RÉSUMÉ L'étude des types ainsi que des quelques exemplaires de Scorpions appartenant au gente... more RÉSUMÉ L'étude des types ainsi que des quelques exemplaires de Scorpions appartenant au gente Hormiops Fage, 1933, déposés au Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle à Paris, autorise la revalidation de ce genre, avec la proposition d'une redescription pour Hormiops davidovi Fage, 1933. Cette espèce est connue uniquement de l'île de Poulo-Condore, dans la région sud du Vietnam. Les caractères différentiels sont la présence de deux yeux latéraux, la trichobothrie db de la pince sur la face externe, un hémispermatophore très simple avec des crochets réduits.
The currently known species of the Liphistius trang-group in Peninsular Malaysia are revised on t... more The currently known species of the Liphistius trang-group in Peninsular Malaysia are revised on the basis of genital morphology and an identification key is given. Liphistius thaleban Schwendinger, 1990 and L. rufipes Schwendinger, 1995 are placed in the synonymy of L. yangae Platnick & Sedgwick, 1984. The previously unknown male of L. kanthan Platnick, in Platnick et al., 1997 is described for the first time. Liphistius kanthan and L. tempurung Platnick, in Platnick et al., 1997 are reported to occur together at the Tempurung Cave. Liphistius buran Schwendinger, sp. nov., an island species with a novel character of the palpal organ, is described from males and females. Information on and illustrations of intraspecific variation in most of these species is given together with data on biology and distribution. For selected Liphistius species in Malaysia a phylogenetic tree based on an analysis of COI sequences is presented and discussed in comparison with relationships inferred from ...
LOURENCO W.R., MONOD L.: Description of a new genus and species of scorpion (Bothriuridae) from B... more LOURENCO W.R., MONOD L.: Description of a new genus and species of scorpion (Bothriuridae) from Brazil. In GAJDO P., PEKAR S. (eds): Proceedings of the 18th European Colloquium of Arachnology, Stara Lesna, 1999. Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 19, Supplement 3/2000, p. 145-152. The taxonomic difficulties which can be encountered in the study of scorpions belonging to the family Bothriuridae Simon are discussed briefly. Since the 1960s and 1970s several problems have been elucidated, in particular by San Martin and Maury. A new genus and new species Brazilobothriurus pantanalensis gen. nov. sp. nov., are described from Brazil. Brazilobothriurus pantanalensis is characterised by a unusual trichobothrial pattern of eight ventral trichobothria on each pedipalp chelae. Some information is given on the habitat of the new taxon and on the area where it originates, the Pantanal of Mato Grosso.
lionel MoNod1,2, Mark s. HARveY3 & lorenzo PReNdiNi2 1 Corresponding author, département des arth... more lionel MoNod1,2, Mark s. HARveY3 & lorenzo PReNdiNi2 1 Corresponding author, département des arthropodes et d’entomologie i, Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Route de Malagnou 1, CH-1208 genève, switzerland. email: lionel.monod@ville-ge.ch 2 scorpion systematics Research group, division of invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th street, New York, NY 10024-5192, u.s.A. email: lorenzo@amnh.org 3 department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, locked Bag 49, Welshpool dC, Western Australia 6986, Australia. email: mark.harvey@museum.wa.gov.au
The currently known species of the Liphistius trang-group in Peninsular Malaysia are revised on t... more The currently known species of the Liphistius trang-group in Peninsular Malaysia are revised on the basis of genital morphology and an identification key is given. Liphistius thalebanSchwendinger, 1990 and L. rufipesSchwendinger, 1995 are placed in the synonymy of L. yangaePlatnick & Sedgwick, 1984. The previously unknown male of L. kanthan Platnick, in Platnick et al., 1997 is described for the first time. Liphistius kanthan and L. tempurung Platnick, in Platnick et al., 1997 are reported to occur together at the Tempurung Cave. Liphistius buran Schwendinger, sp. nov., an island species with a novel character of the palpal organ, is described from males and females. Information on and illustrations of intraspecific variation in most of these species is given together with data on biology and distribution. For selected Liphistius species in Malaysia a phylogenetic tree based on an analysis of COI sequences is presented and discussed in comparison with relationships inferred from mor...
Although being one of the most well-known animal groups, functional and constructional aspects of... more Although being one of the most well-known animal groups, functional and constructional aspects of scorpions and especially of their tail (metasoma) have so far been overlooked. This tail represents a special construction, as it consists of five tube-shaped segments made up of strong cuticle, which are movable against each other and thus manoeuvre the notorious stinger both quickly and very precisely in space. This high mobility of an exoskeletal structure can be attributed to the connection between the segments described here for the first time. This joint allows for the twisting and bending at the same time in a single, simple construction: adjoining metasomal segments each possess an almost circular opening posteriorly, where the next segment is lodged. Anteriorly, these segments possess two saddle-like protrusions laterally, which are able to rotate in two directions on the rim of the posterior circular opening of the previous segment allowing for twisting and bending. The metaso...
Scorpions constitute a charismatic lineage of arthropods and comprise more than 2,500 described s... more Scorpions constitute a charismatic lineage of arthropods and comprise more than 2,500 described species. Found throughout various tropical and temperate habitats, these predatory arachnids have a long evolutionary history, with a fossil record that began in the Silurian. While all scorpions are venomous, the asymmetrically diverse family Buthidae harbors nearly half the diversity of extant scorpions, and all but one of the 58 species that are medically significant to humans. Many aspects of scorpion evolutionary history are unclear, such as the relationships of the most toxic genera and their constituent venom peptides. Furthermore, the diversification age of toxins that act specifically on mammalian ion channels have never been inferred. To redress these gaps, we assembled a large-scale phylogenomic dataset of 100 scorpion venom transcriptomes and/or genomes, emphasizing the sampling of highly toxic buthid genera. To infer divergence times of venom gene families, we applied a phylo...
Scorpions have always inspired fear and fascination because of the potency of their venoms. Altho... more Scorpions have always inspired fear and fascination because of the potency of their venoms. Although this ancient arachnid group is relatively small (ca. 2400 species) and has been continuously studied for the past century, the taxonomy is still in a state of flux and the correct identification of species often remains difficult. With more than 725 species and 9000 specimens, the Zoological Museum in Hamburg (ZMH) holds one of the largest and most significant scorpion collections in the world. This collection also contains many historical types described by Karl Kraepelin in the early 20th century. In order to contribute to a more stable scorpion taxonomy and to assist future scorpion researchers, we present an illustrated and annotated catalogue of the ZMH scorpion collections. The type specimens of 89 species belonging to 10 families are documented, imaged and assessed alongside their primary data. For practical reasons, only the taxa belonging to the parvorder Iurida Soleglad et ...
Insemination in scorpions is carried out by means of a partly sclerotized structure, the spermato... more Insemination in scorpions is carried out by means of a partly sclerotized structure, the spermatophore, which is composed of two separate halves, the hemispermatophores. In most genera these reproductive structures can be used to differentiate species. However, many taxa such as the genusand the family Diplocentridae lack the morphological diversity observed in the copulatory organs of many other arthropods, rendering them useless for species level taxonomy. Such structural stasis, however, suggests that hemispermatophores have evolved relatively slowly and may thus provide a stronger phylogenetic signal for recognizing supra-generic ranks than previously thought. Based on the postulate that the phenotypic stability observed in some groups is the consequence of functional constraint, the most comprehensive comparative study of the male sexual apparatus to date was conducted for a complete reassessment of the morphology, phylogenetic value and hypotheses of homology of these structur...
Scorpions (order Scorpiones) are unusual among arthropods, both for the extreme heteronomy of the... more Scorpions (order Scorpiones) are unusual among arthropods, both for the extreme heteronomy of their bauplan and for the high gene family turnover exhibited in their genomes. These phenomena appear to be correlated, as two scorpion species have been shown to possess nearly twice the number of Hox genes present in most arthropods. Segmentally offset anterior expression boundaries of a subset of Hox paralogs have been shown to correspond to transitions in segmental identities in the scorpion posterior tagmata, suggesting that posterior heteronomy in scorpions may have been achieved by neofunctionalization of Hox paralogs. However, both the first scorpion genome sequenced and the developmental genetic data are based on exemplars of Buthidae, one of 19 families of scorpions. It is therefore not known whether Hox paralogy is limited to Buthidae or widespread among scorpions. We surveyed 24 high throughput transcriptomes and the single whole genome available for scorpions, in order to test...
Revue suisse de zoologie; annales de la Société zoologique suisse et du Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève
Three new species from the semi-arid ecosystems of Queensland, Australia, are described in the pr... more Three new species from the semi-arid ecosystems of Queensland, Australia, are described in the present contribution: Hormurus ischnoryctes n. spec., Hormurus macrochela n. spec., Hormurus ochyroscapter n. spec. Additionally, the discovery of the first female specimens of Hormurus longimanus (Locket, 1995) from the Northern Territory of Australia, as well as additional diagnostic characters and locality records for this species, warranted its redescription. Hormurus longimanus (Locket, 1995) is reinstated as the valid name for this species and the replacement name, Liocheles extensus Locket, 1997 placed in synonymy. Unlike most species of Hormurus and of the closely related genera, Hormiops Fage, 1933 and Liocheles Sundevall, 1883, which inhabit humid tropical ecosystems (evergreen forests), the four Australian species treated here inhabit seasonally dry (monsoon) habitats, and two of these ( H. ischnoryctes and H. ochyroscapter ) are the first fossorial hormurids to be recorded in A...
RÉSUMÉ L'étude des types ainsi que des quelques exemplaires de Scorpions appartenant au gente... more RÉSUMÉ L'étude des types ainsi que des quelques exemplaires de Scorpions appartenant au gente Hormiops Fage, 1933, déposés au Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle à Paris, autorise la revalidation de ce genre, avec la proposition d'une redescription pour Hormiops davidovi Fage, 1933. Cette espèce est connue uniquement de l'île de Poulo-Condore, dans la région sud du Vietnam. Les caractères différentiels sont la présence de deux yeux latéraux, la trichobothrie db de la pince sur la face externe, un hémispermatophore très simple avec des crochets réduits.
The currently known species of the Liphistius trang-group in Peninsular Malaysia are revised on t... more The currently known species of the Liphistius trang-group in Peninsular Malaysia are revised on the basis of genital morphology and an identification key is given. Liphistius thaleban Schwendinger, 1990 and L. rufipes Schwendinger, 1995 are placed in the synonymy of L. yangae Platnick & Sedgwick, 1984. The previously unknown male of L. kanthan Platnick, in Platnick et al., 1997 is described for the first time. Liphistius kanthan and L. tempurung Platnick, in Platnick et al., 1997 are reported to occur together at the Tempurung Cave. Liphistius buran Schwendinger, sp. nov., an island species with a novel character of the palpal organ, is described from males and females. Information on and illustrations of intraspecific variation in most of these species is given together with data on biology and distribution. For selected Liphistius species in Malaysia a phylogenetic tree based on an analysis of COI sequences is presented and discussed in comparison with relationships inferred from ...
LOURENCO W.R., MONOD L.: Description of a new genus and species of scorpion (Bothriuridae) from B... more LOURENCO W.R., MONOD L.: Description of a new genus and species of scorpion (Bothriuridae) from Brazil. In GAJDO P., PEKAR S. (eds): Proceedings of the 18th European Colloquium of Arachnology, Stara Lesna, 1999. Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 19, Supplement 3/2000, p. 145-152. The taxonomic difficulties which can be encountered in the study of scorpions belonging to the family Bothriuridae Simon are discussed briefly. Since the 1960s and 1970s several problems have been elucidated, in particular by San Martin and Maury. A new genus and new species Brazilobothriurus pantanalensis gen. nov. sp. nov., are described from Brazil. Brazilobothriurus pantanalensis is characterised by a unusual trichobothrial pattern of eight ventral trichobothria on each pedipalp chelae. Some information is given on the habitat of the new taxon and on the area where it originates, the Pantanal of Mato Grosso.
lionel MoNod1,2, Mark s. HARveY3 & lorenzo PReNdiNi2 1 Corresponding author, département des arth... more lionel MoNod1,2, Mark s. HARveY3 & lorenzo PReNdiNi2 1 Corresponding author, département des arthropodes et d’entomologie i, Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Route de Malagnou 1, CH-1208 genève, switzerland. email: lionel.monod@ville-ge.ch 2 scorpion systematics Research group, division of invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th street, New York, NY 10024-5192, u.s.A. email: lorenzo@amnh.org 3 department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, locked Bag 49, Welshpool dC, Western Australia 6986, Australia. email: mark.harvey@museum.wa.gov.au
The currently known species of the Liphistius trang-group in Peninsular Malaysia are revised on t... more The currently known species of the Liphistius trang-group in Peninsular Malaysia are revised on the basis of genital morphology and an identification key is given. Liphistius thalebanSchwendinger, 1990 and L. rufipesSchwendinger, 1995 are placed in the synonymy of L. yangaePlatnick & Sedgwick, 1984. The previously unknown male of L. kanthan Platnick, in Platnick et al., 1997 is described for the first time. Liphistius kanthan and L. tempurung Platnick, in Platnick et al., 1997 are reported to occur together at the Tempurung Cave. Liphistius buran Schwendinger, sp. nov., an island species with a novel character of the palpal organ, is described from males and females. Information on and illustrations of intraspecific variation in most of these species is given together with data on biology and distribution. For selected Liphistius species in Malaysia a phylogenetic tree based on an analysis of COI sequences is presented and discussed in comparison with relationships inferred from mor...
Although being one of the most well-known animal groups, functional and constructional aspects of... more Although being one of the most well-known animal groups, functional and constructional aspects of scorpions and especially of their tail (metasoma) have so far been overlooked. This tail represents a special construction, as it consists of five tube-shaped segments made up of strong cuticle, which are movable against each other and thus manoeuvre the notorious stinger both quickly and very precisely in space. This high mobility of an exoskeletal structure can be attributed to the connection between the segments described here for the first time. This joint allows for the twisting and bending at the same time in a single, simple construction: adjoining metasomal segments each possess an almost circular opening posteriorly, where the next segment is lodged. Anteriorly, these segments possess two saddle-like protrusions laterally, which are able to rotate in two directions on the rim of the posterior circular opening of the previous segment allowing for twisting and bending. The metaso...
Scorpions constitute a charismatic lineage of arthropods and comprise more than 2,500 described s... more Scorpions constitute a charismatic lineage of arthropods and comprise more than 2,500 described species. Found throughout various tropical and temperate habitats, these predatory arachnids have a long evolutionary history, with a fossil record that began in the Silurian. While all scorpions are venomous, the asymmetrically diverse family Buthidae harbors nearly half the diversity of extant scorpions, and all but one of the 58 species that are medically significant to humans. Many aspects of scorpion evolutionary history are unclear, such as the relationships of the most toxic genera and their constituent venom peptides. Furthermore, the diversification age of toxins that act specifically on mammalian ion channels have never been inferred. To redress these gaps, we assembled a large-scale phylogenomic dataset of 100 scorpion venom transcriptomes and/or genomes, emphasizing the sampling of highly toxic buthid genera. To infer divergence times of venom gene families, we applied a phylo...
Scorpions have always inspired fear and fascination because of the potency of their venoms. Altho... more Scorpions have always inspired fear and fascination because of the potency of their venoms. Although this ancient arachnid group is relatively small (ca. 2400 species) and has been continuously studied for the past century, the taxonomy is still in a state of flux and the correct identification of species often remains difficult. With more than 725 species and 9000 specimens, the Zoological Museum in Hamburg (ZMH) holds one of the largest and most significant scorpion collections in the world. This collection also contains many historical types described by Karl Kraepelin in the early 20th century. In order to contribute to a more stable scorpion taxonomy and to assist future scorpion researchers, we present an illustrated and annotated catalogue of the ZMH scorpion collections. The type specimens of 89 species belonging to 10 families are documented, imaged and assessed alongside their primary data. For practical reasons, only the taxa belonging to the parvorder Iurida Soleglad et ...
Insemination in scorpions is carried out by means of a partly sclerotized structure, the spermato... more Insemination in scorpions is carried out by means of a partly sclerotized structure, the spermatophore, which is composed of two separate halves, the hemispermatophores. In most genera these reproductive structures can be used to differentiate species. However, many taxa such as the genusand the family Diplocentridae lack the morphological diversity observed in the copulatory organs of many other arthropods, rendering them useless for species level taxonomy. Such structural stasis, however, suggests that hemispermatophores have evolved relatively slowly and may thus provide a stronger phylogenetic signal for recognizing supra-generic ranks than previously thought. Based on the postulate that the phenotypic stability observed in some groups is the consequence of functional constraint, the most comprehensive comparative study of the male sexual apparatus to date was conducted for a complete reassessment of the morphology, phylogenetic value and hypotheses of homology of these structur...
Scorpions (order Scorpiones) are unusual among arthropods, both for the extreme heteronomy of the... more Scorpions (order Scorpiones) are unusual among arthropods, both for the extreme heteronomy of their bauplan and for the high gene family turnover exhibited in their genomes. These phenomena appear to be correlated, as two scorpion species have been shown to possess nearly twice the number of Hox genes present in most arthropods. Segmentally offset anterior expression boundaries of a subset of Hox paralogs have been shown to correspond to transitions in segmental identities in the scorpion posterior tagmata, suggesting that posterior heteronomy in scorpions may have been achieved by neofunctionalization of Hox paralogs. However, both the first scorpion genome sequenced and the developmental genetic data are based on exemplars of Buthidae, one of 19 families of scorpions. It is therefore not known whether Hox paralogy is limited to Buthidae or widespread among scorpions. We surveyed 24 high throughput transcriptomes and the single whole genome available for scorpions, in order to test...
Revue suisse de zoologie; annales de la Société zoologique suisse et du Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève
Three new species from the semi-arid ecosystems of Queensland, Australia, are described in the pr... more Three new species from the semi-arid ecosystems of Queensland, Australia, are described in the present contribution: Hormurus ischnoryctes n. spec., Hormurus macrochela n. spec., Hormurus ochyroscapter n. spec. Additionally, the discovery of the first female specimens of Hormurus longimanus (Locket, 1995) from the Northern Territory of Australia, as well as additional diagnostic characters and locality records for this species, warranted its redescription. Hormurus longimanus (Locket, 1995) is reinstated as the valid name for this species and the replacement name, Liocheles extensus Locket, 1997 placed in synonymy. Unlike most species of Hormurus and of the closely related genera, Hormiops Fage, 1933 and Liocheles Sundevall, 1883, which inhabit humid tropical ecosystems (evergreen forests), the four Australian species treated here inhabit seasonally dry (monsoon) habitats, and two of these ( H. ischnoryctes and H. ochyroscapter ) are the first fossorial hormurids to be recorded in A...
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