Examining ecological niche for six species of whip spider in Colombia

Posted by
  Examining ecological niche for six species of whip spider in Colombia  Abstract The conditioning variables for the establishment of Amblypygi populations and their ecological interactions are currently poorly studied. Delving deeper into this can help to conserve this group of short-range distribution species, which are useful as a model in biogeographic research. In this study, we evaluated the distribution and overlapping patterns of ecological niche in six species of amblypygids ( Phrynus araya , P. panche , P. pulchripes , Heterophrynus batesii , H. boterorum , H. cervinus ) in the Andean and Amazonian ecosystems of Colombia, revealing a clear biogeographic segregation driven by environmental gradients: Phrynus species were associated with inter-Andean valleys with high thermal and water seasonality.  While the Heterophrynus occupied more stable and humid conditions of foothills and middle elevations. Overlap analyses showed significant divergence (e.g., D=0.105 b...

A newly discovered species of the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861, subgenus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Thailand (Scorpiones, Scorpiopidae)

Posted by

 


A newly discovered species of the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861, subgenus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Thailand (Scorpiones, Scorpiopidae)

Abstract

A new scorpion species, Scorpiops (Euscorpiops) doiphukha sp. nov., belonging to the family Scorpiopidae Kraepelin, 1905, is described based on 12 specimens of both sexes (three adults and nine immatures) collected in Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan Province, Thailand. The new species presents key features exhibited by scorpions of the subgenus Euscorpiops and can be characterized notably by a large size, a sexual dimorphism strongly marked with male pedipalps elongated, a distinct trichobothrial pattern and other morphological features. This new taxon represents the 115th species among the currently recognized species for the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861, and the 44th species described for the subgenus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980. It is likely an endemic element of Thailand’s scorpion fauna, raising the number of known Scorpiops (Euscorpiops) species in the country to 13. Ecological and distributional aspects of the new species are discussed and compared with closely related Scorpiops species, highlighting its distinctiveness within the genus.

Ythier E, Košulič O, Nawanetiwong W, Lourenço WR (2025) A newly discovered species of the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861, subgenus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980 from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Thailand (Scorpiones, Scorpiopidae). ZooKeys 1241: 171-184. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1241.142549