تاکسونومی و بیوسیستماتیک (Sep 2022)
Fauna of Sistan Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Southeast Iran
Abstract
Scorpions are nocturnal animals that feed on invertebrates and other arachnids. So far, 10 species of scorpions from the family Buthidae have been reported from the Sistan region. Sampling was done using UV ultralight at night and direct search or digging during the day, from different areas in the Sistan region in 2021 and 2022. Examination of 117 collected scorpion specimens led to the identification of seven species belonging to six genera of the family Buthidae including Androctonus cf. crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), A. sistanus Barahoei & Mirshamsi, 2022, Kraepelinia palpator (Birula, 1903), Mesobuthus rakhshanii sp. nov., Odontobuthus tirgari Mirshamsi et al., 2013, Orthochirus persa (Birula, 1900), and Sassanidothus gracilis (Birula, 1900). Mesobuthus rakhshanii sp. nov. was described as a new species for the world fauna. This species has a dominant population in the region, which was collected from all stations. All specimens were fixed in 80% alcohol and kept in the author's personal collection. Androctonus species are dangerous scorpions that are distributed in the Sistan region. Identifying dangerous species is important and practical for health management. This is possible by identifying the fauna of scorpions in the region and determining the range of distribution of each species.IntroductionScorpions are considered the most dangerous arthropods for humans because they have stingers equipped with venom sacs (Sedaghat et al., 2011). The annual average of scorpion stings in Iran is 50,000, and the number of deaths due to scorpion stings is about 20 per year, most of which are in the southern regions of Iran (Dehghani and Fathi, 2012). During the day, they hide under stones or wood, in the trunks of trees, in the crevices of rocks and walls, in the holes in the ground, etc., and are activated at night and hunt invertebrates, especially insects and other arachnids (Pirali-Kheirabadi et al., 2013).So far, 4 families, 20 genera, and 84 species of scorpions have been reported from Iran, of which 10 species belonging to six genera of the Buthidae family are distributed in the Sistan region (Navidpour et al., 2019; Kovařík et al., 2019, 2020, 2022; Kovařík & Navidpour, 2020; Barahoei et al., 2020, 2021, 2022; Cain et al., 2021; Yağmur et al., 2022). They include two species of the genus Androctonus (Yağmur et al., 2016; Barahoei et al., 2020), one species of the genus Kraepelinia (Barahoei et al., 2020), three species of the genus Mesobuthus (Vachon, 1958; Mir et al., 2014; Barahoei et al., 2020), one species of the genus Odontobuthus (Mir et al., 2014; Barahoei et al., 2020, 2021), one species of the genus Orthochirus (Habibi, 1971; Kovařík & Fet, 2006a; Barahoei et al., 2020), and two species of the genus Sassanidothus (Farzanpay, 1987; Kovařík & Fet, 2006b; Barahoei et al., 2020).In the only study conducted in the Sistan region (Mir et al., 2014), eight species were listed in a short report. Also, very few studies have been conducted in neighboring countries. Therefore, to identify the species of the region, extensive sampling and a detailed study of the samples is needed. Considering the proximity of the Sistan region to the Oriental region, it is important, useful, and necessary to identify the fauna of the region. The present study is the first comprehensive survey of scorpion species in the north of Sistan and Baluchistan province. Materials and MethodsSampling was done at night by using UV light or daily by moving stones, lumps, and tree trunks in 2021 and 2022. Specimens were fixed in 80% ethanol. After determining the important morphological traits in the identification of scorpions based on available sources (Farzanpay, 1987; Polis, 1990), the morphological identification of species was done with helping of valid identification keys (Kovařík et al., 2019, 2020, 2022; Barahoei et al., 2020, 2021). Photographing of the samples (general view and different parts of the body) was done with Canon® EOS 800D digital camera (Japan). Figures were edited using Combine Z (Hadley, 2007) and Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Evening, 2013) software. The distribution map was drawn on the simplemappr online website. All specimens were kept in the author's personal collection at the Research Institute of Zabol. ResultsExamination of 117 collected scorpion specimens led to the identification of seven species belonging to six genera of the Buthidae family.Androctonus cf. crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) Androctonus sistanus (Barahoei & Mirshamsi, 2022) Kraepelinia palpator (Birula, 1903) Mesobuthus rakhshanii sp. nov.Holotype Female specimen, Sistan and Baluchistan province, Hamon city, Lotak district, Rahmatabad village, 30°45'N, 61°21'E, 481 m, 10 May 1400, col.: H. Barahoei.AffinitiesMembers of Mesobuthus rakhshanii sp. nov. are medium-sized scorpions, adults’ body length is 38-52 mm in males and 51-61 mm in females. The number of pectin teeth is 25 to 29 in males and 18 to 21 in females. The movable pedipalp finger has 11 to 12 rows of oblique teeth and five terminal teeth. The lateral anal arch is divided into three parts. In females, the first lobe has a short groove.The members of this species are separated from many species of this genus by having a ratio of length to the height of the third metasoma between 1.50-1.90. In this species, the central lateral and dorsal central carinae of the carapace are not connected and do not form a lyre. With this trait, they are distinguished from other species except for M. macmahoni (Pocock, 1900).Members of M. macmahoni with a total size of 38 (male) to 55 (female) mm are distributed in the low altitude areas of southern Pakistan, and the number of pectin teeth is 23-26 in males and 19-23 in females. In addition, the general color of the body is darker than M. rakhshanii. Odontobuthus tirgari (Mirshamsi et al., 2013) Orthochirus persa (Birula, 1900) Sassanidothus gracilis (Birula, 1900) ConclusionBefore this research, 10 species were introduced for Sistan fauna, and in this study, it was found that the following seven species are distributed in the Sistan region. The report of some species was the result of misidentification and some were corrected with subsequent research. Mesobuthus rakhshanii sp. nov. was described as a new species for the world.Androctonus cf. crassicauda (Olivier, 1807)Androctonus sistanus Barahoei & Mirshamsi, 2022Mesobuthus rakhshanii sp. NovemberKraepelinia palpator (Birula, 1903)Odontobuthus tirgari Mirshamsi et al., 2013Orthochirus persa (Birula, 1900)Sassanidothus gracilis (Birula, 1900)Considering the location of the Sistan region in the neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan countries, it seems necessary to do a detailed and complete investigation of the scorpion fauna of the region and compare them with the examples of the mentioned countries. It is inevitable to identify the fauna of the region and using of species for different purposes. There is very little specialized research on scorpions in the Sistan region. Therefore, the present research can be an introduction to continue the work and complete the research on the scorpions of this region.
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