Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

A New Species Of Buthus Leach, 1815 From Libya (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Andrea Rossi, Gioele Tropea, Ersen Aydın Yağmur

Euscorpius

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.

Reproduction And Birth In The “Vorhiesi” Group Of The Genus Vaejovis (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae). Part I. Clutch Size, Richard F. Ayrey

Euscorpius

A total of 2,287 newborn scorpions were counted and photographed on 100 females of all 12 described species of the “vorhiesi” group of the genus Vaejovis (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae) found in Arizona, USA, and several undescribed species. Average clutch size for the “vorhiesi” group and for each individual species is reported. The data clearly shows that the larger species have more young, per parturition, than the smaller species. Representative photographs are presented for each species discussed.

Three More Species Of Euscorpius Confirmed For Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad, Aristeidis Parmakelis, Panayiota Kotsakiozi, Iasmi Stathi

Euscorpius

In Greece, scorpion genus Euscorpius has been insufficiently studied. Taxonomy of several species and subspecies has been inconsistent and confusing. We provide new morphological data and redescriptions of type specimens of three “old” taxa, described from Greece and formerly listed under a “catch-all” taxon Euscorpius carpathicus. We elevate to, or confirm at species status: Euscorpius scaber Birula, 1900 (type locality: Mt. Athos), E. candiota Birula, 1903 (type locality: Heraklion, Crete), and E. ossae Di Caporiacco, 1950, stat.n. (type locality: Mt. Ossa, Thessaly). Species-level separation of these taxa is also confirmed by multiple species delimitation methods implemented on the phylogenetic …

Etudes On Iurids, Vii. An Sem Study Of External Morphology Of Calchas Birulai Fet Et Al., 2009 (Scorpiones: Iuridae), Mehlika Benli, Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

External morphology of a recently described scorpion species, Calchas birulai Fet et al., 2009 (Iuridae), was investigated in detail using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The samples were collected from Halfeti District, Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. We investigate and depict, in particular, the cuticle, chelicerae, genital operculum, sternum, stigmata, wax pores, and sensory organs (trichobothria, setae, pectines, slit sensilla, constellation array).

Pandinus (Pandinus) Trailini Sp. N. From Ethiopia (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae), With Data On Localities And Life Strategy, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Pandinus (Pandinus) trailini sp. n. from Ethiopia is described and compared with other species of the subgenus. The new species is characterized by 6/4: 6-7/4: 7-8/4-5: 7-8/4-5 spination formula of tarsomere II and only two spines on the inclined anteroventral surface of tarsomere II; 16–18 ventral trichobothria on the chela; and sexual dimorphism, with the male having a more pronounced tooth on the movable finger of pedipalp than the female. A key to species and a distribution map of the subgenus Pandinus Thorell, 1876 are provided. Presented are also photos of localities.

Reconsideration Of The Taxonomy Of Euscorpius Tergestinus (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Gioele Tropea

Euscorpius

After the revision of Fet & Soleglad (2002), Euscorpius tergestinus (C. L. Koch, 1837) was considered a polymorphic species widespread from France to Croatia. In this study, we reconsidered the taxonomy of E. tergestinus s.str. based on morphological and genetic evidence, its range, and its original description. Euscorpius aquilejensis (C. L. Koch, 1837), stat. nov., previously synonymous with E. tergestinus, is elevated to species status herein. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis based on available GenBank 16S rDNA data shows a separate, basal position of E. aquilejensis and some other Euscorpius species, which implies that the subgenus Euscorpius s.str. is …

Dna Markers Confirm Presence Of Euscorpius Avcii Tropea Et Al., 2012 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) On Samos Island, Greece, Aristeidis Parmakelis, Panayiota Kotsakiozi, Gioele Tropea, Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Iasmi Stathi, Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad

Euscorpius

Euscorpius avcii Tropea et al., 2012 has been recently described from Dilek Peninsula in western Anatolia (Turkey, Aydın Province). The population from Samos Island in eastern part of the Aegean Sea is found to match closely the Anatolian E. avcii, making it a new, rare species for the Greek fauna, confirmed by two DNA markers as well as morphology. Samos also shares with western Anatolia two other local recently described scorpion species, Iurus kinzelbachi and Neocalchas gruberi (family Iuridae).

Courtship And Mating In Heterometrus Petersii (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae), Guo-Bin Jiao, Ming-Sheng Zhu

Euscorpius

Courtship and mating in Heterometrus petersii (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae) was observed in the laboratory. In this paper the behavior components displayed in courtship and mating are identified, analyzed and discussed.

A New Species Of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Subgenus Brazilotityus Lourenço, 2006) From The Dominican Amber (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Wilson R. Lourenço

Euscorpius

Tityus (Brazilotiyus) hartkorni sp. n., a new species of fossil scorpion belonging to the genus Tityus C. L. Koch and to the subgenus Brazilotityus Lourenço, is described from a specimen in amber from the Dominican Republic. The new species is clearly associated with the extant fauna of the Neotropical region. This discovery attests to a considerable degree of diversity in the Dominican amber-producing forests.

Description Of A New Species Of Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Southеastеrn Turkey, Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Halil Koç, Kadir Boğaç Kunt

Euscorpius

Leiurus abdullahbayrami sp. nov. is described from Southeastern Turkey and compared with other species of the genus, in particular with L. quinquestriatus, which was previously misidentified from Turkey. The new species is readily distinguished from other members of the genus by pedipalp chela and metasomal segments that are distinctly shorter than in L. quinquestriatus; metasomal segment V has large and rounded lobes; trichobothrium db on the fixed finger of pedipalp is located between trichobothria est and esb (in L. quinquestriatus it is located between et and est). All known Turkish populations of Leiurus were examined and …

On Two Syntopic Species Of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) In And Nearby San Marco Fortress (Veneto, Italy): A Preliminary Investigation, Marco Colombo

Euscorpius

The author found syntopic specimens of Euscorpius italicus and E. tergestinus inside and nearby an abandoned fortress in Verona Province, Veneto, Italy. This discovery highlights a possibility of coexistence of congeneric species not only in the same territory, as already observed, but also in the same habitat and microhabitat, bringing some interesting questions about interspecific competition within the genus Euscorpius.

Sky Island Vaejovis: A New Species (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Richard F. Ayrey

Euscorpius

A new scorpion species, Vaejovis deboerae, sp. nov., is described and placed in the “mexicanus” group of the genus Vaejovis. They are small light yellowish brown scorpions found in the Santa Catalina Mountains, one of the sky islands of southern Arizona. They are closely related to V. vorhiesi Stahnke. The original description of V. vorhiesi Stahnke, 1940 and redescription (Graham, 2007), state that they are found in the Huachuca and Santa Catalina Mountains of southern Arizona. No specimens from the Santa Catalina Mountains were included in the redescription based on the lack of adequate material. The redescription …

Morphological Variation Of Mesobuthus Martensii (Karsch, 1879) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) In Northern China, Lu Zhang, Ming-Sheng Zhu

Euscorpius

Comparative statistical analysis of morphology of Mesobuthus martensii and Mesobuthus eupeus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) indicated highly significant differences between these two species. Mann-Whitney U test showed that: except Ca_L/AW, Ca_AW/PW and Met-V_L/H in female, Ca_AW/PW and Met-V_L/H in male, all morphometric ratios demonstrated significant differences between M. martensii and M. eupeus. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that M. martensii and M. eupeus are clearly different species in morphology. Three statistical analyses (Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA, PCA and cluster analysis) were applied to M.martensii from 27 confirmed localities in five provinces of northern China. The results suggested that: (a) Although M. martensii is …

Prey Capture Behavior In Heterometrus Petersii (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae), Guo-Bin Jiao, Ming-Sheng Zhu

Euscorpius

Prey capture by Heterometrus petersii (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpionidae) was observed in the laboratory. The behavior components displayed in prey capture were identified, compiled into a flow chart, analyzed and discussed.

A New Hottentotta Birula, 1908 From Afghanistan, With A Note On The Generic Position Of Mesobuthus Songi Lourenço, Qi Et Zhu, 2005 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Rolando Teruel, Jan Ove Rein

Euscorpius

A new species of Hottentotta Birula, 1908 is described from the Kabul area in Afghanistan; this addition represents the fifth species of this genus confirmed for this Middle East country. It is a member of the “Indian group” of the genus (the first one recorded from Afghanistan), and is most closely related to Hottentotta jabalpurensis Kovařík, 2007, Hottentotta stockwelli Kovařík, 2007, Hottentotta tamulus (Fabricius, 1798) and Hottentotta songi (Lourenço, Qi et Zhu, 2005) n. comb., which is herein demonstrated to be a member of Hottentotta and is thus formally transferred to this genus.

A New Lithophilic Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Northern Oman, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

A new species of Compsobuthus is described from the Al Hajar mountains of northern Oman. It is distinguished by a strongly dorsoventrally compressed body, reduced carination on the carapace and tergites, extreme elongation of legs and pedipalps, lack of external accessory denticles on the pedipalp fingers, chelal trichobothrium est placed closer to dt than db, heavy setation on the ventral metasoma, and 28–34 pectine teeth. It is an ultralithophilic scorpion, highly adapted to life in narrow rock fissures.

A New Species Of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 From Morocco (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Wilson R. Lourenço, Eric Ythier, Elise-Anne Leguin

Euscorpius

A new species of scorpion belonging to the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 (family Buthidae C. L. Koch, 1837), is described on the basis of one male and one female specimens collected at Sidi Smaïl in the Atlantic Coast of Morocco. With the description of Androctonus maroccanus sp. n., the total number of Androctonus species known to Morocco is raised to seven.

Etudes On Iurids, I. The Orthobothriotaxic Pattern Of Iuridae, With Observations On Neobothriotaxy In Genus Iurus (Scorpiones: Iuroidea), Michael E. Soleglad, František Kovařík, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

A unique orthobothriotaxic pattern of family Iuridae is examined and illustrated. Significant positional differences in this pattern between two monotypic iurid genera, Calchas and Iurus, are presented. With the analysis of over 100 specimens of genus Iurus, representing many localities in Greece and Turkey, several unique occurrences of neobothriotaxy involving both the chela and patella are discussed and illustrated, representing the first report of neobothriotaxy in family Iuridae.

Two New Hemiscorpius Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Hemiscorpiidae) From Northern Oman, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

Two new species of Hemiscorpius, H. falcifer, sp. nov. and H. flagelliraptor, sp. nov., are described from the Al Hajar Mountains of northern Oman. Although both are lithophilic or ultralithophilic scorpions beautifully adapted for living in rock crevices, they exhibit divergent morphologies and may not be closely related. H. falcifer is distinguished by: smaller size, relatively short compact metasoma, bulbous telson, relatively distal placement of lamellar double hook of hemispermatophore, pedipalp chela with wide, sub-triangular manus and exceptionally elongated fingers with single file dentition along distal half of movable finger (in adults); H. …

A New Species Of The Genus Oiclus Simon, 1880 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae: Diplocentrinae) From Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, Rolando Teruel, Léonard Chazal

Euscorpius

A new species of Oiclus Simon, 1880 is described from Guadeloupe in Lesser Antilles. It is closely related to Oiclus purvesii s. s. (Becker, 1880), and represents the first record of this genus from mainland Guadeloupe. The previous record of O. purvesii s. s. from Terre-de-Haut (Les Saintes, a small islet offshore Basse-Terre) is regarded as dubious, as it possibly refers to the new taxon herein described. Also, some topics on the taxonomy and distribution of this genus are briefly discussed.

New Picobuthoid Scorpions (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Oman, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

Five new species of diminutive buthid scorpions are described from Oman. Two belong to Microbuthus Kraepelin, 1898, a genus with heavily sclerotized, smooth, strongly pitted posterior metasomal segments, abbreviated telson, and pedipalps with 9 femoral and 6–7 external patellar trichobothria: M. gardneri, sp. nov., from the Al Hajar Mountains, and M. kristensenorum, sp. nov., from the Dhofar Mountains and Hadhramaut of Yemen, which was long misidentified as M. pusillus Kraepelin, 1898. Two additional new species are placed in a new genus Picobuthus, gen. nov., differentiated by granular posterior metasomal segments, elongate telson, pedipalps with …

Scorpions Of Iran (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part V. Chahar Mahal & Bakhtiyari Province, Khodadad Pirali-Kheirabadi, Shahrokh Navidpour, Victor Fet, František Kovařík, Michael E. Soleglad

Euscorpius

Ten species of scorpions belonging to three families are reported from the montane Chahar Mahal & Bakhtiyari Province of Iran. Of these, only Razianus zarudnyi (Birula, 1903) was formerly reported for this province, while nine species are reported for the first time: Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905), Hottentotta saulcyi (Simon, 1880), Hottentotta zagrosensis Kovařík, 1997, Mesobuthus eupeus phillipsii (Pocock, 1889), Odontobuthus doriae (Thorell, 1876), Orthochirus zagrosensis Kovařík, 2004, Hemi- scorpius lepturus Peters, 1861, and Scorpio maurus townsendi (Pocock, 1900). Also presented is a key to all species of scorpions found in the Chahar Mahal & Bakhtiyari Province.

Tityus Ythieri Lourenço, 2007 Is A Synonym Of Tityus Magnimanus Pocock, 1897 (Scorpiones: Buthidae): A Combined Approach Using Morphology, Hybridization Experiments, Chromosomes, And Mitochondrial Dna, František Kovařík, František Šťáhlavský, Tereza Kořínková, Jiří Král, Tom Van Der Ende

Euscorpius

Diagnostic morphological differences to distinguish between two scorpion species, Tityus ythieri Lourenço, 2007 and T. magnimanus Pocock, 1897 do not exist; moreover, the two easily hybridize to produce fertile offspring. Therefore, we suggest that T. ythieri is a synonym of T. magnimanus. This conclusion is further supported by (1) very similar distribution of relative sizes of chromosome bivalents in both species, (2) regular pairing of homologous chromosomes in meiosis of their hybrids, and (3) identical sequences of mitochondrial DNA (COI) markers.

Distribution Of Hottentotta Saulcyi (Simon, 1880) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) In Turkey, Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Halil Koç, Mehmet Yalçın

Euscorpius

Distribution of Hottentotta saulcyi (Simon, 1880) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Turkey is investigated, and new distributional records are given. Formerly, this species was known only from Mardin Province; here, it is recorded for the first time from Batman, Şırnak, and Hakkâri Provinces.

The True Identity Of Scorpio (Atreus) Obscurus Gervais, 1843 (Scorpiones, Buthidae), Wilson R. Lourenço, Elise-Anne Leguin

Euscorpius

The true identity of the scorpion Scorpio (Atreus) obscurus Gervais, 1843 is discussed based on new data. The original type material was recently discovered in the collections of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, which confirms that this old species, originally described by Gervais based on two female specimens from French Guiana, does indeed belong to the genus Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836. Furthermore, an analysis of all morphological characteristics of Tityus (Atreus) obscurus verifies its position as a senior synonym of both Tityus paraensis Kraepelin, 1896 and Tityus cambridgei Pocock, 1897. In this paper, we designate the two …

Scorpions Of Iran (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Iv. Kohgilouyeh & Boyer Ahmad Province, Shahrokh Navidpour, František Kovařík, Michael E. Soleglad, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

According to previous surveys, only Mesobuthus eupeus phillipsii (Pocock, 1889), Orthochirus zagrosensis Kovařík, 2004, and Hemiscorpius lepturus Peters, 1861 have been recorded from Kohgilouyeh & Boyer Ahmad Province. Collections made by a team under Shahrokh Navidpour (Razi Reference Laboratory of Scorpion Research, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Ahvaz, Khoozestan, Iran) reveal eight other species belonging to two families recorded from the province for the first time: Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807); Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905); Hottentotta saulcyi (Simon, 1880); Hottentotta zagrosensis Kovařík, 1997; Odontobuthus bidentatus Lourenço et Pézier, 2002; Orthochirus iranus Kovařík, 2004; Razianus zarudnyi (Birula, 1903); and Scorpio maurus …

18s Rdna Dataset Profiling Microeukaryotic Populations Within Chicago Area Nearshore Waters, Daniel Searle, Emily Sible, Alexandria Cooper, Catherine Putonti

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

Despite their critical role in the aquatic food web and nutrient cycling, microeukaryotes within freshwater environments are under-studied. Herein we present the first high-throughput molecular survey of microeukaryotes within Lake Michigan. Every two weeks from May 13 to August 5, 2014, we collected surface water samples from the nearshore waters of four Chicago area beaches: Gillson Park, Montrose Beach, 57th Street Beach, and Calumet Beach. Four biological replicates were collected for each sampling date and location, resulting in 112 samples. Eighty-nine of these samples were surveyed through targeted sequencing of the V7 and V8 regions of the 18S rDNA gene. …

When Does Intraspecific Trait Variation Contribute To Functional Beta-Diversity?, Marko J. Spasojevic, Benjamin L. Turner, Jonathan A. Myers

Biology Faculty Research

Summary

1. Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) is hypothesized to play an important role in community assembly and the maintenance of biodiversity. However, fundamental gaps remain in our understanding of how ITV contributes to mechanisms that create spatial variation in the functional-trait composition of communities (functional Β-diversity). Importantly, ITV may influence the perceived importance of environmental filtering across spatial scales.
2. We examined how ITV contributes to functional Β-diversity and environmental filtering in woody plant communities in a temperate forest in the Ozark ecoregion, Missouri, USA. To test the hypothesis that ITV contributes to changes in the perceived importance of environmental filtering across …

Survivorship And Breeding Dispersal Patterns Of A Migratory, Socially Monogamous Passerine; The Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus Forficatus), Adam John Becker

Dissertations and Theses

Survivorship (the likelihood of survival from one year to the next) and breeding dispersal (movement between breeding seasons) exhibit considerable variability at both the inter- and intraspecific levels. Using eight years of data (2008-2015), from my study site in southwest Oklahoma, I characterized survivorship and breeding dispersal of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) in a mixed-grass prairie ecoregion. My results suggest that estimated survivorship of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers is low, especially to the congeneric Eastern Kingbird (T. tyrannus), and was likely underestimated due to the tendency of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers to disperse long distances.

The Geographic Pattern Of Distribution Of The Genus Rhopalurus Thorell, 1876 In The Guayana-Amazon Region (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Wilson R. Lourenço

Euscorpius

A new discussion is proposed on the geographic patterns of distribution presented by the species of the genus Rhopalurus Thorell, inhabiting the savannah formations of the northern South America. Two lineages of Rhopalurus species are defined for this region, each one containing forms with very weak morphological differences, a consequence of only a minor process of differentiation. The observed pattern of distribution and differentiation is suggested to be directly associated with more or less recent palaeoclimatic vicissitudes, which took place in tropical South America during Pleistocene. Two new subspecies are also described, representing new records of Rhopalurus for Brazil and …