A New Species of Scorpio from Saudi Arabia (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae)

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  A New Species of Scorpio from Saudi Arabia (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae)  Abstract A new species of  Scorpio  Linnaeus, 1758 is described from Al Ula Governorate, Al Madinah Province, Saudi Arabia.  Scorpio furvus  sp. nov. is distinguished from closely related congeners, including  S. fuscus ,  S. kruglovi ,  S. palmatus ,  S. jordanensis , and  S. yemenensis , by a unique combination of morphological characters notably the granulation pattern of the pedipalp chela, metasomal proportions, pectinal structure and length, and overall dark coloration. Morphometric comparisons further support its distinct status. The discovery of this species highlights the underestimated diversity of the genus  Scorpio  in the Arabian Peninsula and reinforces the view that the  Scorpio maurus  complex comprises multiple geographically restricted taxa requiring continued integrative taxonomic investigation. Aloufi, A., Afifeh, B. A., ...

The spider collection (Arachnida: Araneae) of the Manchester Museum: people, history, and a type catalogue

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The spider collection (Arachnida: Araneae) of the Manchester Museum: people, history, and a type catalogue

Abstract 

This paper is devoted to the history of the spider collections held at the Manchester Museum, UK. By the end of 2024, the Manchester Museum had accumulated over 172,000 spider specimens belonging to 4255 identified and around 1130 (21%) undetermined species. The history of the Museum’s spider collections is narrated in the form of short essays focusing on specific araneologists who have donated significant (over 1000 specimens) spider collections. Smaller acquisitions of tens/hundreds of specimens (130 in total) are dealt with in a separate section. A complete catalogue of the type specimens of Araneae in the Manchester Museum (to the end of 2024) is also provided. A total of 179 spider species (746 specimens) are represented by type specimens, of which 71 species are represented by holotypes.

Logunov, Dmitri. (2025). The spider collection (Arachnida: Araneae) of the Manchester Museum: people, history, and a type catalogue. Arachnology. 20. 173-227. via ResearchGate