Molecular analysis of the mitochondrial markers COI, 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA for six species of Iranian scorpions

Genetic Diversity within Scorpio Genus (Scorpion: Scorpionidae) from Iran: Preliminary Evidence based on 16srRNA Sequence

The yellow digger scorpion, Scorpio maurus, is a medically important scorpion for which little is known about its genetic diversity. Polymerase chain reaction products of 16srRNA gene fragments were generated from scorpion specimens named SmKh1 and SmKh2. These sequences showed high similarity with the only partial sequence of S. maurus isolate SCA1 large subunit ribosomal RNA gene available in the Genbank database. The drawing of the phylogeny tree showed two clusters, A and B. The two specimens (SmKh1 and SmKh2), which are placed in sub-cluster A2, were provided from Behbahan, Iran, and they have the closest relationship with the only sequence of S. maurus (MW281771), which is also collected from Behbahan. It is noteworthy that the two sequences obtained from S. maurus scorpions recorded from Miandoab (MK170444) and Mahabad (KU705354), which are in sub-cluster A1, are more similar to the scorpions isolated from the Mediterranean basin than those collected from Behbahan. This issue is probably due to the fact that patterns of genetic diversity are a reflection of variation in gene flow, which is also influenced by factors such as territorial barriers and geographical distances. We conclude that the scorpions of this study accompanied by similar scorpions in the Mediterranean basin, belong to the same species despite the insignificant differences.

DNA Barcoding for Scorpion Species from New Valley Governorate in Egypt Reveals Different Degrees of Cryptic Speciation and Species Misnaming

(1) Background: Scorpions (Arthropoda: Arachnida) represent a diverse group of invertebrates, accounting for a significant proportion of earth’s predators and ecosystems’ modulators. Surviving mostly in hardly reachable nests, and representing key hazards to human health, they attracted major interest for characterizing their eco-, morpho-, and genotypes. (2) Methods: Four scorpion species were collected from the New Valley governorate in Upper Egypt, where a high level of scorpionism and related neurological symptoms are found, that were Leiurus quinquestriatus, Androctonus amoreuxi, Orthochirus innesi, Buthacus leptochelys. They were DNA barcoded, genetically and phylogenetically analyzed through PCR amplification and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene hypervariable 5′ region. (3) Results: New, morphologically authenticated scorpion barcodes could be added to the barcoding databases. However, several discrepancies and barcode database inadequacies could be revealed. Moreover, taxon-specific patterns for nitrogenous bases’ distribution could be identified, resulting in a significantly high percentage of COI barcode guanine in scorpionids, in comparison to araneids and opilions. (4) Conclusions: For a group of animals where both cryptic speciation and a high risk of human envenomation are evident, the findings of the current study strongly recommend continuous and comprehensive research efforts dealing with morphogenetic authentication for different species of scorpions.