A new Scorpio (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae) species from Northern Iraq

 

A new Scorpio (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae) species from Northern Iraq

Abstract

Scorpio assyriacus sp. n., from northern Iraq is described illustrated and compared with all known species of the genus Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758, occurring in Turkey, the Middle East, and Iran. Aspects of the ecology and distribution of the new species are discussed and compared with those of other closely related Scorpio species from nearby localities in Turkey. The new species can be distinguished by its reduced number of pectinal teeth, the cardial-triangular configuration of the genital operculum (which is not posteriorly elongated in females), a more hirsute body, globular vesicle, flattened and discrete granules on the external surface of the chela manus, and significantly longer chela fingers compared to other species. With this discovery, the total number of documented scorpion species in Iraq has reached 23.

Yagmur, E. A., Kachel, H. S., Hussen, F. S., Al-Khazali, A. M., Ali, F. R., Al-Jubouri, M. A. K., Hamad, I. I., & Sdiq, A. B. (2025). A new Scorpio (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae) species from Northern Iraq. Zoodiversity, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.15407/zoo2026.01.001