Redescription of the common Cuban scorpion Rhopalurus junceus

A redescription of the common Cuban scorpion Rhopalurus junceus (Herbst, 1800) (Buthidae) has recently been published by Rolando Teruel and Luis de Armas. The paper has many color pictures. The paper is in Spanish so this comment is based on the English abstract.

Abstract:
Rhopalurus junceus (Herbst 1800) is redescribed, with the designation of a neotype and the emendation of the type locality of this scorpion, which is endemic from Cuba and widely distributed over most of the archipelago. Also, a detailed study is presented on its morphometric, chromatic, morphological, and meristic variability, as well as its complete postembryonic development (using the direct method), and also abundant information is given on its ecology.

Reference:
Teruel R, de Armas LF. Redescripcion de Rhopalurus junceus (Herbst 1800) (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Boletin de la SEA. 2012(50):153-74.

Thanks to Rolando for sending me this paper!

Family Buthidae

A new Rhopalurus from eastern Cuba

Rolando Teruel and Luis de Armas have recently described a new species of Rhopalurus Thorell, 1876 (Buthidae) from the desert coast of eastern Cuba.

Rhopalurus aridicola Teruel & Armas, 2012

A identification key for species of Rhopalurus in Cuba is presented. The paper is in Spanish so this comment is based on the English abstract.

Abstract:
A new species of the genus Rhopalurus Thorell 1876 is described which is endemic to the desert coast of the easternmost tip of Cuba and exhibits a very interesting combination of characters, some of which are very peculiar. Also, some aspects of the geographical distribution, ecology, and biogeography of the Antillean representatives of Rhopalurus are briefly discussed; one of them is suggested to be an invalid taxon. With this new addition, the Antillean fauna of the genus is composed by 10 species: six in Cuba, three in Hispaniola, and one in Puerto Rico (Mona Island).

Reference:
Teruel R, de Armas LF. Nueva especie de Rhopalurus Thorell, 1876 de Cuba Oriental, con algunas consideraciones sobre sos congeneres Antillanos (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Boletin de la SEA. 2012(50):209-17.

Thanks to Rolando for sending me this paper!

Family Buthidae

New and extended edition of popular German scorpion book

The German scorpion book "Skorpione" by Mahsberg, Lippe and Kallas published in 1999 was a well written and informative book. Dr. Dieter Mahsberg has now informed me that a new, revised and extended version of the book has recently been published. I have not yet read the book, but I'm quite sure that the book will be of great interest for scorpion hobbyists and others with an interest in scorpions.I will be back with a more detailed review after I get the book.

The book can be ordered from Natur and Tier Verlag.

Mahsberg, Lippe & Kallas (2012)
Skorpione - Lebensraum, Haltung, Nachzucht.
ISBN 978-3-86659-165-3 (144 pages)

From the publisher:
Skorpione faszinieren durch ihr urtümliches, bizarres Erscheinungsbild ebenso wie durch überaus spannende Verhaltensweisen. Diese komplett überarbeitete, neu gestaltete und um zehn Artporträts erweiterte Auflage des Klassikers schlechthin zum Thema Skorpione schildert ausführlich die Biologie der Tiere und bietet alle Informationen, die Terrarianer zu ihrer sicheren, artgerechten sowie erfolgreichen Pflege und Nachzucht benötigen. Darüber hinaus liefert die Vielzahl der Artsteckbriefe konkrete Haltungshinweise zu den vorgestellten Skorpionen.


PS! If you haven't yet guessed it, the book is published in German.

Two new species of Tityus and a revison of Tityus clathratus

Wilson Lourenco is continuing his great work on the complex genus Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Buthidae) from South America. This is the largest scorpion genus with its 211 species (The scorpion Files). Professor Lourenco has now published two new Tityus species.

Tityus grahami Lourenco, 2012 (Brazil)
Tityus mana Lourenco, 2012 (French Guiana)

A revised diagnosis for Tityus clathratus C. L. Koch is also presented.

Abstract:
The type material of Tityus (Archaeotityus) clathratus C. L. Koch, originally described from “Cabo da Boa Esperança” (Cape of Good Hope) in South Africa is reanalyzed. Since no Tityus species exist in Africa, this locality is obviously fallacious. Descriptions of historical expeditions to South America may suggest that the possible American type locality should be in Venezuela rather than in Guyana as often indicated by several authors. Two new species, close to T. (A.) clathratus, are respectively described from French Guiana and from the region of the Upper Rio Negro in Brazilian Amazon.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. Further considerations on Tityus (Archaeotityus) clathratus C. L. Koch, 1844 and description of two associated new species (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Boletin de la SEA. 2012(50):277-83.

Thanks to professor Lourenco for sending me this paper!

Metabolic cost of venom regeneration and venom complexity in Parabuthus transvaalicus

It has previously has been showed that venom use is costly, both in terms of metabolic and ecological costs (Nisani et al, 2007; Nisani, 2008), that some scorpions have two types of venom with different composition (and different "production costs") (Inceoglu et al., 2003) and that Parabuthus transvaalicus Purcell, 1899 (Buthidae) are able to regulate venom use at different levels (Click here for more information).

Zia Nisani and co-workers have now further confirmed the relatively high cost of venom regeneration and also have shown that greater venom complexity can be associated with higher cost of venom production.

Abstract:
We investigated the biochemical profile of regenerated venom of the scorpion Parabuthus transvaalicus in relation to its metabolic cost and toxicity. Using a closed-system respirometer, we compared oxygen consumption between milked and unmilked scorpions to determine the metabolic costs associated with the first 192 h of subsequent venom synthesis. Milked scorpions had a substantially (21%) higher mean metabolic rate than unmilked scorpions, with the largest increases in oxygen consumption occurring at approximately 120 h, 162 h, and 186 h post-milking. Lethality tests in crickets indicated that toxicity of the regenerated venom returned to normal levels within 4 d after milking. However, the chemical profile of the regenerated venom, as evaluated by FPLC and MALDITOF mass spectrometry, suggested that regeneration of different venom components was asynchronous. Some peptides regenerated quickly, particularly those associated with the scorpion’s “prevenom,” whereas others required much or all of this time period for regeneration. This asynchrony could explain the different spikes detected in oxygen consumption of milked scorpions as various peptides and other venom components were resynthesized. These observations confirm the relatively high metabolic cost of venom regeneration and suggest that greater venom complexity can be associated with higher costs of venom production.

Reference:
Nisani Z, Boskovic DS, Dunbar SG, Kelln W, Hayes WK. Investigating the chemical profile of regenerated scorpion (Parabuthus transvaalicus) venom in relation to metabolic cost and toxicity. Toxicon. 2012;60(3):315-23. [Subscription required for full text]

Scorpionism in Iran - An updated review

Hemiscorpius lepturus is the most dangerous scorpion in Iran. Male (left) and female (top). Photos Morteza Johari (C)

 There have been several published papers on scorpions of medical importance in Iran and it is well known that Hemiscorpius lepturus Peters, 1861 and Androctonus crassicauda (Oliver, 1807) are the most dangerous species causing both deaths and serious mortality, but literature on other species have been scarce and7or anecdotal.

Rouhullah Dehghani and Behrooz Fathi have now published an updated review on Iranian scorpionism discussing current knowledge on the medical importance of all relevant Iranian species. The paper has also information on the distribution of mentioned species and sting treatment. A few color pictures illustrate how bad H. lepturus envenomations can get in children.

It should be noticed that this paper report of of death of a 10 year old boy attributed to Orthochirus scrobiculosus (Grube, 1873). As far as I know, this is the first published case of serious envenomations in this genus, which usually is considered docile and harmless. It is tempting to ask if it is possible that the scorpions involved has not been correctly identified (maybe an juvenile A. crassicauda was involved), but until the medical status of this genus has been properly investigated it is important to be careful with scorpions belonging to Orthochirus.

Abstract:
Among Middle Eastern countries, at least 52 species of scorpions, especially dangerous types, have been reported in Iran. This is more than any other country in the region. In addition, in Iran the recorded scorpion stings from 2001 to 2009 were more than 42,500 per year, of which, approximately 19.5 deaths have been reported each year, mostly in spring and summer. About 10 species are responsible for the reported envenoming which belong to the Buthidae family apart from Hemiscorpius lepturus which is a Hemiscorpiidae. The Buthidae family includes: Androctonus crassicauda, Mesobuthus eupeus, Odontobuthus doriae, Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta schach, Compsobuthus matthiesseni, Orthochirus scrobiculosus, Apistobuthus pterygocercus and Olivierus caucasicus. A. crassicauda and H. lepturus are usually cited as the most dangerous species among Iranian scorpions. This article focuses on the main Iranian scorpions and their geographical distribution, especially those which are medically important and considered to be the more dangerous to human, and also attempts to demonstrate an accurate magnitude of scorpion stings in Iran.

Reference:
Dehghani R, Fathi B. Scorpion sting in Iran: A review. Toxicon. 2012;60(5):919-33. [Subscription required for full text]

Scorpionism in Central America - a review

Tityus pachyurus is the species responsible for most sever envenomation cases in Panama. Photo: Dr. Carlos Viquez

Scorpionism in North America and South America is pretty well documented, but there have been few reports on scorpions of medical importance in Central America. This has probably been due to the scarcity of data for the region.

Borges and co-workers have now published a very good review article summing up the current knowledge of scorpionism in Central America with a special focus on Panama. Scorpions of medical importance includes species in the genera Centruroides (12 species) Marx, 1890 and Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (8 species). Species in the former genera seem to have minor medical importance in Central America, while at least four species in Tityus have been implicated in deaths and severe envenomations in Panama (and possible also in Costa Rica). Species of medical importance are:

Tityus asthenes Pocock, 1893
T. cerroazul Lourenço, 1986
T. festae Borelli, 1899
T. pachyurus Pocock, 1897

Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua have no documented cases of serious scorpion envenomations (but also lack the presence of Tityus).

Abstract:
 Scorpionism in the Americas occurs mainly in Mexico, northern South America and southeast Brazil. This article reviews the local scorpion fauna, available health statistics, and the literature to assess scorpionism in Central America. Notwithstanding its high toxicity in Mexico, most scorpion sting cases in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are produced by species in the genus Centruroides that are only mildly toxic to humans despite the existence of ion channel-active toxins in their venoms. Regional morbidity is low with the exception of Panama, where an incidence of 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded for 2007, with 28 deaths from 1998 to 2006. Taxa belonging to the genus Tityus (also present in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica) are responsible for fatalities in Panama, with Tityus pachyurus being the most important species medically. Most Tityus species inhabiting Panama are also found in northern South America from which they probably migrated upon closure of the Panamanian isthmus in the Miocene era. Incorporation of Panama as part of the northern South American endemic area of scorpionism is thereby suggested based on the incidence of these accidents and the geographical distribution of Panamanian Tityus species.

Reference:
Borges A, Miranda RJ, Pascale JM. Scorpionism in central America, with special reference to the case of Panama. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases. 2012;18(2):130-43. [Free full text]

Thanks to Jacek Szubert for informing me about this paper!