From Taxonomic Accuracy to Toxin Naming: A Welcome Dialogue in Toxicon

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  From Taxonomic Accuracy to Toxin Naming: A Welcome Dialogue in Toxicon By Luis A. Roque | Arácnido Taxonomy When I submitted my correspondence, “When tarantula venom comes from a misnamed spider: The importance of taxonomic accuracy in theraphosid toxinology,” to Toxicon , I hoped it would encourage a broader conversation. The purpose was to draw attention to a problem that benefits from the experience of people working across taxonomy, venom research, and biological databases. Dr. Volker Herzig’s response, “The need for a unified toxin nomenclature for consistent toxin naming,” is precisely the kind of engagement I hoped to see. His contribution acknowledges the importance of identifying venom-source organisms accurately while bringing another essential question into focus: How do we maintain continuity in toxin names when taxonomy and our understanding of toxin function change? Two connected challenges My original correspondence focused on the biological source of venom. In t...

A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 from the Algerian Saharan Desert (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

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A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 from the Algerian Saharan Desert (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

Abstract. – A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 is described on the basis of specimens collected in the region of Ghardaïa, Central Algeria. Buthacus deserticus sp. n. belongs to the Buthacus leptochelys (Ehrenberg 1829) complex of species. It is compared with the two other species of the “leptochelys” complex occurring in the region, namely B. spinatus Lourenço, Bissati & Sadine, 2016 and B. elmenia Lourenço & Sadine, 2017. This new taxon represents the 12th known Buthacus species reported from Algeria. A map of the geographical distribution of the Algerian Buthacus species is presented. Emended diagnosis is also provided for Buthacus spinatus Lourenço, Bissati & Sadine, 2016 based on additional material. 


Sadine S. E., Souilem Z., Chedad A., Chebihi B., Zebsa R., Houhamdi M., Lourenço W. R. & Ythier E., 2024. – A new species of Buthacus Birula, 1908 from the Algerian Saharan Desert (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Faunitaxys, 12(9): 1 – 9. 

https://doi.org/10.57800/faunitaxys-12(9) - https://zoobank.org/EDF7FC4C-8866-46D3-A64C-F0FCE84DCBB6