Thorell, 1876)
T. metuendus Pocock, 1897
T. serrulatus Lutz & Mello, 1922
Tityus sp. [New sp. not yet described - info in the article]
T. stigmurus (Thorell, 1876)
T. trivittatus Kraepelin, 1898
T. uruguayensis Borelli, 1901
Ananteris coineaui Lourenco, 1982
Centruroides gracilis (Latreille, 1804)
Hottentotta caboverdensis Lourenco & Ythier, 2006
H. hottentotta (Fabricius, 1787)
Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775)

Professor Lourenco discuss the general theory behind parthenogenesis in animals, compare these to the situation seen in scorpions, and finally presents some selected examples of geographic parthenogenesis in scorpions.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. Parthenogenesis in scorpions: Some history - new data. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases. 2008;14(1):19-44. [Fulltext freely available, but issue 1, 2008 has not been published on the website yet]

Two new species listed in Centruroides (Buthidae)

The following two species were raised from subspecies to species rank in 1999, but have not previously been known to me until now:

Centruroides baergi Hoffmann, 1932 (Buthidae)
Centruroides meisei Hoffmann, 1939 (Buthidae)

Thanks to Alex Tietz for notifying me about these two species!

Reference:
de Armas LF, Martin Frias E. Complementos a la taxonomía de Centruroides nigrovariatus y C. elegans (Scorpiones: Buthidae) de México. Anales de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas. 1999;44:27-35.

Family Buthidae