Zoology Commons^™

Revision And Taxonomic Position Of Genera Afghanorthochirus Lourenço & Vachon, Baloorthochirus Kovařík, Butheolus Simon, Nanobuthus Pocock, Orthochiroides Kovařík, Pakistanorthochirus Lourenço, And Asian Orthochirus Karsch, With Descriptions Of Twelve New Species (Scorpiones, Buthidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

The genera Baloorthochirus, Butheolus, Orthochiroides, Pakistanorthochirus, and Asian species of the genus Orthochirus are revised and keys are presented to all species of Butheolus and Orthochiroides, Asian species of Orthochirus, and to species of all related genera. Afghanorthochirus Lourenço & Vachon, 1997 is synonymized with Orthochirus Karsch, 1892; Nanobuthus Pocock, 1895 is synonymized with Butheolus Simon, 1882; and Pakistanorthochirus Lourenço, 1997 is synonymized with Baloorthochirus Kovařík, 1996. Orthochiroides socotrensis sp. n. from Socotra Island and eleven new species of Orthochirus are described: O. afghanus sp. n., O. heratensis sp. n., O. jalalabadensis …

Antillean Scorpions Deposited At The Montana State University (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Luis F. De Armas

Euscorpius

A total of 71 specimens of Antillean scorpions belonging to three families [Liochelidae, Scorpionidae (Diplocentrinae), and Buthidae] and seven genera are deposited at the Montana Entomology Collection (MTEC) of the Montana State University. The most represented genus is Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836, which contains seven species from Dominican Republic. Those materials are from the following countries: Cuba, Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, and St. Kitts. The male of Tityus septentrionalis Armas & Abud Antun, 2004 is described for the first time.

A New Vaejovis From The Mogollon Highlands Of Northern Arizona (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Richard F. Ayrey

Euscorpius

A new scorpion species, Vaejovis halli sp. nov., is described. This relatively small, brown new species is found on Mount Ord in the Mazatzal Mountains along the Mogollon Rim of northern Arizona. The new species appears most similar to V. vorhiesi Stahnke and V. deboerae Ayrey. The most distinguishing characteristic of this new species is the number of inner denticles (ID) found on the pedipalp fingers with six on the movable finger and usually five on the fixed finger, which more closely correlates with Vaejovis species from the mountains of southern Arizona rather than those geographically closer …

Longevity Of Mineral Supplements Within The Soil And Associated Use By White-Tailed Deer, Brian C. Peterson, Keith D. Koupal, Andrew K. Schissel, Cody M. Siegel

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Humans have baited wildlife such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for generations with the primary purpose of increasing hunting harvest success. Baiting regulation changes are often considered by state management agencies as they pertain to hunting opportunity, fair chase, and disease risk. Cervids require a variety of minerals to supplement biological processes, especially sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P). We developed artificial mineral supplement sites set in front of trail cameras to monitor deer use. Pooled soil samples were collected at mineral sites and compared to the surrounding area to determine the longevity of elevated minerals levels …

A Review Of The Genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828, With Descriptions Of Seven New Species (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

The genus Heterometrus is revised and a key is presented to all species except H. tristis. Subgenera Chersonesometrus Couzijn, 1978, Gigantometrus Couzijn, 1978, Javanimetrus Couzijn, 1981 and Srilankametrus Couzijn, 1981 are synonymized with the subgenus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828. Seven new species of Heterometrus are described: H. beccaloniae sp. n., H. mysorensis sp. n., H. rolciki sp. n., and H. ubicki sp. n. from India, H. nepalensis sp. n., from Nepal, H. sejnai sp. n. from Thailand, and H. cimrmani sp. n. from Thailand and Vietnam. The following species and subspecies are synonymized: H. ( …

A Note On The Scorpions From The Pirin Mountains, Southwestern Bulgaria (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Euscorpiidae), Rolando Teruel, Victor Fet, Luis F. De Armas

Euscorpius

In the present note, four scorpion species are recorded from the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria, including the first records for Bulgaria of both Mesobuthus gibbosus (Brullé, 1832) (Buthidae) and the “mingrelicus complex” of the genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Euscorpiidae) (the latter based upon an undetermined species). Also, E. hadzii Caporiacco, 1950 and another undetermined species of Euscorpius belonging to the “carpathicus complex” are recorded from Pirin. The taxonomic affinities of the taxa are discussed, as well as some biogeographical considerations about the scorpions of this poorly studied mountainous area.

A Scorpion From A Peatbog: The First Arthropod Fossil From The Late Viséan Of The Moscow Coal Basin, Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad, Yulia V. Mosseichik, Dmitry E. Shcherbakov

Euscorpius

This note describes a fossil fragment from the Upper Viséan (ca. 330 Ma), of the Moscow Coal Basin (Novgorod Region, Russia). The fossil is identified as the cuticle of a single leg segment (left femur) of a scorpion (Arachnida: Scorpiones), without any further taxonomic placement. The anatomical details of the fragment are given, along with ecological considerations. It is the first fossil scorpion record from Russia.

Alloscorpiops Wongpromi Sp. N. From Thailand And Laos (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae), František Kovařík, Michael E. Soleglad, Ondřej Košulič

Euscorpius

Alloscorpiops wongpromi sp. n. from Thailand and Laos is described and compared with all other species of the genus Alloscorpiops Vachon, 1980. A key is presented to all species of the genus. A. wongpromi sp. n. is characterized mainly by a higher number of trichobothria on the patella, which has 33–37 external and 21–22 ventral trichobothria, and a dark-colored telson. The subgenus Laoscorpiops Lourenço, 2013 is synonymized with the nominotypical subgenus, because it was based on misinterpretation of the trichobothrial pattern, with two ventral accessory trichobothria on the chela regarded as part of the external Eb series.

Response Of Male Centruroides Vittatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) To Aerial And Substrate-Borne Chemical Signals, Steffany B. Steinmetz, Karen C. Bost, Douglas D. Gaffin

Euscorpius

Chemical signaling promotes mate location throughout numerous animal taxa. In this study we investigated the possibility that striped scorpions, Centruroides vittatus, use chemical signaling in the form of odor plumes or substrate-borne deposits as communication channels. A Y-shaped arena was constructed to test scorpions’ use of air-borne chemical cues in the detection of potential mates. A second, circular behavioral choice chamber was used to test male scorpions’ responses to female deposits by direct substrate contact. Male scorpions showed no tendency to move toward the female in tests of air-borne chemical transmission but they did demonstrate behavior associated with chemical …

Scorpiofauna Of Kashan (Esfahan Province, Iran) (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Valerio Vignoli, František Kovařík, Pierangelo Crucitti

Euscorpius

This work contains the results of the zoological expedition of the Società Romana di Scienze Naturali to Kashan, in Iran. Four days of intensive field research provided interesting data on the community structure of scorpions of Kashan. Thirty-two scorpion specimens, all belonging to the family Buthidae, are listed and ecological notes are included. Iranobuthus krali Kovařík, 1997, Kraepelinia palpator (Birula, 1903) and Polisius persicus Fet, Capes & Sissom, 2001 were found for the first time in the examined localities. The species collected belong to different ecomorpho-types, characteristic for the particular geographic position of Kashan. We report presence of two species …

A Powerful New Light Source For Ultraviolet Detection Of Scorpions In The Field, Graeme Lowe, Steven R. Kutcher, Doug Edwards

Euscorpius

We describe a new portable solid-state ultraviolet (UV) light that should greatly improve the ease and effectiveness of fluorescent detection of scorpions in the field. The design is based on an array of InGaN light emitting diodes (LEDs). It is in-expensive, lightweight, simple to implement, energetically efficient and mechanically rugged. Scorpion cuticular fluorescence excited by an LED array is 13-fold brighter than excitation by previously available fluorescent tube lamps drawing the same current from the battery.

Genomic Legacy Of The African Cheetah, Acinonyx Jubatus, Pavel Dobrynin, Shiping Liu, Gaik Tamazian, Zijun Xiong, Andrey A. Yurchenko, Ksenia Krasheninnikova, Sergey Kliver, A. Schmidt-Kunzel, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Warren E. Johnson, Lukas F. K. Kuderna, Raquel Garcia-Perez, Marc De Manuel, Ricardo Godinez, Aleksey Komissarov, Alexey Makunin, Vladimir Brukhin, Weilin Qiu, Long Zhou, Fang Li, Jian Yi, Carlos A. Driscoll, Agostinho Antunes, T. K. Oleksyk, Eduardo Eizirik, Polina Perelman, Melody E. Roelke, David E. Wildt, Mark Diekhans, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Laurie Marker, Jong Bhak, Jun Wang, Guojie Zhang, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Background

Patterns of genetic and genomic variance are informative in inferring population history for human, model species and endangered populations.

Results

Here the genome sequence of wild-born African cheetahs reveals extreme genomic depletion in SNV incidence, SNV density, SNVs of coding genes, MHC class I and II genes, and mitochondrial DNA SNVs. Cheetah genomes are on average 95 % homozygous compared to the genomes of the outbred domestic cat (24.08 % homozygous), Virunga Mountain Gorilla (78.12 %), inbred Abyssinian cat (62.63 %), Tasmanian devil, domestic dog and other mammalian species. Demographic estimators impute two ancestral population bottlenecks: one >100,000 years …

Exploration Of The Range Overlap Between Cynomys Leucurus And Cynomys Ludovicianus, Kenneth D. Choi

Honors Theses

The ranges of two species of prairie dogs, Cynomys leucurus and Cynomys ludovicianus, overlap in a narrow area in the western Great Plains in Wyoming. We used GIS software to map their distributions and infer land cover preferences within and on either side of the zone of overlap. In general, both species used habitats in proportion to their availability and did not display strong selection of their expected vegetation types (based on the literature). However, both species of prairie dogs were overrepresented in areas of human settlements and crops, which may indicate that these species prefer human-modified habitats, or perhaps …