A new species of Euscorpius from Greece

Euscorpius erymanthius is a new species from Peloponnese in Greece published in the last issue of the journal Euscorpius.

The work uncovering the scorpion secrets of Europe is still going on. Yet another previously "hidden" species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Euscorpiidae) from Greece has recently been described.

Euscorpius erymanthius Tropea, Fet, Parmakelis, Kotsakiozi & Stathi, 2013

With the new species the total number of Euscorpius species in Greece is 11.

Abstract:
A new scorpion species, Euscorpius (Euscorpius) erymanthius sp. n., is described from Peloponnese, Greece (Erymanthos Mts.), based on genetic and morphological evidence. It is characterized by small size, light brown to reddish color, and a standard trichobothrial pattern (Pv = 8–9, et = 7–6, em = 4 and eb = 4). In a phylogeny based on multiple DNA markers, the new species groups close with E. corcyraeus Tropea et Rossi, 2012 from Corfu (Kerkyra) Island.

Reference:
Tropea G, Fet V, Parmakelis A, Kotsakiozi P, Stathi I. A new species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 from Peloponnese, Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Euscorpius. 2013 (169):1-11. [Free full text]

Thanks to Gioele Tropea for sending me his paper!

Family Euscorpiidae

Professor John Cloudsley-Thompson - RIP

I got the sad news this morning from ISA that that the eminent British zoologist and arachnologist, Professor John Cloudsley-Thompson, died on October 4th at the age of 92. Professor Cloudsley-Thompson is especially known for his work on scorpions and other desert arachnids, but he also worked on other animal groups.

Professor Cloudsley-Thompson also wrote several books, including the popular book Spiders, Scorpions, Centipedes and Mites from 1958.

When starting to search for literature for my masters thesis in 1987, I quickly found several interesting articles on scorpions in Africa by the professor. Later, I was able to meet him in a conference and gave him a copy of an article that I was a co-author of (my first scientific article). Some time later I very proudly discovered that he had cited the article in his book Ecophysiology of Desert Arthropods and Reptiles (Adaptations of Desert Organisms), published in 1991.

In 2011, the online Journal Euscorpius celebrated professor John L. Cloudsley-Thompson's 90th Birthday by publishing a special volume with 10 articles by 19 authors.

RIP

Jan Ove Rein
Editor of The Scorpion Files

Species number 1000 in Buthidae has been described!

Two new species of Androctonus have been described from India and Pakistan by Kovarik and Ahmed.

According to the species list in The Scorpion Files, species number 1000 in the family Buthidae has been described with the two new species mentioned in this blog post.

Frantisek Kovarik and Zubair Ahmed have described two new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828.

Androctonus cholistanus Kovarik & Ahmed, 2013 (India and Pakistan)
Androctonus robustus Kovarik & Ahmed, 2013 (Pakistan)

In adition, Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897) is redescribed. An identification key to the species of Androctonus in Asia is provided.

Abstract:
We describe Androctonus robustus sp. n. and A. cholistanus sp. n. from Pakistan and India and compare them with A. finitimus (Pocock, 1897), whose holotype we have studied. These three species are closely related and form a group that has hitherto been considered one species. They share coloration and are close to each other in geographic range. However, these three species can be reliably distinguished morphologically, primarily based on morphometry of male metasoma, which is widest in A. robustus sp. n. and narrowest in A. cholistanus sp. n. 

Reference:
Kovarik F, Ahmed Z. A Review of Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897), with Description of Two New Species from Pakistan and India (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2013(168):1-10. [Free full text]

Family Buthidae

A new Buthus species from Libya

Buthus lourencoi Rossi, Tropea & Yagmur, 2013 is a new species from Libya presented in the journal Euscorpius.

Andrea Rossi and co-workers have described a new species of Buthus Leach, 1815 (Buthidae) from Libya.

Buthus lourencoi Rossi, Tropea & Yagmur, 2013

There is an identification key for the genus Buthus for part of North Africa in the paper.

Abstract:
Although Libya covers a very  wide territory in northern Africa, only two species of the genus  Buthus  have been  recorded from this country:  B. tunetanus  (Herbst, 1800) and  B. barcaeus  Birula, 1909. In the present study, a third  species,  Buthus lourencoi  sp. n., closely related to  Buthus egyptiensis  Lourenço et Cloudsley-Thompson 2012, is  described from west Libya, around the area of Tripoli. An identification key for the scorpions of the genus  Buthus (Leach, 1815) that occur in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt is provided.

Reference:
Rossi A, Tropea G, Yagmur EA. A New Species of Buthus Leach, 1815 from Libya (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2013 (167):1-10. [Free full text]

Thanks to Gioele Tropea for sending me the paper!

Family Buthidae

Scorpionism in southeastern Turkey

Scorpion stings are quite common in southeastern Turkey and the epidemiology of scorpions stings are discussed in a recent paper by Yilmaz et al., 2013.

Fevzi Yilmaz and co-workers have recently published a paper investigating the epidemiology and clinical characteristics and outcomes of scorpion stings in southeastern Turkey.

Abstract:
BACKGROUND:Scorpion sting resulting in envenomation is a life-threatening emergency and causes serious health problems in  tropical and subtropical regions. The aim of this study was to present the epidemiologic and clinical features of 123 cases presenting  with symptoms of scorpion poisoning, a cause of preventable mortality and morbidity.

METHODS:This study retrospectively analyzed the epidemiologic and demographic features of a total of 123 patients who presented  to Diyarbakır State Hospital Emergency Service with scorpion sting between January 2008 and December 2009.

RESULTS:Among 123 patients who presented to Diyarbakır State Hospital Emergency Service with scorpion sting between January  2008 and January 2009, 62.6% (n=77) were female and 37.4% (n=46) were male. The mean age of the patients was 33.5±17.3 years  (2-80), and 27 (22%) patients were younger than 18 years. The place of residence was rural region in 98 (79.7%) patients and the city  center in 25 (20.3%). The majority of victims were stung by scorpions while they were at active work (42.3%) or asleep (19.5%) in bed.  Eleven (8.95%) patients were stung by a scorpion while putting on their own clothes.

CONCLUSION: This simple descriptive study will hopefully help healthcare providers take measures to prevent scorpion stings,  which should take into consideration local epidemiological features.

Reference:
Yilmaz F, Deniz Arslan E, Demir A, Kavalci C, Durdu T, Serkan Yilmaz M, et al. Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics and outcomes of scorpion sting in the southeastern region of Turkey. Ulusal Travma Acil Cerr Derg. 2013;19(5):417-22. [Free full text]

A new Euscorpiops from Laos

Wilson Lourenco has published a new species of Euscorpiops from Laos in the September issue of Acta Arachnologica.

Wilson Lourenco has recently described a new species of Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 (Euscorpiidae) from Laos.

Euscorpiops alexandreanneorum Lourenco, 2013

The new species, so far only known from a male specimen, was fown in a limestone wall, 2.2 meters from the ground.

Abstract:
Euscorpiops alexandreanneorum sp. .n., belonging to the family Euscorpiidae Laurie, is described on the basis on a single male specimen collected in the north of the Province of Luangprabang, District of Muang Ngoi, Laos. The new species is characterized by slender body, very elongated pedipalps and particular trichobothrial pattern. The new scorpion taxon may represent yet another endemic element for the fauna of Laos.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. A new species of Euscorpiops Vachon 1980 from Laos (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae). Acta Arachnologica. 2013;62(1):23-7.

Thanks to professor Lourenco for sending me his paper!

Family Euscorpiidae

Mother scorpions are less effective predators

Webber and Rodriguez-Robles has recently published a study investigating if potential reproductive tradeoffs limit the predatory efficiency of female Centruroides sculpturatus Ewing, 1928 (Buthidae).

Females with scorplings on their back were less effective hunters than non-gravid females. Interestingly, gravid females hunted prey as efficient as non-gravid females. Overall it seems that reproduction represent a cost in females by reducing their predatory efficiency during the brooding period.

Abstract:
Background:
Life history tradeoffs may result from temporal and physiological constraints intrinsic to an  organism. When faced with limited time and energy, compromises occur and these resources  are allocated among essential activities, such as body growth, maintenance, foraging, mating,  and offspring care. We investigated potential tradeoffs that may  occur between reproductive  activities  and  feeding  performance  in  female  Arizona  Bark  Scorpions  (Centruroides  sculpturatus)  by  comparing  the  time  taken  to  capture  prey  between  non-reproductive  and  reproductive  females  (gravid  females  and  females  exhibiting  maternal  care,  i.e.  carrying  offspring on their backs).
Results:
Gravid  females  were  as  efficient  at  catching  prey  as  non-gravid  females.  To  control  for  variation in the duration of the maternal care period, we removed all  offspring from all postparturient females after 5 days. Brooding females and females  24 hours following offspring  removal (FOR) did not successfully capture prey within the 900-second trial period. Twentyeight  days  FOR,  females  caught  prey  faster  than  females  displaying  maternal  care  and  females 24 hours FOR, but were not as efficient at catching prey  as non-gravid and gravid  females.  When  pursuing  prey,  C.  sculpturatus exhibiting  maternal  care  used  an  active  foraging  strategy  more  frequently  than  non-gravid,  gravid,  and  females  28  days  FOR.  In  contrast, non-gravid, gravid, and females 28 days FOR used active and ambush foraging with  similar frequency.
Conclusions:
Our data suggest that reproduction does not significantly reduce the predatory efficiency of  gravid  C. sculpturatus, and that these females can cope with increasing body mass and  the  physiological costs of gestation. However, the observation that brooding females and females  24  hours  FOR  did  not  catch  prey  within  the  trial  period  indicates  that  maternal  care  significantly reduces predatory efficiency in these scorpions. Females 28 days FOR were still  not  as  efficient  at  catching  prey  as  non-gravid  and  gravid  females,  suggesting  that  reproductive  costs  extend  for  at  least  4  weeks  after  the  end  of  the maternal  care  period.  Preferential  use  of  an  active  foraging  strategy  by  brooding  females  may  increase  prey  encounter  rates,  allowing  the  scorpions  to  more  rapidly  replenish  energy  reserves  depleted  during  reproduction.  However,  active  foraging  may  be  energetically costly  and  increase  predation risk for brooding females. Our findings regarding antagonistic interactions between  reproduction  and  feeding  in  female  C.  sculpturatus demonstrate  the  pervasive  nature  of  reproductive costs for viviparous females, and may provide insight on factors that influence  the diversity of reproductive strategies observed in nature. 

Reference:
Webber MM, Rodriguez-Robles JA. Reproductive tradeoff limits the predatory efficiency of female Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus). BMC Evol Biol. 2013 Sep 14;13(1):197. [Free full text]