One more new species of Chaerilobuthus Lourenço & beigel, 2011 (Scorpiones: Chaerilobuthidae) from Early Cretaceous Burmite

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  One more new species of Chaerilobuthus Lourenço & beigel, 2011 (Scorpiones: Chaerilobuthidae) from Early Cretaceous Burmite Abstract . – The genus Chaerilobuthus is probably the most speciose group among those found in Burmite. In some recent publications most aspects concerning the family Chaerilobuthidae Lourenço & Beigel, 2011 and the genera composing it were precisely discussed; consequently, no further comments will be provided in this contribution. Only one more new species belonging to the genus Chaerilobuthus is described. Chaerilobuthus franzschmidti Lourenço sp . n ., represents the 16th species to be described for this genus confirming therefore the strong speciose characteristic of the group. The new species shows some marked morphological differences when compared to the previous known species, attesting the existence of a major variability within Chaerilobuthus . Lourenço W. R. & Velten J., 2026. – Une nouvelle espèce pour le genre Chaerilobuthus Lou...

Four new species of dragon pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae: Spelaeochthonius) from caves in South Korea revealed by integrative taxonomy

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Four new species of dragon pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae: Spelaeochthonius) from caves in South Korea revealed by integrative taxonomy

Abstract

Karst research in Korea is still in its infancy and the invertebrate fauna of subterranean systems across the country is poorly known. One of the very diverse lineages in caves across Korea, the pseudoscorpions, are almost undocumented although they represent stunning examples of cave adaptations and troglomorphism. In this study, we provide a phylogenetic hypothesis for the pseudoscorpion Spelaeochthonius Morikawa, 1954 (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) in South Korea; a genus that exclusively occurs in caves across China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. We report seven species of which four are newly described and illustrated based on molecular, distributional and morphological data: Spelaeochthonius dugigulensis sp. nov., S. geumgulensis sp. nov., S. magwihalmigulensis sp. nov. and S. yamigulensis sp. nov. All species are strongly cave-adapted and known from a single cave or karst system only, emphasizing the need to implement conservation strategies for Korean karst systems and their fauna.

Jeong K, Harms D, Yoo J-s, Kim S (2025) Four new species of dragon pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae: Spelaeochthonius) from caves in South Korea revealed by integrative taxonomy. PLoS One 20(7): e0325375. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325375