The first record of Alpiscorpius idaeus (Yağmur & Tropea, 2017), comb. n. from the Lesvos Island, Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)Ersen Aydın Yağmur & Özgün Sipahioğlu

Euscorpius

Occasional Publications in Scorpiology

EDITOR: Victor Fet, Marshall University, ‘fet@marshall.edu’ ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Michael E. Soleglad, ‘msoleglad@gmail.com’

TECHNICAL EDITOR: František Kovařík, ‘kovarik.scorpio@gmail.com’

Euscorpius is the first research publication completely devoted to scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Euscorpius takes advantage of the rapidly evolving medium of quick online publication, at the same time maintaining high research standards for the burgeoning field of scorpion science (scorpiology). Euscorpius is an expedient and viable medium for the publication of serious papers in scorpiology, including (but not limited to): systematics, evolution, ecology, biogeography, and general biology of scorpions. Review papers, descriptions of new taxa, faunistic surveys, lists of museum collections, and book reviews are welcome.

Derivatio Nominis

The name Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 refers to the most common genus of scorpions in the Mediterranean region and southern Europe (family Euscorpiidae).

Euscorpius is located at: https://mds.marshall.edu/euscorpius/Archive of issues 1-270 see also at: http://www.science.marshall.edu/fet/Euscorpius

(Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia 25755-2510, USA)

ICZN COMPLIANCE OF ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS:

Electronic (“e-only”) publications are fully compliant with ICZN (International Code of Zoological Nomenclature) (i.e. for the purposes of new names and new nomenclatural acts) when properly archived and registered. All Euscorpius issues starting from No. 156 (2013) are archived in two electronic archives:

• Biotaxa, http://biotaxa.org/Euscorpius (ICZN-approved and ZooBank-enabled)• Marshall Digital Scholar, http://mds.marshall.edu/euscorpius/. (This website also archives all Euscorpius issues

previously published on CD-ROMs.)

Between 2000 and 2013, ICZN did not accept online texts as “published work” (Article 9.8). At this time, Euscorpius was produced in two identical versions: online (ISSN 1536-9307) and CD-ROM (ISSN 1536-9293) (laser disk) in archive-quality, read-only format. Both versions had the identical date of publication, as well as identical page and figure numbers. Only copies distributed on a CD-ROM from Euscorpius in 2001-2012 represent published work in compliance with the ICZN, i.e. for the purposes of new names and new nomenclatural acts.

In September 2012, ICZN Article 8. What constitutes published work, has been amended and allowed for electronic publications, disallowing publication on optical discs. From January 2013, Euscorpius discontinued CD-ROM production; only online electronic version (ISSN 1536-9307) is published. For further details on the new ICZN amendment, see http://www.pensoft.net/journals/zookeys/article/3944/.

Publication date: 2 April 2025 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:49FB504C-C3B2-4CBF-9DDA-E5A7FEB849E9

Euscorpius - Occasional Publications in Scorpiology. 2025, No. 409

The first record of Alpiscorpius idaeus(Yağmur & Tropea, 2017), comb. n. from the Lesvos Island, Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)

Ersen Aydın Yağmur 1 & Özgün Sipahioğlu 2

1 Manisa Celal Bayar University, Alaşehir Vocational School, Alaşehir, Manisa, 45600 Turkey. ersen.yagmur@gmail.com, corresponding author

2 G Biological Products Lab. and Consultancy, Venom Co., Merdivenköy No:25/5 Kadiköy, İstanbul, Turkey http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:49FB504C-C3B2-4CBF-9DDA-E5A7FEB849E9

Summary

The scorpion species Euscorpius idaeus Yağmur & Tropea, 2017, previously known from Mount Kazdağı in the Balıkesir and Çanakkale Provinces of Turkey, is reported for the first time from the Lesvos Island, Greece. In this study, it is transferred to the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999. Detailed illustrations of Alpiscorpius idaeus (Yağmur & Tropea, 2017), comb. n. from the Lesvos Island population are provided.

Introduction

The genus Alpiscorpius was described as a subgenus of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Euscorpiidae) by Gantenbein et al. (1999). It was recently elevated to the genus level by Kovařík et al. (2019).

Currently, 22 species of Alpiscorpius have been reported from the Alps, the Balkans (but not from Greece), and Turkey (Kovařík et al., 2019; Podnar et al., 2022; Tropea, 2021; Tropea et al., 2024a; Yağmur, 2024). At the same time, 33 species of the related genus Euscorpius have been recorded in Greece (Tropea et al., 2024a), but there are no records of the genus Alpiscorpius from this country.

The species Euscorpius idaeus was recently described from Mount Kazdağı, located in the Balıkesir and Çanakkale Provinces of Turkey, by Yağmur & Tropea (2017). It is characterized by trichobothrial counts of Pv = 6, et = 4, em = 3, as well as the absence of true carinae and granules on the fifth metasomal segment. Subsequently, its presence on Mount Kazdağı was confirmed in the Balıkesir and Çanakkale Provinces by Demirsoy & Yağmur (2024).

Here, we report Euscorpius idaeus from Lesvos Island, Greece, and transfer this species to the genus Alpiscorpius.

Material and Methods

Specimens of Alpiscorpius idaeus (Yağmur & Tropea, 2017), comb. n., were collected from the Lesvos Island, Greece under rocks. Identification of specimens was done after Yağmur & Tropea (2017). Photographs of the specimens were taken by Canon EOS 7D. Stacking of pictures was made using Helicon Focus software. The specimens were deposited in AZMM

(Alaşehir Zoological Museum, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Alaşehir, Manisa, Turkey). The trichobothrial nomenclature is after Vachon (1974) and morphological nomenclature after Stahnke (1971) and Hjelle (1990).

Systematics Euscorpiidae Laurie, 1896 Euscorpiinae Laurie, 1896

Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999 Alpiscorpius idaeus (Yağmur & Tropea, 2017) comb. n.

(Figs. 1–30) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.

org:act:6D657A82-2D1D-41CD-81C7-AC78626F6CE1

Euscorpius idaeus Yağmur & Tropea, 2017: 2–17, figs. 1–20. Euscorpius idaeus: Demirsoy & Yağmur, 2024: 220–224, figs.

66–67; Yağmur, 2024: 362, 365.

Material examined. Greece: Lesvos Island, 39°04'46''N 26°21'18''E, 532 m a. s. l., 16♂7♀, 7 June 2024, leg. Ö. Sipahioğlu (AZMM/Sco-2024:58-80).

Trichobothrial and pectinal teeth count variation.The variation observed in 23 examined specimens (16 ♂ and 7 ♀) is given below.Pectinal teeth in males: 7/7 (5), 7/8 (1), 8/8 (6), 8/9 (1), 9/9 (3). In total, 7 in 21.87% (11 pectines), 8 in 43.75% (14 pectines) and 9 in 21.87% (7 pectines). Mean = 7.87, SD = 0.75. Pectinal teeth in females: 5/6 (2) and 6/6 (5). In total, 5 in 12.50% (2 pectines) and 6 in 87.50% (14 pectines). Mean = 5.85, SD = 0.36.

Figures 1–4: Alpiscorpius idaeus (Yağmur & Tropea, 2017), comb. n. from Lesvos Island, Greece. Figures 1–2. Male, dorsal (1) and ventral (2) views. Figures 3–4. Female, dorsal (3) and ventral (4) views. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 5–8: Alpiscorpius idaeus (Yağmur & Tropea, 2017), comb. n. from Lesvos Island, Greece. Figures 5–6: Carapace and mesosoma. Figures 7-8: Sternopectinal area and mesosoma ventral. Figures 5, 7. Male, dorsal (5) and ventral (7) views. Figures 6, 8. Female, dorsal (6) and ventral (8) views.

Pedipalp patella trichobothria Pv: 5/5 (1), 6/6 (21) and 6/7 (1). In total, 5 in 4.34% (2 pedipalps), 6 in 93.47% (43 pedipalps) and 7 in 2.17% (1 pedipalps). Mean = 5.97, SD = 0.21. Pedipalp patella trichobothria Pe: et = 4/4 (19), 4/5 (2) and 5/5 (2). In total, 4 in 86.95 % (40 pedipalps) and 5 in 13.04% (6 pedipalps). Mean = 4.13, SD = 0.34. est = 4/4 (23); em = 3/3 (23); esb = 2/2 (23); eba = 4/4 (23); eb = 4/4 (23).

Comments. The species Euscorpius idaeus was recently described from Mount Kazdağı, located in the Balıkesir and Çanakkale Provinces of Turkey, by Yağmur & Tropea (2017). Balıkesir Province and Lesvos Island are in close proximity, with a distance of approximately 10 km at certain points. Two other scorpion species, Euscorpius lesbiacus Tropea et al., 2020 (Euscorpiidae), and Aegaeobuthus gibbosus (Brullé, 1832) (Buthidae), are found

on both Lesvos Island and the Anatolian mainland (Fet et al., 2018; Tropea et al., 2020; Yağmur, 2021). Therefore, presence of E. idaeus on Lesvos Island would not be unexpected.

Several islands near the Anatolian mainland, including Lesvos, were connected to the mainland by land bridges during the Pleistocene period (Parmakelis et al., 2013), facilitating the dispersal of animal species between Anatolia and the eastern Aegean Islands. This includes such scorpion species as Euscorpius avcii, E. lesbiacus, and Iurus kinzelbachi (Soleglad et al., 2012; Parmakelis et al., 2013; Yağmur, 2021). E. idaeus is characterized by a trichobothrial count of Pv = 6 and Pe-em = 3. Additionally, the fifth metasomal segment lacks ventrolateral carinae. These characteristics align with those of the genus Alpiscorpius. Therefore, E. idaeus is hereby transferred to the genus Alpiscorpius.

Figures 9–22. Alpiscorpius idaeus (Yağmur & Tropea, 2017), comb. n. from Lesvos Island, Greece, pedipalp segments of male and female. Chela of male, ventral (9) and dorsal (11) views. Chela of female, ventral (10) and dorsal (12) views. Femur of male, dorsal (13) and ventral (15) views. Femur of female, dorsal (14) and ventral (16) views. Patella of male, dorsal (17), ventral (19) and external (21) views. Patella of female paratype, dorsal (18), ventral (20) and external (22) views. Trichobothrial pattern is indicated by green circles.

Figures 23–30: Alpiscorpius idaeus (Yağmur & Tropea, 2017), comb. n. from Lesvos Island, Greece, metasoma and telson. Figures 23–24. Lateral view of telson, female (23) and male (24). Figures 25–26. Lateral view metasoma, male (25) and female (26). Figures 27, 29. Metasoma V of male, lateral (27) and ventral (29) views. Figures 28, 30. Metasoma V of female, lateral (28) and ventral (30) views.

References

DEMİRSOY, A. & E. A. YAĞMUR. 2024. Türkiye’nin Akrepleri. Yayın Yeri: Sarmal Kitabevi, Basım sayısı:1, Sayfa sayısı: 384 pp (in Turkish).

FET, V., A. PARMAKELIS, I. STATHI, G. TROPEA, P. KOTSAKIOZI, L. KARDAKI & M. NIKOLAKAKIS. 2018. Fauna and zoogeography of scorpions in Greece. Biogeography and Biodiversity of the Aegean. In honour of Prof. Moysis Mylonas. Broken Hill Publishers Ltd, Nicosia, Cyprus, 123–134.

GANTENBEIN, B., V. FET, C. R. LARGIADÈR & A. SCHOLL. 1999. First DNA phylogeny of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) and its bearing on taxonomy and biogeography of this genus. Biogeographica (Paris), 75: 49–65.

HJELLE, J. T. 1990. Anatomy and morphology. Pp. 9-63 in: Polis, G.A. (ed.), Biology of Scorpions. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

KOVAŘÍK, F., J. ŠTUNDLOVÁ, V. FET & F. ŠŤÁHLAVSKÝ. 2019. Seven new Alpine species of the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1994, stat. n. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Euscorpius, 287: 1−29.

PARMAKELIS, A., P. KOTSAKIOZI, G. TROPEA, E. A. YAĞMUR, I. STATHI, V. FET & M. Е. SOLEGLAD. 2013. DNA markers confirm presence of Euscorpius avcii Tropea et al., 2012 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) on Samos Island, Greece. Euscorpius, 161: 1−6.

PODNAR, M., N. TVRTKOVIĆ, M. VUKOVIĆ, F. REBRINA, I. GRBAC & C. HÖRWEG. 2022. Alpiscorpius liburnicus sp. n. with a note on the “Alpiscorpius croaticus group” (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) in Croatia. Natura Croatica: Periodicum Musei Historiae Naturalis Croatici, 31: 265– 282.

SOLEGLAD, M. E., V. FET, F. KOVAŘÍK & E. A. YAĞMUR. 2012. Etudes on iurids, V. Further revision of Iurus Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Iuridae), with a description of a new genus and two new species. Euscorpius, 143: 1–70.

Euscorpius - 2025, No. 409 STAHNKE, H. L. 1971. Scorpion nomenclature and

mensuration. Entomological News, 81: 297–316.

TROPEA, G. 2021. Concerning some Balkan Euscorpiidae populations (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Biologia Serbica, 43: 22–54.

TROPEA, G., V. FET, A. PARMAKELIS & I. STATHI. 2024a. Two new species of Euscorpius (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae) from Bulgaria and Greece. Zoodiversity, 58(1): 1–18.

TROPEA, G., V. FET, A. PARMAKELIS, P. KOTSAKIOZI, I. STATHI & S. ZAFEIRIOU. 2020. Euscorpius lesbiacus sp. n., a new species of scorpion from Lesvos Island, Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, 37: 185−195.

TROPEA, G., E. A. YAĞMUR & A. PARMAKELIS. 2024b. A new Alpiscorpius from İstanbul Province of Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Biologia Serbica, 46(1): 67–77.

VACHON, M. 1974. Etude des caracteres utilises pour classer les familles et les genres de Scorpions (Arachnides). 1. La trichobothriotaxie en arachnologie. Sigles trichobothriaux et types de trichobothriotaxie chez les Scorpions. Bulletin du Museum nationald’Histoire naturelle, Paris, 140: 859–958.

YAĞMUR, E. A. 2021. The first record of Euscorpius lesbiacus Tropea et al., 2020 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) in Turkey. Euscorpius, 333: 1–5.

YAĞMUR, E. A. 2024. Alpiscorpius orgeli sp. nov. from Manisa Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Zoology in the Middle East, 70(4): 361–373.

YAĞMUR, E. A. & G. TROPEA. 2017. A new species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 from Mountain Kazdağı in Northwestern Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Rivista Aracnologica Italiana, 3(15): 2–17.