An integrative description of Euscorpius diagorasi sp. n. from Rhodes, Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)

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  An integrative description of Euscorpius diagorasi sp. n. from Rhodes, Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) Abstract The genus  Euscorpius  Thorell, 1876 comprises a diverse and taxonomically challenging group of scorpions in the Mediterranean, with Greece representing one of its principal centers of diversity. In this study, we provide an integrative description of  Euscorpius diagorasi   sp. n. , a new species from Rhodes Island, Greece. The new species is described on the basis of adult male and female morphology and mitochondrial COI sequence data. It is a small oligotrichous species characterized by a total length of approximately 21–25 mm, pale yellow to light brown coloration with darker reddish-brown pedipalps, pectinal tooth count of 8 in the male and 7 in the females, Pv = 7–8, Pe-et = 5–6, and a distinct mitochondrial lineage. Phylogenetic analyses based on COI recovered the Rhodian specimens as a strongly supported monophyletic lineage, sister to...

New species of Metagonia Simon with directionally asymmetric male and female genitalia (Araneae, Pholcidae)

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New species of Metagonia Simon with directionally asymmetric male and female genitalia (Araneae, Pholcidae)


Abstract

Genital asymmetry is a rare phenomenon in spiders, and directional asymmetry, where all specimens are same-sided, is particularly scarce. In the New World genus Metagonia, only M. mariguitarensis (González-Sponga, 1998) was previously known to be directionally asymmetric. Here we describe three further species in the genus Metagonia that all share directionally asymmetric male and female genitalia: M. embera Huber sp. nov. (Colombia and Panama), M. uca Huber sp. nov. (Colombia), and M. wayuu Huber sp. nov. (Colombia and Venezuela). Metagonia uca is the species with the most extreme asymmetry and also the only species where female asymmetry is not limited to internal structures but extends to the epigynal scape. Interspecific CO1 distances among these four species ranged from 15.5 to 20.9%. Intraspecific distances mostly ranged from 0.0–1.7%, but higher values were found for M. mariguitarensis (up to 9.1%). While the available evidence suggests that directional asymmetry in Metagonia arose only once (in the last common ancestor of the four species above), the origin of the more widespread asymmetry in Metagonia (female antisymmetry) is less clear. We briefly discuss the phylogenetic pattern of antisymmetry in Metagonia, concluding that further focused research is necessary to provide the basic data for such an analysis.

Huber, B. A., & Meng, G. (2025). New species of Metagonia Simon with directionally asymmetric male and female genitalia (Araneae, Pholcidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, 1026(1), 199–235. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.1026.3117