A new genus and species from Pakistan

 

Graeme Lowe and Frantisek Kovarik have recently described a new genus with one species from northern Pakistan. 

Fetilinia Lowe & Kovarik, 2021

Fetilinia dentator Lowe & Kovarik, 2021

Abstract:
We describe from northern Pakistan a new buthid genus Fetilinia gen. n., monotypic with type species F. dentator sp. n., belonging to the Palaearctic ‘Buthus’ group. It bears some similarities to Kraepelinia Vachon, 1974, in having enlarged metasomal dentition, and to Orthochirus Karsch, 1891, and related genera in having a trapezoidal carapace and small abbreviated pedipalps.

Reference:
Lowe G, Kovarik F. Fetilinia dentator gen. et sp. n. from Pakistan (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2021(328):1-10. [Open Access]

 Family Buthidae

Sexual dimorphism in scorpions of the genus Odontobuthus

 

Differences in morphology, physiology and behavior is quite common in humans and the rest of the animal kingdom. Scorpions are no exception and females having larger body size than males being one of the most common differences.

 Barahoei Navidpour and co-workers published last Fall a study on the sexual dimorphism in the scorpions of the genus Odontobuthus Vachon, 1950 (Buthidae). The article presents the observed differences, but also discuss possible evolutionary routes for the observed differences.

Abstract:
The Sexual dimorphism (SD) in body size is very common among the scorpions. In this study, the SD was investigated in two aspects of size and shape in the genus Odontobuthus Vachon, 1950 as a small genus of the family Buthidae. This genus has six fossorial species of which four are distributed in Iran. For this purpose, 43 morphometric variables, consisting of 38 metric measurements and five meristic characters were digitized in the six species, O. bidentatus, O. doriae, O. tavighiae, O. tirgari, O. sp.1 and O. sp.2. The results show that Sexual Size Dimorphism (SSD) were significant in three species: O. doriae, O. tavighiae and O. sp.2. While O. sp.1 represented a SD for more aspects of shape, O. bidentatus did not show a significant SD for all studied traits. The amount of SD in size and shape were not the same in different species. The results showed that males have larger metasoma than females even when they are pulled to the same size. Having larger metasoma may correspond to a more efficient performance during mating, predation or combat with other males, so it should be under a high sexual selection. Type II ANOVA showed a significant interaction between species and sex for shape, but not for size. It suggests that the evolution of SD for size has been in parallel for all studied species, while it has been in different directions for shape. Among meristic variables, only the number of pectin denticles were sexually dimorphic, with males having more denticles than females in all studied species.

Reference:
Barahoei H, Navidpour S, Aliabadian M, Siahsarvie R, Mirshamsi O. Sexual dimorphism in the scorpions of the genus Odontobuthus Vachon, 1950 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics. 2020;16(1):21-35. [Open Access]

Thanks to Carlos Turiel for informing me about this article.

Family Buthidae

Description of the males of three species of Auyantepuia from French Guiana

 

Eric Ythier and Johan Chevalier published late this Fall an article describing the males of Auyantepuia aluku Ythier, 2018, A. kelleri (Lourenço, 1997) and A. laurae Ythier, 2015 from French Guiana. The article has also information about the geographic distribution of the genus and an identification key for the species from French Guiana.

Abstract:
The males of Auyantepuia aluku Ythier, 2018, A. kelleri (Lourenço, 1997) and A. laurae Ythier, 2015, are described for the first time. Males and females are illustrated for the three species, an identification key to the  Auyantepuia species reported from French Guiana is proposed and a geographical distribution map is presented. Emended diagnoses for the genus Auyantepuia and for the three species studied in this paper are also provided.

References:
Ythier E, Chevalier J. Description of the males of Auyantepuia aluku Ythier, 2018, A. kelleri (Lourenço, 1997) and A. laurae Ythier, 2015, from French Guiana (Scorpiones, Chactidae). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France. 2020;125(3):257-68. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Eric for sending me his article!

Family Chactidae

A new species of Tityus from Panama and Costa Rica

 

Roberto Miranda and co-workers have recently published a new species of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Buthidae) from Panama and Costa Rica.

Tityus jaimei Miranda, Bermudez, Florez D & de Armas, 2020

Abstract:
The Central American population of scorpions previously misidentified Tityus pachyurus Pococok, 1897 is described as a new species, which is endemic for most parts of Panama and Limon Province in Costa Rica. As recorded by several authors, those two species are responsible for most of the serious cases of scorpion stinging in Colombia and Panama.

Reference:
Miranda RJ, Bermudez S, Florez D E, de Armas LF. A new species of Tityus from Panama and Costa Rica previously identified as Tityus pachyurus Pocock, 1897 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2020(37):197-204. [No full text is available]

Thanks to Michiel Cozijn for sending me this article!

Family Buthidae 

A new species in the enigmatic genus Troglotayosicus from Ecuador

 

The species in the enigmatic genus Troglotayosicus Lourenco, 1981 (Troglotayosicidae) are are either cavernicolous (cave dwelling species) or living in areas just outside caves (endogean), but they all have troglomorphies like loss or reduction of eyes, depigmentation or appendage attenuation. Alberto Sánchez-Vialas and co-workers have recently described a new species in this interesting genus.

Troglotayosicus muranunkae Sanchez-Vialas, Blasco-Arostegui,Garcia-Gila & Lourenco, 2020

Abstract:
A new epigean species belonging to the genus Troglotayosicus Lourenço, 1981 is described from southern Ecuador based on morphological traits. This enigmatic group of scorpions was known from a single locality in Ecuador and four localities in Colombia. Troglotayosicus muranunkae sp. n. is morphologically similar to the hypogean (troglobite species) T. vachoni Lourenço, 1981, but it differs from it by the trichobothrial pattern, shape of the carapace, and tegument sculpture. The new species was found actively wandering on the surface at night, which provides relevant ecological information and expands the distribution range of the genus 130 km southwards.

Reference:
Sánchez-Vialas A, Blasco-Aróstegui J, García-Gila J, Lourenco WR. A new species of Troglotayosicus Lourenço, 1981 (Scorpiones: Troglotayosicidae) from southern Ecuador. Arachnology. 2020;18(6):612-8. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Troglotayosicidae

Two new species in the "winter" genus Urophonius from Patagonia, Argentina

 

Some scorpions in the genus Urophonius Pocock, 1893 (Bothriuridae) are special in that they are one of few scorpions having a winter activity period during real winter conditions. Andr
es A. Ojanguren-Affilastro and co-workers have recently published the first phylogenetic analysis of this genus. Two new species are described from Patagonia, Argentina.

Urophonius araucano Ojanguren-Affilastro, 2020

Urophonius pehuenche Ojanguren-Affilastro & Pizarro-Araya, 2020

The article also describes and discuss the unusual winter activity observed in some species of Urophonius. A few species actually seem to be active only in the winter! By the way, Urophonius granulatus (Pocock 1898) has the record of being the southernmost scorpion of the world.

Abstract:
The first phylogenetic analysis of genus Urophonius is performed based on morphological characters. Three monophyletic species groups are recovered. Species of the granulatus species group and Urophonius mondacai have summer or spring activity patterns. The exochus and brachycentrus species groups form a monophyletic group with a winter activity pattern, which is so far unique in scorpions from temperate and cold areas. Additionally, two new Patagonian species of Urophonius are described, one from Argentina and one from Chile. Finally, we discuss the southernmost distributions of scorpions in continental Patagonia. We suggest that the southern limit of the group could be related not only with a decrease in temperature, but also with an increase of precipitation.

Reference:
Ojanguren Affilastro AA, Ramirez MJ, Pizarro-Araya J. Phylogenetic analysis of the winter and southernmost scorpion genus Urophonius Pocock, 1893 (Bothriuridae), with the description of two new Patagonian species. Zoologischer Anzeiger. 2020;289:50-66. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Andres for sending me their article!

Family Bothriuridae

More data on the Hottentotta distribution in Iran

 

Iran is the hotspot for the genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Buthidae) in the world with at least nine registered species. Abolfazl Akbari and co-workers recently published an article with additional distributional data for the genus in Iran.

Abstract:
New distribution records are given herein for six Hottentotta species in Iran. They belong to Hottentotta jayakari (Pocock, 1895) (Hormozgan province), H. juliae Kovařík, Yağmur & Fet, 2019 (Fars province), H. navidpouri Kovařík, Yağmur & Moradi, 2018 (Bushehr, Fars, Hormozgan, Khuzestan provinces), H. saulcyi (Simon, 1880) (Ilam, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Lorestan provinces), H. schach (Birula, 1905) (Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad provinces) and H. zagrosensis Kovařík, 1997 (Khuzestan province). Among these records, Bushehr, Fars and Khuzestan records are the first for H. navidpouri. Prepared maps show new and old distributional localities that belong to all known species of Hottentotta in Iran.

Reference:
Akbari A, Yagmur EA, Moradi M, Jafari N. Contributions to the scorpion fauna of Iran. Part I. Records of Genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Arachnida: Scorpiones: Buthidae). Serket. 2020;17(3):284-305. [Open Access]

Thanks to Ersen for sending me their article!

Family Buthidae