The Scorpion Files Newsblog

In a recent article, Qiang Xuan and co-workers have analyzed the taxa in the extinct family Chaerilobuthidae Lourenço and Beigel, 2011. This family originally consisted of 3 genera and 16 species. All taxa are based on fossil specimens found in Mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.

The authors conclude that the family Chaerilobuthidae should change status to subfamily (Chaerilobuthinae) and placed in the extant family Pseudochactidae Gromov, 1998. The two extinct genera Chaeriloiurus Lourenço, 2020 and Serratochaerilobuthus Lourenço, 2024, are synonymized with Chaerilobuthus Lourenço and Beigel, 2011 which contains 16 species (all extinct).

Chaerilobuthinae with its taxa is now listed in The Scorpion Files for Pseudochactidae, but are not included in the count of number of taxa which only includes extant taxa.

Abstract:
The extinct scorpion family Chaerilobuthidae Lourenço and Beigel, 2011, endemic to Burmese amber, was initially established due to its unique pedipalp trichobothrial pattern related to the Type A and Type B patterns of families Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837 and Chaerilidae Pocock, 1893, respectively. The present contribution describes 11 new specimens, representing seven species of Chaerilobuthidae from Mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, revealing their morphology using various imaging technologies. A revised diagnosis of Chaerilobuthus Lourenço and Beigel, 2011 is provided based on new morphological characters of the carapace, ocelli, chelicera, pedipalp trichobothria, coxapophyses, and leg tarsi. The other two genera of Chaerilobuthidae, Chaeriloiurus Lourenço, 2020 and Serratochaerilobuthus Lourenço, 2024, are synonymized with Chaerilobuthus based on a reassessment of their morphological characters and morphometric analysis, creating Chaerilobuthus brigittemuellerae (Lourenço and Velten, 2020), comb. nov. and Chaerilobuthus schmidti (Lourenço and Velten, 2024), comb. nov.. The systematic position of Chaerilobuthidae is clarified based on phylogenetic analyses of an updated morphological character matrix for Pseudochactidae Gromov, 1998, an extant family in Asia. Phylogenetic analysis placed Chaerilobuthidae sister to the pseudochactid subfamily Vietbocapinae Lourenço, 2012, justifying its transfer to Pseudochactidae, as Chaerilobuthinae Lourenço and Beigel, 2011, stat. nov.. This discovery confirms that Pseudochactidae date back 100 Mya and contributes to understanding the origin and evolutionary history of this relictual family.

Reference:
Xuan Q, Prendini L, Engel MS, Cai C, Huang D. Extinct scorpion family Chaerilobuthidae from Mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber reinterpreted as subfamily of extant family Pseudochactidae (Chelicerata: Scorpiones). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 2025;203(1):zlae169. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Gerard for informing me about this article!

Family Pseudochachtidae

There is still a lot to learn about the large scorpion fauna of China, both when it comes to new taxa but also by evaluating old works. Victoria Tang has recently published a new review of the scorpion fauna of China. 

The article focuses especially on the genera Reddyanus Vachon, 1972 and Razianus Farzanpay, 1987 (both Buthidae). The following taxonomical changes were made:

Raised to species status from synonymization:

Reddyanus hainanensis (Lourenço, 2005) Restored from synonymy with Isometrus petrzelkai Kovarík, 2003.

Reddyanus lao (Lourenço & Leguin, 2005) Restored from synonymy with Isometrus petrzelkai Kovarík, 2003.

 Synonymization:

 Reddyanus tibetanus (Lourenco & Zhu, 2008) is synonymized with Reddyanus assamensis (Oates, 1888).

New status:

Reddyanus kanak Lourenço, 2023 is tentatively considered as a nomen dubium.

An updated catalogue of scorpiofauna of China is also provided.

Abstract:
Two genera associated with the scorpiofauna of China are reviewed, Razianus Farzanpay, 1987 and Reddyanus Vachon, 1972. Holotype female of Razianus xinjianganus Lourenço et al., 2010 is presumed to be lost, as well as all type material of other Chinese scorpions described before 2020. Comments are given on the species composition of genus Reddyanus with a new synonym: Isometrus (Reddyanus) tibetanus Lourenço & Zhu, 2008 = Reddyanus assamensis (Oates, 1888) syn. n. Reddyanus kanak Lourenço, 2023 is tentatively considered as a nomen dubium. An updated catalogue of scorpiofauna of China is provided, including their type locality and type depository, protonym, synonym(s), misidentification(s), Chinese equivalent name and distribution in China. Several Tibetan Scorpiops species will be addressed in a subsequent paper. Finally, a list of errata in the preceding taxonomic papers by the current author is also included.

Reference:
Tang V. A review of scorpiofauna of China: nomenclatural notes and updated faunistic catalogue (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Euscorpius. 2025(404):1-24. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

Eric Ythier and Wilson Lourenco recently published a study describing a new cave-dwelling species in the genus Chaerilus Simon, 1877 (Chaerilidae) from Myanmar (Burma). Even though the new species was found in caves, it is not a true troglobite, but rather a trogloxene. 

Here are the taxonomical decision in this paper:

Chaerilus adrianoi Lourenco & Ythier, 2024 (new species)

Chaerilus birmanicus Thorell, 1899 (restored from synonymy with Chaerilus variegatus Simon, 1877)

Chaerilus anneae Lourenço, 2012 (restored from synonymy with Chaerilus julietteae Lourenço, 2011)

Chaerilus kampuchea Lourenço, 2012 (species status confirmed. Previous status "Nomen dubium"

Abstract:
A new species belonging to the genus Chaerilus Simon, 1877 is described from Myanmar: Chaerilus adrianoi sp. n., which was collected in a cave located in the East of the country. The new species is compared with some other Chaerilus species also described from Southeast Asia and in particular from Myanmar. The comparative study of the new species with other congenerics suggests, as in previous cases, that different species do not show very marked morphological differences, but rather correspond to micro-endemic populations. The new species is the second Chaerilus collected from Myanmar, together with Chaerilus birmanicus Thorell, 1899, restored from its synonymy with Chaerilus variegatus Simon, 1877. Chaerilus anneae Lourenço, 2012 is also restored from its synonymy with Chaerilus julietteae Lourenço, 2011 and the validity of Chaerilus kampuchea Lourenço, 2012 is confirmed.

Reference:
Lourenço WR, Ythier E. A new cave species of Chaerilus Simon, 1877 from Myanmar (Scorpiones: Chaerilidae). Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2024(44):51-6. [Full text provided by authors]

Thanks to Eric for sending me their article!

Family Chaerilidae

Eric Ythier and co-workers recently published an article describing a new species of Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758(Scorpionidae) from Atakor volcanic field in the Hoggar massif in the south of Algeria.

Scorpio atakor Ythier, Sadine, Bengaid & Lourenço, 2024

The authors also raise Scorpio trarasensis Bouisset & Larrouy, 1962 to species status after it previously was synonymized with Scorpio maurus maurus Linnaeus, 1758 (it was originally described as a subspecies of S. maurus.

Abstract:
A new species of Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758 is described from the Atakor volcanic field in the Hoggar massif, located in the South of Algeria. Scorpio atakor sp. nov. most certainly represents a vicariant element of Scorpio tassili Lourenço & Rossi, 2016, species equally described from a massif formation, the Tassili N’Ajjer, in the South of Algeria. Both species are distributed in high altitudes in these massifs. Scorpio trarasensis Bouisset & Larrouy, 1962 stat. rev., stat. nov. is also restored from its synonymy with Scorpio maurus maurus Linnaeus, 1758 and raised to species level. The number of confirmed species of Scorpio in Algeria is raised to six.

Reference:
Ythier E, Sadine SE, Bengaid Y, Lourenco WR. A new species of Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758 from Algeria (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae) and a new case of vicariance. Arachnides. 2024(113):1-11. [Open Access]

Family Scorpionidae

 In a recent paper, Wilson Lourenco has described a new species in the genus Reddyanus Vachon, 1972 (Buthidae).

 Reddyanus kanak Lourenco, 2023

 In this paper Lourenco states that he doesn't accept the decision by Kovarik et al. (2016) to raise the subgenus Reddyanus Vachon, 1972 in Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 to genus status. Because of this, the new species is named Isometrus (Reddyanus) kanak in the article.

This decision is done in a short paragraph without any proper justification. Because of this, I have chosen not to accept and include this status change in The Scorpion Files. I have obtained some advice in this matter and also gotten information that there exist unpublished DNA results that support the decision by Kovarik et al. in 2016.

Abstract:
Some considerations are proposed on Isometrus (Reddyanus) heimi Vachon, 1976, species described from New Caledonia, in order to precisely clarify the status of the typical series used by M. Vachon for its description. A new species of Isometrus is also described from wet forests of New Caledonia, representing the third species of this genus recorded from the Island. The new species, similarly to Isometrus (R.) heimi, most certainly represents an endemic element to New Caledonia.

Reference:
Lourenco WR. Nouvelles considérations sur Isometrus (Reddyanus) heimi Vachon, 1976 et description d’une deuxième espèce d’Isometrus pour la Nouvelle-Calédonie (Scorpiones : Buthidae). Revue Arachnologique. 2023;2(10):30-6.

Thanks to Gerard Dupre for sending me this article!

Family Buthidae

Shubhankar Deshpande and co-workers have recently published a major study of the Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) in India. Five new species are described from the southern parts of the country.

NB! The Year for these was corrected 18.12.23 to 2024 as the article is labeled 2024. Thanks to Gerard Dupre for noticing!

 Isometrus adviteeya Deshpande, Gowande, Dandekar, Joshi, Bastawade & Sulakhe, 2024

Isometrus anamalaiensis Deshpande, Gowande, Dandekar, Joshi, Bastawade & Sulakhe, 2024

Isometrus lithophilis Deshpande, Gowande, Dandekar, Joshi, Bastawade & Sulakhe, 2024

Isometrus palani Deshpande, Gowande, Dandekar, Joshi, Bastawade & Sulakhe, 2024

Isometrus thenmala Deshpande, Gowande, Dandekar, Joshi, Bastawade & Sulakhe, 2024

In addition, the following taxonomical changes have been made:

Odontobuthus atherii (Amir & Kamaluddin, 2008) (New combination). Previsously in the genus Reddyanus Vachon, 1972.

Odontobuthus liaqatii (Amir & Kamaluddin, 2008) (New combination). Previsously in the genus Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828.

Isometrus formosus Pocock, 1893 is declared as nomen dubium.

The article has an indedification key for the genus in India and also descriptions and habitat information and pictures.

Abstract:
The Western and Eastern Ghats of the Peninsular India are known for their high biological diversity, which is shaped due to various geological barriers and environmental parameters. Scorpion diversity in Peninsular India remains poorly known thereby warranting a need to undertake rigorous arachnological surveys. In our continued effort to discover scorpion lineages hitherto unknown to science, we describe five new species of the genus Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 which were obtained from southern India, and discuss morphological, molecular and ecological discordance within this genus. The validity of Reddyanus atherii Amir and Kamaluddin, 2008, Isometrus liaqatii Amir and Kamaluddin, 2008 and Isometrus formosus Pocock, 1894 is also commented upon, with implications to propose taxonomic changes within the genus.

Reference:
Deshpande S, Gowande G, Dandekar N, Joshi M, Bastawade D, Sulakhe S. A baffling case of morphological, molecular and ecological discordance in Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with the description of five new species from southern India. Zoologischer Anzeiger. 2024;308:71-98. [Subscription required for full text]

Family Buthidae

The studies of higher-level classification of scorpions are far from resolved (superfamilies and families). Carlos E. Santib
anez-L
opez and co-workers have recently published a study on the monophyly and phylogenetic placement of Chactidae.

The results have lead to a decision to create a new family Anuroctonidae Santibanez-Lopez, Ojanguren-Affilastro, Graham & Sharma, 2023 and move the genus Anuroctonus Pocock, 1893 with its two species  from Chactidae to the new family. 

The authors state that this is only a first step in the analysis of Chactidae's position and more studies are necessary before we have the final answers.

Abstract:
Scorpions are ancient and historically renowned for their potent venom. Traditionally, the systematics of this group of arthropods was supported by morphological characters, until recent phylogenomic analyses (using RNAseq data) revealed most of the higher-level taxa to be non-monophyletic. While these phylogenomic hypotheses are stable for almost all lineages, some nodes have been hard to resolve due to minimal taxonomic sampling (e.g. family Chactidae). In the same line, it has been shown that some nodes in the Arachnid Tree of Life show disagreement between hypotheses generated using transcritptomes and other genomic sources such as the ultraconserved elements (UCEs). Here, we compared the phylogenetic signal of transcriptomes vs. UCEs by retrieving UCEs from new and previously published scorpion transcriptomes and genomes, and reconstructed phylogenies using both datasets independently. We reexamined the monophyly and phylogenetic placement of Chactidae, sampling an additional chactid species using both datasets. Our results showed that both sets of genome-scale datasets recovered highly similar topologies, with Chactidae rendered paraphyletic owing to the placement of Nullibrotheas allenii. As a first step toward redressing the systematics of Chactidae, we establish the family Anuroctonidae (new family) to accommodate the genus Anuroctonus.

Reference:
Santibáñez-López CE, Ojanguren-Affilastro AA, Graham MR, Sharma PP. Congruence between ultraconserved element-based matrices and phylotranscriptomic datasets in the scorpion Tree of Life. Cladistics. 2023. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Matt Simon and Victor Fet for informing me about this article!

Family Anuroctonidae

The status of some members of the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpionidae) and their presence in Thailand has been burdened with uncertainty. In a recent review authored by Kazusa Kawai and co-workers, five species of Heterometrus species are now confirmed for Thailand. In addition, two previously synonymized species are restored to species status:

Heterometrus cimrmani Kovařík, 2004 (previously synonymized with Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876))

Heterometrus minotaurus Pliskova, Kovarik, Kosulic & Stahlavsky, 2016 (previously synonymized with Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876))

Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876) is now considered nomen dubium.

Abstract:
Five species of the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 are currently confirmed from Thailand and revised, with their respective distribution range in this country updated. Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876) is considered a nomen dubium, while its two previous junior synonyms, H. cimrmani Kovařík, 2004, stat. rev. and H. minotaurus Plíšková et al., 2016, stat. rev. are revalidated and redescribed based on the examination of topotypes. Females of H. minotaurus Plíšková et. al., 2016, stat. rev. were also collected and examined, and their characters are herein described with a special attention to sexual dimorphism. Furthermore, some populations previously regarded as H. laoticus Couzijn, 1981 found in Thailand turned out to belong to H. silenus (Simon, 1884). Additionally, ambiguous records of H. spinifer (Ehrenberg, 1828) in Thailand are now confirmed. Finally, we speculate that the difference in pedipalp length between males of H. cimrmani and H. minotaurus is evolved due to the armspan competition.

Reference:
Kawai K, Unnahachote T, Suttisatid Y, Tang V. А Review of Heterometrus in Thailand (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae). Euscorpius. 2023(373):1-25. [Open Access]

Family Scorpionidae

Heyu Lv and Zhiyong Di have studied new materials of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiopidae) from China and have published a few taxonomical updates.

Scorpiops lourencoi Lv & Di, 2022 (New species from China)

Scorpiops atomatus Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005 (restored from synonymy with Scorpiops tibetanus Hirst, 1911)

Scorpiops tibetanus Hirst, 1911 is redescribed.

The article also have an updated identification key for the Scorpiops species of China.

Abstract:
Scorpiops lourencoi sp. nov. is described from Shigatse, Xizang. Scorpiops atomatus Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005 and Scorpiops pococki Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005 were synonymized by Kovařík et al. (2020) as two junior synonyms of Scorpiops tibetanus Hirst, 1911 but based on several field surveys in Xizang in recent years, and a careful survey of the literature, S. atomatus is reaffirmed as a valid species and S. tibetanus is redescribed, both based on newly collected specimens. This brings the total number of species of Scorpiops recorded in China to 32.

Reference:
Lv H-Y, Di Z-Y. Scorpiops lourencoi sp. nov., the revalidation of Scorpiops atomatus Qi, Zhu & Lourenço, 2005, and the redescription of Scorpiops tibetanus Hirst, 1911 (Scorpiones, Scorpiopidae) from China. ZooKeys. 2022(1132):189-214. [Open Access]

Thanks to Gerard Dupre and Matt Simon for sending me this article!

Family Scorpiopidae

Victoria Tang has recently published a new article on the scorpion fauna of China and this time a new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiopidae) from Yunnan Province has been described.

Scorpiops tongtongi Tang, 2022

Updated data on several other Scorpiops species are given and based on these Scorpiops validus (Di et al., 2010) is raised to species status from synonymy with S. vachoni (Qi et al., 2005).

Abstract:
A new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861, Scorpiops tongtongi sp. n., is described from Yingjiang, Yunnan Province, China, based on a single adult female. The morphology of the new species is fairly distinguishable from other congeners in Yunnan even with unaided eye; it is characterized by the following combination of characters in female: a pair of moderately robust pedipalp chelae without proximal lobes, small median ocular tubercle, short superciliary carinae, less granulated tergites, proportionally elongate metasoma and relatively short and bulbous vesicle. The coloration of the new species also differs from other congeners in Yunnan by being brownish in tergites and telson vesicle. The number of known species of Scorpiops from China is raised to 29 (22 endemic) and that of Yunnan is raised to 10 (9 endemic). The previously described congeners from Yunnan are also revisited, by complementing some missing data of several species, and providing new comparative data for the following species based on recently collected topotypes: S. puerensis (Di et al., 2010), S. shidian (Qi et al., 2005), S. vachoni (Qi et al., 2005), S. validus (Di et al., 2010), and S. zhangshuyuani (Ythier, 2019), as well as the Yunnan population of S. kubani (Kovařík, 2004). Finally, Scorpiops validus (Di et al., 2010) stat. rev. is restored from its synonymy with S. vachoni (Qi et al., 2005).

Reference:
Tang V. A new species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 from Yunnan Province, China, with a preliminary review of its congeners in Yunnan (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae). Euscorpius. 2022(360):1-44. [Open Access]

Family Scorpiopidae

The family Iuridae are mainly found in Turkey and Greece and contains some of the largest scorpions in Europe. There have been some studies of this family in the recent years, but in a recent article Aristeidis Parmakelis and co-workers have conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the family and based on this suggested several taxonomic decisisons.

The subfamily Calchinae Birula, 1917 is raised from synonymy with Iurinae Thorell, 1876.

The three new genera are described (listed with the taxa assiciated with them):

Anatoliurus Parmakelis, Dimitriadou, Gkigkiza, Karampatsou, Stathi, Fet, Yağmur & Kovařík, 2022.

A. kraepelini (von Ubisch, 1922 (Turkey: Antalya, Isparta, Konya, Karaman, Mersin, and Muğla Provinces; Greece: Megisti (Kastelorizo) Island.

A. kumlutasi (Yagmur, Soleglad, Fet & Kovarik 2015) (Turkey: Hıdırellez Cave in Antalya).

Letoiurus Parmakelis, Dimitriadou, Gkigkiza, Karampatsou, Stathi, Fet, Yağmur & Kovařík, 2022.

L. rhodiensis (Soleglad, Fet, Kovarik & Yagmur, 2012) (Greece: Rhodes Island; Turkey: Muğla Province.

Metaiurus Parmakelis, Dimitriadou, Gkigkiza, Karampatsou, Stathi, Fet, Yağmur & Kovařík, 2022.

M. kadleci (Kovarik, Fet, Soleglad & Yagmur, 2010) (Turkey: Antalya and Mersin Provinces).

M. stathiae (Soleglad, Fet, Kovarik & Yagmur, 2012) (Greece: Karpathos Island). 

Abstract:
Iuridae is a family of scorpions that exhibits a highly complex biogeographic and taxonomic history. Iuridae taxa are mainly found in Turkey and Greece, whereas a single species is found in northern Iraq. Several taxonomic revisions have been conducted on this family that initially comprised two genera. The latest taxonomic review, based on morphological and anatomical features, raised the number of Iuridae genera to four, and the number of species to 14.

Sequence data from three molecular markers (COX1, 16S rDNA, ITS1) originating from numerous Iuridae taxa were analyzed within a phylogenetic framework. Divergence time-estimate analyses, species delimitation approaches and estimation of ancestral areas were implemented in order to: (1) reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of the Iuridae taxa, (2) evaluate the morphological classifications, and (3) obtain insights into the biogeographic history of the family in the East Mediterranean.

The multi-locus phylogeny clearly confirms an ancient division into two clades, Calchinae and Iurinae. Ancient patterns of isolation and dispersal are revealed. Both subfamilies are largely confined to the Anatolian peninsula and its few coastal islands; only the most derived genus Iurus has dispersed westward to Crete and Peloponnese. Based on our findings, three new genera of Iurinae (Metaiurus, Anatoliurus, and Letoiurus) are established. The genus Neocalchas emerges as one of the most ancient scorpion clades, with divergence time about 27 mya.

Family Iuridae

 
Graeme Lowe and Frantisek Kovarik recently published an article where they did a morphometric analysis of the family Microcharmidae Lourenco, 1996 and the genera Grosphus Simon, 1880 and Teruelius Lowe & Kovarik, 2019. The following taxonomic decisions were made:

The family Microcharmidae Lourenco, 1996 with its two genera is synomymized with the family Buthidae C. L. Koch, 1837.

The genus Teruelius Lowe & Kovarik, 2019 (22 species) is restored from synonymy with Grosphus Simon, 1880 (14 species).

Two new species are described:

Grosphus angulatus Lowe & Kovarik, 2022 (Madagascar)

Teruelius haeckeli Lowe & Kovarik, 2022 (Madagascar)

Abstract:
The genus Teruelius Lowe & Kovařík, 2019, was created for a subset of species originally included under Grosphus Simon, 1880, but was subsequently synonymized with Grosphus. We reanalyze Teruelius and Grosphus by scoring 45 discrete characters, and 32 discrete + 17 continuous characters, for all 36 included species, plus 11 related buthids as outgroup taxa. Morphometric analyses are systematically applied to quantify variation in continuous characters, including: carapace length, carapace anterior concavity, carapace preocular length, hemispermatophore posterior lobe length, tibial spur length/ tibia distal depth ratio, metasoma I length/ width ratio, pectine tooth length/ width ratio, pedipalp femur petite ‘trichobothrium’ d2 position, pedipalp fixed finger relative position of trichobothria db vs. est, and pedipalp manus relative position of Eb trichobothria. Elliptic Fourier analyses and principal components analyses are applied to quantify variation in sternite IV spiracle aperture profiles, female basal pectinal tooth shapes and telson lateral profiles. Laser light scattering is applied to quantify differences in optical reflectance of sternite VII arising from cuticular lattice microstructures. Spectral image analysis is applied to quantify differences in granulation of metasoma I ventrosubmedian carinae. The use of UV fluorescence as a quantitative taxonomic character is critically reviewed. Six binary characters are proposed for differential diagnosis of Teruelius vs. Grosphus. Phylogenetic analyses rooting trees with 8 individual outgroup taxa, or with multiple outgroup taxa under morphological and molecular backbone constraints, all yield overwhelming support for the monophyly of Teruelius, and the genus is reinstated. The position of outgroup taxon Microcharmus in a separate family is not supported by any diagnostic characters or phylogenetic analysis, and Microcharmidae is synonymized with Buthidae. Two new species, Grosphus angulatus sp. n. and Teruelius haeckeli sp. n. are described.

Reference:
Lowe G, Kovarik F. Reanalysis of Teruelius and Grosphus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with descriptions of two new species. Euscorpius. 2022(356):1-105. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

Eric Ythier has recently described a new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 (Buthidae) from Algeria.

Buthacus sadinei Ythier, 2022

The paper also confirm the status for a few another species in the genus.

Abstract:
A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 is described on the basis of one adult male specimen collected in Tindouf, Western Algeria. The new species is mainly characterized by a yellowish coloration without any spots, long pectines with marginal tips extending to the end of sternite V, a very long and curved telson aculeus, chela fingers almost straight with 9 and 10 rows of granules on fixed and movable fingers, respectively, external accessory granules moderate to strong, and tibial spurs moderate on leg III, long on leg IV. This new taxon belongs to the Buthacus leptochelys (Ehrenberg 1829) complex of species and represents the 10th known Buthacus species reported from Algeria. The new species is compared with the six other species of the “leptochelys” complex occurring in the region covering Western Algeria, Northern Mauritania, Northern Western Sahara and Morocco, namely B. occidentalis Vachon, 1953, B. stockmanni Kovařík, Lowe & Šťáhlavský, 2016, B. ziegleri Lourenço, 2000, B. mahraouii Lourenço, 2004, B. maroccanus Lourenço, 2006 and B. algerianus Lourenço, 2006, the three last species being confirmed again as valid species.

Reference:
Ythier E. A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 from Western Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Faunitaxys. 2022;10(28):1-6. [Open Access]

Thanks to Eric for helping me out with Buthacus information!

Family Buthidae

Gioele Tropea and Aristeidis Parmakelis have done an analysis of the different populations in Italy and France beloning to the species Euscorpius concinnus (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Euscorpiidae). The study resulted in three new species from Italy:

Euscorpius latinus Tropea & Parmakelis, 2022

Euscorpius stefaniae Tropea & Parmakelis, 2022

Euscorpius trejaensis Tropea & Parmakelis, 2022

Euscorpius concinnus (C. L. Koch, 1837) is now considered endemic for Italy.

 In addition, Euscorpius niciensis (C.L. Koch, 1841) is elevated to species status from subspecies status as E. capathicus niciensis. This species occurs both in France and Italy.

Abstract:
In the present work, several scorpion populations assigned to Euscorpius concinnus (C.L. Koch, 1837) and Euscorpius carpathicus niciensis (C.L. Koch, 1841) are reconsidered on a phylogenetic, morphological, and geographical basis. Three new species are described, E. latinus sp. nov., E. stefaniae sp. nov., and E. trejaensis sp. nov., while E. niciensis stat. nov. is elevated to species status. Ecological and biogeographical data are provided for the revised taxa. Following these taxonomic changes, the number of species comprising the subfamily Euscorpiinae has increased to 90. The scorpion species present in Italy increased to 27, with one species belonging to the family Buthidae, one species to Belisariidae, and 25 species to Euscorpiidae.

Reference:
Tropea G, Parmakelis A. Reconsideration of some populations of Euscorpius concinnus complex (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae). ZooKeys. 2022(1100):117-64. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Gioele for sending me their article!

Family Euscorpiidae

The genus Orthochiroides  Kovarik, 1998 (Buthidae) was synonymized with Orthochirus Karsch, 1891 by Lourenco & Ythier in 2021. This decision is now changed in a recent article by Kovarik & Lowe after analyzing more than 40 morphological characters. Orthochiroides is back as a valid genus with the original four species previously assigned to the genus.

 A new species Orthochiroides is desrcibed from Somaliland increasing the number of species to five.

Orthochiroides somalilandus Kovarik & Lowe, 2022

An identification key for the genus is included.

Abstract:
The genus Orthochiroides Kovařík, 1998 is reanalyzed. Revised diagnoses and new illustrations for the genus and all four of its species are presented. A new species, O. somalilandus sp. n. from Somaliland is described and illustrated. Phylogenetic relationships of the genus with several other similar genera of small buthids are inferred from a parsimony analysis of 43 discrete morphological characters. The recent synonymy of Orthochiroides with Orthochirus is refuted and the genus is revalidated.

Reference:
Kovarik F, Lowe G. Review of Orthochiroides Kovařík, 1998 with description of a new species (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2022(349):1-42. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

Wilson Lourenco & Eric Ythier has recently described a new species in the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiopidae) from Laos.

Scorpiops (Euscorpiops) piceus Lourenco & Ythier, 2022

The authors have kept the genera synonymizations made by Kovarik in in 2020 (all genera except for Parascorpiops Banks, 1928 were synonymized with Scorpiops), but have revalidated some of the ex-genera as subgenera in the current paper. [The information in this paragraph was corrected 13.05.22]

Abstract:
A new species, Scorpiops (Euscorpiops) piceus sp. n., belonging to the family Scorpiopidae Kraepelin, 1905 is described based on one adult female and one juvenile male collected in the Province of Khammouane, Laos. The new species presents most features exhibited by scorpions of the genus Scorpiops subgenus Euscorpiops, and is characterized by a very dark pigmentation overall, a large global size and a distinct trichobothrial pattern. This new species may represent one endemic element for the fauna of Khammouane region. This new taxon represents the 100th described species among the currently recognized species for the genus Scorpiops and the 36th for the subgenus Euscorpiops. Comments are also added on the validity of the generic division of the groups included in the family Scorpiopidae and a number of these are revalidated at the subgeneric level.

Reference:
Lourenco WR, Ythier E. A new species of the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861, subgenus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 from Laos (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae). Faunitaxys. 2022;10(27):1-9. [Open Access]

Thanks to Gerard Dupre for informing me about this article!

Family Scorpiopidae

Eric Ythier and Wilson Lourenco have recently described a new species of Androctonus  Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) from Western Sahara.

Androctonus agrab Ythier & Lourenco, 2022.

In addition, Androctonus bourdoni Vachon, 1948 is raised from subspecies status (Previously Androctonus mauritanicus bourdoni Vachon, 1948). 

Abstract:
A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 is described on the basis of one male and one female collected in the region of Adrar Sotuf, Western Sahara. This new scorpion taxon represents the 33rd known species of the genus Androctonus and the 3rd reported from Western Sahara. A geographical distribution map of the Androctonus species occurring in Morocco and Western Sahara is presented and one taxon is raised to species rank, Androctonus bourdoni Vachon, 1948 stat. n.

Reference:
Ythier E, Lourenco WR. A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Western Sahara (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Serket. 2022;18(3):239-51.

Thanks to Eric for sending me their new article!

Family Buthidae

India hosts a large diversity of scorpions and many of them are still waiting to be discovered. Shauri Sulakhe and co-workers are working to discover some of these hidden scorpion gems, and in a recent article they have described two new species of Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) from the Western Ghats, India.

Isometrus naksahatra Sulakhe, Deshpande, Gowande, Dandekar & Ketkar, 2022

Isometrus wayanadensis Sulakhe, Deshpande, Gowande, Dandekar & Ketkar, 2022

In addition, Isometrus sankeriensis Tikader & Bastawade, 1983 is restorded from synonymization as a valid species.

The article has a identification key for the Indian species of Isometrus.

Abstract:
The Western Ghats of India is considered one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in the world. Documenting scorpion diversity has always been of paramount importance due to their species richness, ecological role and endemism, which calls for conservation priority. Scorpion diversity of the Western Ghats is probably underestimated given the ancestry of the group, and more field work in the region is very likely to uncover numerous undescribed taxa. Several new Indian species have recently been discovered in the scorpion genus Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). In this communication, we resurrect I. sankeriensis Tikader & Bastawade, 1983 and describe two new species from the Western Ghats of India, I. nakshatra sp. nov. and I. wayanadensis sp. nov., using an integrative taxonomic approach. In order to replace the lost holotype of I. sankeriensis, we designate a neotype and reassess the identity of this species. This work elevates the number of species of Isometrus found in India to eight and we expect many more scorpion discoveries from India with continued research.

Reference:
Sulakhe S, Deshpande S, Gowande G, Dandekar N, Ketkar M. Arboreal gems: resurrection of Isometrus sankeriensis Tikader & Bastwade, 1983 and descriptions of two new species of Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Western Ghats, India. European Journal of Taxonomy. 2022;811:1-50. [Open Access]

Thanks to Matt Simon for informing me about this article!

Family Buthidae

After a revison by Frantisek Kovarik i 2019, the genus Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950 (Buthidae) became a mainly Asian genus. Frantisek Kovarik and several co-workers have now published a comprehensive review of the genus. The genus consists now of 29 species and no subspecies. Here are the major taxonomical changes:

New species:

Mesobuthus birulai Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Iran).

Mesobuthus crucittii Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Iran).

Mesobuthus farleyi Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Iran).

Mesobuthus fomichevi Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan).

Mesobuthus galinae Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Turkmenistan).

Mesobuthus kaftani Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Iran).

Mesobuthus marusiki Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Uzbekistan).

Mesobuthus mirshamsii Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Iran).

Mesobuthus navidpouri Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Iran).

Mesobuthus rahsenae Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Turkey).

Mesobuthus turcicus Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Turkey).

Mesobuthus vignoli Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Iran).

Mesobuthus yagmuri Kovarik & Fet, 2022 (Turkey).

Mesobuthus zonsteini Kovarik, Fet, Gantenbein, Graham, Yagmur, Stahlavsky, Poverenni & Nouvruzov, 2022 (Uzbekistan).

New status:

Mesobuthus barszczevskii (Birula, 1904) (Uzbekistan). Raised from subspecies status.

Mesobuthus kirmanensis (Birula, 1900) (Iran). Raised from subspecies status.

Mesobuthus mesopotamicus (Penther, 1912) (Iraq, Syria, Turkey). Raised from subspecies status.

Mesobuthus philippovitschi (Birula, 1905) (Iran). Raised from subspecies status.

See abstract or article for synonymizations

The article has an updated identification key for the genus Mesobuthus. 

Abstract:
The Asian genus Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950, s. str. (Buthidae) (also known as an informal ‘M. eupeus complex’), which includes the most common scorpion species found from Turkey to China, is revised based on new collections, mainly from Central Asia, Turkey, and Iran, using both morphological and mitochondrial DNA data. Available type specimens of all species were studied; neotypes and lectotypes were designated when necessary. The type species Mesobuthus eupeus (C. L. Koch, 1839), s. str., is restricted to the Caucasus Mts. Currently, the genus includes 29 valid species. Fifteen previously described taxa are recognized as species: Mesobuthus afghanus (Pocock, 1889) (Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan) (= ?Buthus agnetis Werner, 1936, syn. n.), M. barszczevskii (Birula, 1904), stat. n. (Uzbekistan), M. bogdoensis (Birula, 1896) (=Buthus eupeus volgensis Birula, 1925, syn. n.) (Kazakhstan, Russia), M. eupeus (C. L. Koch, 1839) (Armenia, Azerbajjan, Georgia, Iran, Russia [North Caucasus], Turkey), M. haarlovi Vachon, 1958 (Afghanistan, Pakistan), M. iranus (Birula, 1917) (Iran), M. kirmanensis (Birula, 1900), stat. n. (Iran) (= Buthus pachysoma Birula, 1900, syn. n.), M. macmahoni (Pocock, 1900) (Pakistan), M. mesopotamicus (Penther, 1912), stat. n. (Iraq, Syria, Turkey), M. persicus (Pocock, 1899) (Azerbaijan, Iran), M. philippovitschi (Birula, 1905), stat. n. (Iran), M. phillipsii (Pocock, 1889) (Iran), M. thersites (C.L. Koch, 1839) (=Buthus eupeus mongolicus Birula, 1911, syn. n.) (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia), M. vesiculatus (Pocock, 1900) (Iran), and M. zarudnyi Novruzov et al., 2022 (Azerbaijan). Fourteen new species are described: Mesobuthus birulai sp. n. (Iran), M. crucittii sp. n. (Iran), M. farleyi sp. n. (Iran), M. fomichevi sp. n. (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), M. galinae sp. n. (Turkmenistan), M. kaftani sp. n. (Iran), M. marusiki sp. n. (Uzbekistan), M. mirshamsii sp. n. (Iran), M. navidpouri sp. n. (Iran), M. rahsenae sp. n. (Turkey), M. turcicus sp. n. (Turkey), M. vignolii sp. n. (Iran), M. yagmuri sp. n. (Turkey), and M. zonsteini sp. n. (Uzbekistan). No subspecies are currently recognized. A key to all studied species is given. A DNA phylogeny based on COI marker is presented including 25 species.

Reference:
Kovarik F, Fet V, Gantenbein B, Graham MR, Yagmur EA, Stahlavsky F, et al. A revision of the genus Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950, with a description of 14 new species (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. 2022(348):1-188. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

The systematics and taxonomy of the members of the family Euscorpiidae is still a major challenge in site of numerous research papers in the last decades.  The four traditional European taxa known some decades ago, are now split into a huge diversity of genera and species. And there is still more to come as there are many cryptic species and geographic areas that are still not properly investigated.

Martina Podnar and co-workers have recently published an extensive phylogenetic analysis where they have reviewed the scorpions of the genera Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 and Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999 (Euscorpiidae) with a focus on the eastern Adriatic region. 

This is a very extensive study full of new information and data, and some of it is above my head. But the main conclusions are that their analyses point to the existence of several new taxa and the ranges of several species have been revised. In addition they have made the following taxonomic conclusions:

Euscorpius lagostae Di Caporiacco, 1950 from Lastovo Island, Croatia is raised to species status (formerly Euscorpius carpaticus lagostae Di Caporiacco, 1950).

Euscorpius croaticus is moved to the genus Alpiscorpius as Alpiscorpius croaticus (Di Caporiacco, 1950). 

Why do have so many species? The current article indicate that this is probably due to complex topography creating many microhabitats, but also due to microrefugia in the Pleistocene that allowed new taxa to evolve.

Abstract:
The systematics and taxonomy of the scorpion family Euscorpiidae are still unresolved, and, within it, the eastern Adriatic scorpiofauna is largely unknown and under-researched. Based on two mitochondrial sequences (COI and 16S rRNA) and one nuclear marker sequence (ITS1), we put 107 newly analyzed samples originating from the Alps, the Eastern Adriatic, and the adjacent Dinaric karst area into phylogenetic context. Several species delineation approaches were applied to reveal cryptic diversity. Divergence time dating was used to highlight the major events in the evolutionary history of the genera Euscorpius and Alpiscorpius. The deep intraspecific genetic divergences observed in some clades warrant taxonomic revision of several taxa (Euscorpius tergestinus, Euscorpius hadzii, Euscorpius biokovensis, and Euscorpius (Alpiscorpius) croaticus). In this study, the population of E. hadzii from Lastovo Island (formerly Euscorpius carpaticus lagostae) is elevated to species level as Euscorpius lagostae Di Caporiacco, 1950, stat. nov. Euscorpius croaticus is moved to the genus Alpiscorpius as Alpiscorpius croaticus (Di Caporiacco, 1950) comb. nov. The distribution ranges of several species are revised, and based on the new data, a more detailed revision of species distribution is necessary. We attribute the major divergence events to the impact of the Middle Miocene Climate Transition, the Messinian Salinity Crisis, and the Middle Pleistocene Climate Transition. The observed patterns are therefore a direct consequence of the geological history and complex topography of the region, which provided numerous microhabitats, as well as of the Pleistocene microrefugia that enabled their persistence.

Reference:
Podnar M, Grbac I, Tvrtković N, Hörweg C, Haring E. Hidden diversity, ancient divergences, and tentative Pleistocene microrefugia of European scorpions (Euscorpiidae: Euscorpiinae) in the eastern Adriatic region. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 2021;Accepted Manuscript:1-26. [Subscriotion required for full text]

Thanks to Luis Roque for sending me this article.

Family Euscorpidae