Five new species of Brachistosternus from deserts in Chile and Peru

Andres Ojanguren-Affilastro and co-workers have published a new paper on the Brachistosternus Pocock, 1893 (Bothriuridae) fauna in deserts in Chile and Peru. Five new species are described.

Brachistosternus anandrovestigia Ojanguren Affilastro, Pizarro-Araya & Ochoa, 2018 (Peru)

Brachistosternus contisuyu Ojanguren Affilastro, Pizarro-Araya & Ochoa, 2018 (Peru)

Brachistosternus gayi Ojanguren Affilastro, Pizarro-Araya & Ochoa, 2018 (Chile)

Brachistosternus misti Ojanguren Affilastro, Pizarro-Araya & Ochoa, 2018 (Peru)

Brachistosternus philippii Ojanguren Affilastro, Pizarro-Araya & Ochoa, 2018 (Chile)

Some diagnostic characters for the genus is also discussed.

Abstract:
Five new scorpion species of genus Brachistosternus of Chile and Peru are described. Brachistosternus gayi n. sp. is a high Andean species of north central Chile. Brachistosternus philippii n. sp. occurs near the coast of Antofagasta. Brachistosternus misti n. sp. occurs at intermediates altitudes of southern Peru. Brachistosternus contisuyu n. sp. occurs in Lomas formation in southern Peru. Brachistosternus anandrovestigia n. sp. occurs in coastal areas of southern Peru, and is the second known species of the genus without metasomal glands or androvestigia. Two diagnostic characters are discussed: the Internal Laminar Apophysis of the right hemispermatophore, and the sternum macrosetae.

Reference:
Ojanguren Affilastro AA, Pizarro-Araya J, Ochoa JA. Five new scorpion species of genus Brachistosternus (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae) from the deserts of Chile and Peru, with comments about some poorly studied diagnostic characters of the genus. Zootaxa. 2018;4531(2):151-94. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Andrés Ojanguren-Affilastro for sending me their article!

Family Bothriuridae

A new species of Auyantepuia from Brazil

Eric ythier has recently published an article describing a new species of Auyantepuia González Sponga, 1978 (Chactidae) from Brazil.

Auyantepuia royi Ythier, 2018

The article has an identification key for the genus.

Editors note: The status of the genus Auyantepuia is controversial. The genus has been synonymized and reinstated several times. At the moment, the genus is not listed in an ordinary way in The scorpion Files. Old species are listed in other genera (based on the latest synonymization), while new species described in the genus after 2010 are listed under Auyantepuia as it is not possible for me to assign them to other genera.This is a temporary solution until someone publish a revision of the genus and/or the Chactidae family. Se family page for more information. The following species is listed in the genus in the current article:

Auyantepuia parvulus (Pocock, 1893) (Brazil) [Neochactas parvulus (Pocock, 1897) in SF]
Auyantepuia scorzai (Dagert, 1957) (Venezuela) [Broteochactas. scorzai Dagert, 1957 in SF]
Auyantepuia fravalae Lourenço, 1983 (French Guiana) [Neochactas fravalae (Lourenço, 1983) in SF]
Auyantepuia gaillardi Lourenço, 1983 (French Guiana) [Neochactas gaillardi (Lourenço,1983) in SF]
Auyantepuia sissomi Lourenço, 1983 (French Guiana) [Neochactas sissomi (Lourenço, 1983) in SF]
Auyantepuia kelleri Lourenço, 1997 (French Guiana) [Neochactas kelleri (Lourenço, 1997) in SF]
Auyantepuia mottai Lourenço et Araujo, 2004 (Brazil) [Neochactas mottai (Lourenço & Araujo, 2004) in SF]
Auyantepuia amapaensis Lourenço et Qi, 2007 (Brazil)
Auyantepuia surinamensis Lourenço et Duhem, 2010 (Suriname)
Auyantepuia laurae Ythier, 2015 (French Guiana)
Auyantepuia aluku Ythier, 2018 (French Guiana)
Auyantepuia aurum Ythier, 2018 (French Guiana)
Auyantepuia royi Ythier, 2018 (Brazil)

Abstract:
A new species of scorpion belonging to the Guiano Amazonian genus Auyantepuia González Sponga, 1978 (family Chactidae Pocock, 1893) is described on the basis of one specimen collected in a rainforest formation located in Oiapoque, Amapá State, Brazil. This is the thirteenth species of the genus Auyantepuia and the fourth reported from Brazil.

Reference:
Ythier E. A new species of Auyantepuia GonzálezSponga, 1978 (Scorpiones, Chactidae) from Brazil. Arachnida - Rivista Aracnologica Italiana. 2018;4(20):13-22.

Thanks to Eric Ythier for sending me his article!

Family Chactidae

A new cave-dwelling Chaerilus species from the Philippines

Happy New Year!

Wilson Lourenco and Andrea Rossi have recently published an article on the cave population of Chaerilus Simon, 1877 (Chaerilidae) from Palawan, Philippines. A new species is described.

Chaerilus agnellivanniorum Lourneco & Rossi, 2018

The biogeography of the genus in Borneo and Palawan is also discussed.

Abstract:
The study of an important collection of scorpions, belonging to the genus Chaerilus, recently collected from a cave in the Palawan Island, Philippines, allows the clarification of the identity of this population, often misidentified with Chaerilus chapmani Vachon & Lourenco, 1985 known from caves in the Gunong Mulu National Park in Sarawak (Borneo). Chaerilus agnellivanniorum sp. n. is described from the Puerto Princesa Underground River Cave in Palawan Island based on 14 specimens, males, females, and juveniles. The new species is totally distinct morphologically from Chaerilus chapmani, a true troglobitic species. Chaerilus agnellivanniorum sp. n. may also be a true troglobitic element, but with a less marked degree of regression for several characters. Some comments on the ecology of the new species and on regional biogeography of Borneo and Palawan islands are also proposed.

References:
Lourenco WR, Rossi A. The cave population of Chaerilus Simon, 1877 from Palawan, Philippines, and description of a new species (Scorpiones: Chaerilidae). C R Biol. 2018. In Press. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Chaerilidae

2018 Season's Greetings from The Scorpion Files

A review of the East African genus Neobuthus with a description of seven new species

A new paper in the series "Scorpions of the Horn of Africa" has been published. This time, Frantisek Kovarik and co-workers present a revision of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 (Buthidae). Seven new species from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland are described.

Neobuthus amoudensis Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Ethiopia and Somaliland)

Neobuthus erigavoensis Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus factorio Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus gubanensis Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus maidensis Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus montanus Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Somaliland)

Neobuthus kloppersi Kovarik, Lowe, Awale, Elmi & Hurre, 2018 (Kenya)

An identification key for the genus is also presented.

Abstract:
New information about the taxonomy and distribution of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 is presented, based on material recently collected mainly from Somaliland, but also Djibouti and Kenya. Emended diagnoses are proposed for N. berberensis Hirst, 1911 and N. ferrugineus (Kraepelin, 1898) sensu stricto. New species described are: N. amoudensis sp. n. from Ethiopia and Somaliland; N. erigavoensis sp. n., N. factorio sp. n., N. gubanensis sp. n., N. maidensis sp. n., and N. montanus sp. n. from Somaliland; and N. kloppersi sp. n. from Kenya. This doubles the number of species in Neobuthus, unearthing a rich diversification of this genus of diminutive buthids in the Horn of Africa. Included is a key and distribution map. In N. gubanensis sp. n., we report a second known case of anomalous pectine development with tarsal-like structures that implicate homeotic mutation, providing further evidence of pectine-leg homology in scorpions.

Reference:
Kovarik F, Lowe G, Awale AI, Elmi HSA, Hurre AA. Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part XVII. Revision of Neobuthus, with Description of Seven New Species from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland (Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2018(271):1-81. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

Surprise! Euscorpius naupliensis has been found in Azerbaijan

Tropea and Lourenco have recently published a very surprising finding of Euscorpius naupliensis (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Euscorpiidae) in Azerbaijan. This species is normally found in Peloponnese in  southern Greece and in adjacent Zakynthos and Peluzo islands. The findings in Azerbaijan are probably due to recent introductions and it is unclear if the species has established a breeding population there.

Abstract:
Euscorpius (Polytrichobothrius) naupliensis (C. L. Koch, 1837) is recorded in Azerbaijan. For the first time this species is registered outside its natural range.

Reference:
Tropea G, Lourenco WR. First record of Euscorpius naupliensis (C. L. Koch, 1837) outside of its natural range (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Arachnida - Rivista Aracnologica Italiana. 2018;4(19):22-6.

Thanks to Gioele Tropea for sending me his article!

The distribution of two buthid species in a fragment of Brazilian Atlantic forest

Gabriela Cavalcanti Silva de Gusmão Santos and co-workers recently published a study on the effect of rainfall on the patterns in the spatial distributions and population densities of the two species Tityus pusillus Pocock 1893 and Ananteris mauryi Lourenço 1982 (both Buthidae). The two species are living sympatrically in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in Brazil.

The results showed evidence that environmental factors at a microhabitat scale and species interactions may play an important role in the distribution, but not the density of the two leaf litter-dwelling scorpions. See article for further details.

Abstract:
Knowledge of the patterns in the spatial distribution of species provides valuable information about the factors (resources and environment) that regulate the use of space by animals. Typically, the distribution of litter-dwelling scorpions in Atlantic forests is correlated with the structure of their microhabitats, although to better understand their natural history more studies on the patterns in their use of space are required. Therefore, we investigated the effect of rainfall on the patterns in the spatial distributions and population densities of two sympatric species of scorpion, Tityus (Archaeotityus) pusillus Pocock 1893 and Ananteris mauryi Lourenço 1982 in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The study was carried out during the dry (September) and rainy (June) months. We collected 501 individuals (268 T. (A.) pusillus and 233 A. mauryi) by actively searching at night using UV lanterns. We found that the spatial distribution and population density of T. (A.) pusillus, but not A. mauryi, were signifi cantly affected by rainfall, with T. (A.) pusillus individuals showing a clumped pattern during the rainy month and random distribution in the dry month. We also found a different response in the population densities of the two species, with T. (A.) pusillus but not A. mauryi being affected by rainfall. Our results indicate that, although co-habiting in leaf litter, these species respond differently to rainfall, which affects their spatial distribution and abundance in this habitat.

Reference:
Santos GCSdG, Dionisio-da-Silva W, Souza-Alves JP, Albuquerque CMRd, Lira AFDA. Random or clumped: How litter dwelling scorpions are distributed in a fragment of Brazilian Atlantic forest. European Journal of Entomology. 2018;115:445–9.

Thanks to Andre Lira for sending me their article!