The Scorpion Files Newsblog

 

Ramy Jhasser Martínez and co-workers have recently published an article with new data on the distribution of Centruroides edwardsii (Gervais, 1843) and Tityus ocelote Francke & Stockwell, 1987 (both Buthidae) in Panama. 

Abstract:
Centruroides edwardsii (Gervais, 1843) (Buthidae C. L. Koch, 1837) is recorded for the first time in Panama upon three females collected in Chilibre (northern Panama). Additionally five females and one male of Tityus ocelote Francke & Stockwell, 1987 were collected in a small farm in Capira (Western Panama) being the first record of this species in the Pacific side of Panama. This contribution provides additional information on geographic distribution of these species.

Reference:
Martínez RJ, Villegas-Guzmán GA, Mendoza L, Moreno E, Emmen D, Quirós DI. First Record of Centruroides edwardsii (Gervais, 1843) and New Geographic Distribution of Tityus ocelote Francke & Stockwell, 1987 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Panama. Entomol News. 2022;130(3):260-4, 5. [Subscription required for full text]

 

Thanatosis, or "playing dead" is a known anti-predator behavior both in scorpions and other invertebrates. This behavior, which is also know as tonic immobility, is often associated with cryptic coloration. In a recent paper, Felipe Triana and co-workers describe and discuss this special behavior in the two buthids Tityus ocelote Francke & Stockwell, 1987 and Ananteris platnicki Lourenço, 1993 from Central America. 

The study concludes that this behavior may be more common than previously known and that it may have a basis in American buthids (but more studies are necessary to confirm the latter).

Abstract:
Thanatosis, or tonic immobility, is a behavior where animals adopt a motionless posture after a physical contact or very close proximity of a predator. This behavior has been described in a wide range of taxa, from invertebrates to vertebrates. For scorpions, tonic immobility has been reported in two buthids, Tityus pusillus and Tityus cerroazul, one hormurid, Liocheles australasiae, and one scorpiopsid, Scorpiops jendeki. Here we report other cases of this thanatosis for two buthid scorpions from lower Central America: Tityus ocelote and Ananteris platnicki. Thanatosis in these species were observed in wild, but was better documented in the laboratory. After human handling, several individuals for both species rolled over and laid on their back, adopting a distinctive rigid position, where they did not respond to external mechanical stimuli. As tonic immobility might be associated with other defense strategies, such as cryptic colorations, it is hypothesized that this behavior is used as a strategy in both species only if there is physical contact that simulated by a predator. On the other hand, the observations of thanatosis we reported here and the ones reported in other Tityus scorpions suggest that this behavior may have a phylogenetic basis in American buthids and that it could be more widespread than initially thought. However, more observations of tonic immobility in buthids would allow the evaluation of this hypothesis.

Reference:
Triana F, Bonilla F, Alfaro-Chinchilla A, Víquez C, Díaz C, Sasa M. Report of thanatosis in the Central American scorpions Tityus ocelote and Ananteris platnicki (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2022;(359):1-5. [Open Access]

 

Panama is one of the countries in Central America with the highest incidens of sting cases, mainly caused by several species in the genus Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Buthidae). Identifying medical important species is important, but can be difficult because of their similarities in morphology and habitus (but at the same time high intraspecific variaton in some of the species). Samuel Escudera-Sanjur and co-workers have recently published a study of the genetic diversity data from four species of Centruroides from Panama.

Abstract:
With more than 33,000 sting cases and 47 deaths recorded between 2000 and 2016, Panama is the country with the highest incidence of envenomations by scorpions in Central America. Species in the genus Centruroides are responsible for most scorpion sting reports, however, identification at the species level is complicated because the genus has considerable intraspecific morphological variation. To date no molecular data have been reported from Panama that would help to estimate their genetic diversity and validate morphometric identification methods. We provide here the first genetic diversity data of the two endemic species (C. granosus and C. panamensis) and other two species reported in Panama (C. bicolor and C. limbatus). A total of 41 specimens were sequenced for COI and 16S rDNA mitochondrial genes. The phylogenetic concatenated analysis separates the Panamanian samples into four well-supported clades represented by C. bicolor, C. granosus and (C. panamensis ? C. limbatus). The two endemic species are not the closest relatives in the tree. Low diversity in combination with its very narrow distribution suggest that C. panamensis is susceptible to environmental degradation. A single specimen of Coiba island is intermediate in the tree structure between C. bicolor and C. panamensis and may represent an early stage of speciation. The haplotype network is also consistent with the phylogenetic trees.

Reference:
Escudero-Sanjur S, Castro-Perez E, De Patino HA, Rastogi I, Ramos CW. Genetic diversity of medically important scorpions of the genus Centruroides (Buthidae) from Panama including two endemic species. Journal of genetics. 2022;101. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Buthidae

 

Scorpions are fierce predators that catch and eat many animal groups, but scorpions them self are also on the menu of other predators. In a recent article, Roberto Miranda and co-workers report about a social wasp and ants in Panama that seem to be a predator on Ananteris scorpions.

Abstract:
Two events of predation on Ananteris spp. were observed in the Parque Nacional Darién, Darién Province, Panama. The first case involved the social wasp Agelaia centralis (Cameron, 1907) (Vespidae); the second one, a ponerine ant Leptogenys cf. cuneata Lattke, 2011 (Formicidae). This is the first time that predation by a social wasp on a scorpion is observed. They also represent the first recorded predators for Panamanian Ananteris species.

Reference:
Miranda RJ, de Armas lF, Cambra RA. Predation of Ananteris spp. (Scorpiones: Buthidae) by ants and a social wasp (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Vespidae) in Panama, Central America. Euscorpius. 2021(329):1-4. [Open Access]

 

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 

Roberto Miranda and Luis de Armas have recently published a new species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Buthidae) from Panama.

Ananteris canalera Miranda & Armas, 2020

Abstract:
A new buthid species belonging to the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 is herein described from Panama Oeste Province, Panama. This is the second Ananteris species known from this Central American country and clearly differs from Ananteris platnicki Lourenço, 1993, distributed in Costa Rica and Panama, by its smaller size and male having a different hemispermatophore and telson similar to that of the female.

Reference:
Miranda RJ, de Armas LF. A new species of Ananteris (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Panama. Euscorpius. 2020(297):1-7. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

Diomedes Quintero Arias and Lauren Esposito have recently published a new species of Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Buthidae) from the province of Chiriqui in Panama.

Abstract:
A new species, Centruroides panamensis n. sp., from the foothills of Volcán Barú in the Province of Chiriquí, Panama is described with a extremely narrow distributional range. New distribution records of Centruroides bicolor (Pocock, 1898) are also presented.

Reference:
Arias DQ, Esposito LA. A new species of Centruroides Marx (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Panama and new distribution records for Centruroides bicolor (Pocock, 1898) and Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876). Zootaxa. 2014;3795(3):373-82. [Subscritpion required for full text]

Family Buthidae

Adolfo Borges is the editor of a the book entitled "Los escorpiones y el escorpionismo en Panamá. Volumen I". Co-authors of the book are Roberto Miranda and Hildaura A. de Patino. The book is written in Spanish and was published in the end of 2011, but I didn't know about it until now.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the book you can contact Science National Secretariat of Panama (SENACYT), The University of Panama, or The Gorgas Memorial Institut. To get a copy of the chapter "Scorpions and their Venoms; Why scorpion venoms can be lethal to humans" it is possible to contact Dr. Adolfo Borges via email: borges.adolfo@gmail.com.

Reference:
Borges A, editor. Los escorpiones y el escorpionismo en Panamá. Volumen I. Panama: Universidad de Panamá (UP), Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (IGNES), Secretaria Nacional de Ciencias, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT); 2011.

Thanks to Dr. Borges for sending me a copy of the book!

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!

Rolando Teruel has recently restored Tityus championi Pocock, 1898 (Buthidae) to species status. This species was previously regarded as a junior synonym of Tityus asthenes Pocock, 1893.

Abstract:
The present paper clarifies the taxonomic identity of Tityus championi Pocock 1898. This species is clearly distinct from Tityus asthenes Pocock 1893 (regarded as its senior synonym since 1988), and appears to be endemic to the southem watershed of the Talamanca Range, in the border region between Costa Rica and Panama.

Reference:
Teruel R. La verdadera identidad Tityus championi Pocock, 1898 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Boletin de la SEA. 2011(48):367-73.

Family Buthidae

Rolando Teruel and Michiel Cozijn have recently published a checklist of the scorpions of Panama. Two new records are reported.

Abstract:
In the present note, we compile a checklist of all scorpion species recorded from Panama. A total of three families, five genera and 14 species are confirmed to occur in the country, and previous records of two other families, four genera, and nine species are discarded as misidentifications, mislabelings, or accidental introductions. Two Buthidae species are herein recorded for the first time from Panama: Tityus tayrona Lourenço, 1991 (so far known only from northern Colombia) and one apparently undescribed species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891.

Reference:
Teruel R, Cozijn MAC. A checklist of the scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) of Panama, with two new records. Euscorpius. 2011(133):1-6. [Free fulltext]

de Armas, Teruel & Kovarik have published a paper where they present a redescription of Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) (Buthidae) from Panama.

In the same paper the identity of Centrurus granosus simplex Thorell, 1876 from the Lesser Antilles is discussed. The authors propose a species status for Centruroides simplex (Thorell, 1876). C. simplex is proposed as a senior synonym of Centruroides hasethi arubensis Stahnke & Calos, 1977 and Centruroides testaceus arubensis Sissom, 1991.

Abstract:
Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) is redescribed based on several specimens of both sexes from Panama. We demonstrate that the original description of this species was based on an immature (subadult) male, which is herein designated as the lectotype. We conclude that Centrurus granosus simplex Thorell, 1876 is a senior synonym of Centruroides testaceus arubensis (Bakker, 1963), and elevate it to species level: Centruroides simplex (Thorell, 1876), comb. nov.

Reference:
de Armas LF, Teruel R, Kovarik F. Redescription of Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) and identity of Centrurus granosus simplex Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2011(127):1-11. [Free fultext]

Family Buthidae

Luis de Armas and Rony Trujillo have published a paper looking into some Centruroides (Buthidae) from Central America. A new species is described from Guatemala and Honduras:

Centruroides fallassisimus Armas & Trujillo, 2010 [Name spelling error corrected 26.09.11]

In addition, Centruroides granosus (Thorell, 1876) from Panama is restored to species status.

The paper has an identification key for Centruroides in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Abstract:
A new species of the buthid genus Centruroides Marx, 1890 is described from northeastern Guatemala and northwestem Honduras, Central America. lt resembles C. margaritatus (Gervals, 1841), but differs from it by having attenuated pedipalpal chelae and telson, the subaculear tubercle situated in a different position, almost bare pedipalps, having chelae with the dorsal intemal carina moderately granulose. It is suggested that some previous records of C. margaritatus might be misidentifications. A key is provided for the identification of the eight species ot this genus known from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Also, the Panamanian Centruroldes granosus (Thorell, 1876), comb. nov., is restored as a valid species.

Reference:
de Armas LF, Trujillo RE. Nueva especie de Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) de Guatemala y Honduras, America Central. Boletin de la SEA. 2010(47):235-40.

Family Buthidae