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Description of a new species of Scorpio (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae) from Northwestern Algeria using morphological and molecular data. Biologia (Bratisl) 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01306-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Cain S, Loria SF, Ben-Shlomo R, Prendini L, Gefen E. Dated phylogeny and ancestral range estimation of sand scorpions (Buthidae: Buthacus) reveal Early Miocene divergence across land bridges connecting Africa and Asia. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 164:107212. [PMID: 34029718 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Sand scorpions of the genus Buthacus Birula, 1908 (Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837) are widespread in the sandy deserts of the Palearctic region, occurring from the Atlantic coast of West Africa across the Sahara, and throughout the Middle East to Central Asia. The limits of Buthacus, its two species groups, and many of its species remain unclear, and in need of revision using modern systematic methods. The study presented here set out to investigate the phylogeny and biogeography of the Buthacus species occurring in the Levant, last studied in 1980. A phylogenetic analysis was performed on 104 terminals, including six species collected from more than thirty localities in Israel and other countries in the region. Three mitochondrial and two nuclear gene loci were sequenced for a total of 2,218 aligned base-pairs. Morphological datasets comprising 22 qualitative and 48 quantitative morphological characters were compiled. Molecular and morphological datasets were analyzed separately and simultaneously with Bayesian Inference, Maximum Likelihood, and parsimony. Divergence time and ancestral range estimation analyses were performed, to understand dispersal and diversification. The results support a revised classification of Levantine Buthacus, and invalidate the traditional species groups of Buthacus, instead recovering two geographically-delimited clades, an African clade and an Asian clade, approximately separated by the Jordan Valley (the Jordan Rift Valley or Syro-African Depression), the northernmost part of the Great Rift Valley. The divergence between these clades occurred in the Early Miocene (ca. 19 Ma) in the Levant, coinciding temporally with the existence of two land bridges, which allowed faunal exchange between Africa and Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shlomo Cain
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Stephanie F Loria
- Scorpion Systematics Research Group, Arachnology Lab, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
| | - Rachel Ben-Shlomo
- Department of Biology and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa - Oranim, Israel
| | - Lorenzo Prendini
- Scorpion Systematics Research Group, Arachnology Lab, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
| | - Eran Gefen
- Department of Biology and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa - Oranim, Israel.
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Prendini L, Loria SF. Systematic Revision of the Asian Forest Scorpions (Heterometrinae Simon, 1879), Revised Suprageneric Classification of Scorpionidae Latreille, 1802, and Revalidation of Rugodentidae Bastawade et al., 2005. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2020. [DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090.442.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Prendini
- Scorpion Systematics Research Group, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History
| | - Stephanie F. Loria
- Scorpion Systematics Research Group, Division of Invertebrate Zoology; Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History
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Bryson RW, Wood DA, Graham MR, Soleglad ME, McCormack JE. Genome-wide SNP data and morphology support the distinction of two new species of Kovarikia Soleglad, Fet & Graham, 2014 endemic to California (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae). Zookeys 2018:79-106. [PMID: 29674883 PMCID: PMC5904437 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.739.20628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Morphologically conserved taxa such as scorpions represent a challenge to delimit. We recently discovered populations of scorpions in the genus Kovarikia Soleglad, Fet & Graham, 2014 on two isolated mountain ranges in southern California. We generated genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data and used Bayes factors species delimitation to compare alternative species delimitation scenarios which variously placed scorpions from the two localities with geographically adjacent species or into separate lineages. We also estimated a time-calibrated phylogeny of Kovarikia and examined and compared the morphology of preserved specimens from across its distribution. Genetic results strongly support the distinction of two new lineages, which we describe and name here. Morphology among the species of Kovarikia was relatively conserved, despite deep genetic divergences, consistent with recent studies of stenotopic scorpions with limited vagility. Phylogeographic structure discovered in several previously described species also suggests additional cryptic species are probably present in the genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Bryson
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Box 351800, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA.,Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, California 90041, USA
| | - Dustin A Wood
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, San Diego Field Station, 4165 Spruance Road, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
| | - Matthew R Graham
- Department of Biology, Eastern Connecticut State University, 83 Windham Street, Willimantic, CT 06226, USA
| | | | - John E McCormack
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, California 90041, USA
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Venom gland transcriptomic and venom proteomic analyses of the scorpion Megacormus gertschi Díaz-Najera, 1966 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Megacorminae). Toxicon 2017; 133:95-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Lourenço WR. Scorpion incidents, misidentification cases and possible implications for the final interpretation of results. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2016; 22:1. [PMID: 27398081 PMCID: PMC4938980 DOI: 10.1186/s40409-016-0075-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this contribution is to bring general information on the classification and in particular on the specific identification of scorpion species dangerous to humans. Several generic groups are taken into consideration, but the Neotropical genus Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 is used as a major example. The content of this paper is mostly addressed to non-specialists whose research embraces scorpions in several fields such as venom toxins and public health. Although efforts have been made in the last 20 years to create better links between 'true scorpion experts' and non-specialists who use scorpions in their research, such exchanges had never led to a consensus among those different branches of biological and medical research. Consequently, many cases of species misidentification and even more serious errors concerning scorpion classification/identification are often present in the specialized literature. In conclusion, it is suggested here that the frequent cases of misidentification observed in several reports may induce mistakes in the final interpretation of results, leading only to more inefficacity in the treatment of problems caused by infamous scorpion species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson R. Lourenço
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, CP 53, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
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Adams AM, Marais E, Turner JS, Prendini L, Pinshow B. Similar burrow architecture of three arid-zone scorpion species implies similar ecological function. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:56. [PMID: 27312362 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1374-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Many animals reside in burrows that may serve as refuges from predators and adverse environmental conditions. Burrow design varies widely among and within taxa, and these structures are adaptive, fulfilling physiological (and other) functions. We examined the burrow architecture of three scorpion species of the family Scorpionidae: Scorpio palmatus from the Negev desert, Israel; Opistophthalmus setifrons, from the Central Highlands, Namibia; and Opistophthalmus wahlbergii from the Kalahari desert, Namibia. We hypothesized that burrow structure maintains temperature and soil moisture conditions optimal for the behavior and physiology of the scorpion. Casts of burrows, poured in situ with molten aluminum, were scanned in 3D to quantify burrow structure. Three architectural features were common to the burrows of all species: (1) a horizontal platform near the ground surface, long enough to accommodate the scorpion, located just below the entrance, 2-5 cm under the surface, which may provide a safe place where the scorpion can monitor the presence of potential prey, predators, and mates and where the scorpion warms up before foraging; (2) at least two bends that might deter incursion by predators and may reduce convective ventilation, thereby maintaining relatively high humidity and low temperature; and (3) an enlarged terminal chamber to a depth at which temperatures are almost constant (±2-4 °C). These common features among the burrows of three different species suggest that they are important for regulating the physical environment of their inhabitants and that burrows are part of scorpions' "extended physiology" (sensu Turner, Physiol Biochem Zool 74:798-822, 2000).
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Adams
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel. .,Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| | - Eugene Marais
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - J Scott Turner
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, NY, 13210, USA
| | - Lorenzo Prendini
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Berry Pinshow
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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Ojanguren-Affilastro AA, Mattoni CI, Ochoa JA, Ramírez MJ, Ceccarelli FS, Prendini L. Phylogeny, species delimitation and convergence in the South American bothriurid scorpion genus Brachistosternus Pocock 1893: Integrating morphology, nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2015; 94:159-70. [PMID: 26321226 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A phylogenetic analysis of the scorpion genus Brachistosternus Pocock, 1893 (Bothriuridae Simon, 1880) is presented, based on a dataset including 41 of the 43 described species and five outgroups, 116 morphological characters and more than 4150 base-pairs of DNA sequence from the nuclear 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA gene loci, and the mitochondrial 12S rDNA, 16S rDNA, and Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I gene loci. Analyses conducted using parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference were largely congruent with high support for most clades. The results confirmed the monophyly of Brachistosternus, the nominal subgenus, and subgenus Ministernus Francke, 1985, as in previous analyses based only on morphology, but differed in several other respects. Species from the plains of the Atacama Desert diverged basally whereas the high altitude Andean species radiated from a more derived ancestor, presumably as a consequence of Andean uplift and associated changes in climate. Species limits were assessed among species that contain intraspecific variation (e.g., different morphs), are difficult to separate morphologically, and/or exhibit widespread or disjunct distributions. The extent of convergence in morphological adaptation to life on sandy substrata (psammophily) and the complexity of the male genitalia, or hemispermatophores, was investigated. Psammophily evolved on at least four independent occasions. The lobe regions of the hemispermatophore increased in complexity on three independent occasions, and decreased in complexity on another three independent occasions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés A Ojanguren-Affilastro
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, CP: 1405DJR, CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Camilo I Mattoni
- Laboratorio de Biología Reproductiva y Evolución, Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA, CONICET-UNC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sársfield 299, 5000 Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - José A Ochoa
- Frankfurt Zoological Society - Peru, Residencial Huancaro, Los Cipreses H-21, Santiago, Cusco, Peru.
| | - Martín J Ramírez
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, CP: 1405DJR, CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - F Sara Ceccarelli
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, CP: 1405DJR, CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Lorenzo Prendini
- Scorpion Systematics Research Group, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA.
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