Notes on Indian wolf spiders: IV. Transfer of species previously included in the genera Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 and Geolycosa Montgomery, 1904 (Araneae: Lycosidae)

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  Notes on Indian wolf spiders: IV. Transfer of species previously included in the genera Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 and Geolycosa Montgomery, 1904 (Araneae: Lycosidae) The enigmatic Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 sensu lato currently consists of five nominal species distributed in Africa and Asia (World Spider Catalog 2026). It was established for C. kittenbergeri Caporiacco, 1947, with a superficial generic diagnosis relying only on somatic features such as length of eye rows, leg spination and relative leg lengths (Caporiacco 1947). Roewer (1955), following Caporiacco’s (1947) generic diagnosis, drastically increased the number of Crocodilosa species by transferring several species from other lycosid genera, but most of these subsequently added species were later reassigned to their appropriate genera (World Spider Catalog 2026), highlighting the need for a re-examination of the type species and remaining congeners to clarify the validity of Crocodilosa. At present, the genus ha...

Morphological and molecular identification of the scorpion Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), using COI and 12S rRNA genes from the Provinces of Dhi Qar and Wasit, Iraq

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Morphological and molecular identification of the scorpion Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), using COI and 12S rRNA genes from the Provinces of Dhi Qar and Wasit, Iraq

Abstract

The scorpion fauna of Iraq remains comparatively less studied than that of several neighboring Middle Eastern countries. This study aimed to identify and characterize one scorpion species found in northern Dhi Qar Province and southern Wasit Province, both morphologically and molecularly. Samples were collected in the field. Morphological identification relied on external features and morphometric measurements, while COI gene expression, 12S rRNA, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used for molecular identification. The results identified a scorpion species belonging to the Buthidae family, A. crassicauda, which the abundant and widespread. Morphological and molecular findings confirmed the identification. BLAST analysis showed a 99% similarity with reference sequences, and phylogenetic trees indicated high genetic convergence with limited variation within the species.

Katea, G. H., & Abd Al-Hussein, Q. M. (2026). Morphological and molecular identification of the scorpion Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), using COI and 12S rRNA genes from the provinces of Dhi Qar and Wasit, Iraq. Sumer Journal for Pure Science, 5(2, Special Issue), 59–69. https://journals.sujps.com/index.php/sj/article/view/575