New locality records and future habitat suitability of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt

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  New locality records and future habitat suitability of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt Abstract This study reports new locality records from Iran and a climate-based habitat suitability assessment for Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt. We document new specimens from Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, with an updated distribution map and illustrations, and we model the species' potential distribution across south-eastern Iran and adjacent parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Habitat suitability was associated mainly with precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest month, and slope. In an arid setting these rainfall variables are unlikely to indicate a need for moist habitat; they more plausibly track seasonal productivity and the terrain features that provide shelter. Present-day suitable areas...

First record of troglobitic Bothriuridae (Scorpiones) in Australia from the Pilbara

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First record of troglobitic Bothriuridae (Scorpiones) in Australia from the Pilbara

Abstract

We report the first troglobitic members of the scorpion family Bothriuridae from Australia, discovered in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and provide a brief review of Australian troglofaunal scorpions. Scorpions are rare in subterranean ecosystems, with only 28 species recorded globally. Two described and two undescribed subterranean scorpion species were previously known from Australia. The Pilbara specimen documented herein exhibit pronounced troglomorphic traits, including complete loss of ocelli and pigmentation and weakened/diminished appendages, consistent with obligate subterranean adaptation. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses place the specimen within Bothriuridae. Photographs, collection details, and molecular data are provided. Together with a previously collected undescribed bothriurid from the Pilbara, this discovery represents the first documented troglobitic Bothriuridae globally. Formal taxonomic treatment will follow in a subsequent dedicated study.

Curran M, Rodman S, Huey J, Floeckner S, Gunawardene N, Lythe M, Main D (2026) First record of troglobitic Bothriuridae (Scorpiones) in Australia from the Pilbara. Subterranean Biology 56: 85-101. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.56.190758