A new record of Hottentotta saulcyi Simon (1880) species (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from West Azarbaijan province of Iran

In this study, 17 (3♂♂, 14♀♀) living scorpions of the Hottentotta saulcyi specimens were gathered from Piranshahr County located in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. The selection process proceeded during the nocturnal and diurnal periods, respectively. The nocturnal method required utilization of UV lights whereas the diurnal method involved lifting rocks and forcing water into the probable habitat of the taxa. The selection process ensued between 2016 - 2017 periods. The collected specimens were transferred to Zoological Biosystematics Laboratory of Zanjan University. The specimens were identified based on Farzanpay. R. (1987) and E.A.Yağmur (2011) identification keys terms, sequentially. Specific morphological characteristics including anterior and posterior prosoma color latent, metasoma vertebrae, telson color, number and distribution of chelae in the pedipalps, number of lateral eyes and their position, number of chelicerae in males and females, aculeus structure and the carina arrangement at the back of the mesosoma were studies. Furthermore, the morphometric specification such as average total length of the opisthosoma in females and males, telson length, aculeus length at the end of telson and the chelicerae size and angles in male and female specimens were studied with the stereomicroscope and digital caliper. The morphological and morphometric study outcomes indicated that the examined features of this study are in accordance with the features cited in typographic patterns (1880, Simon, Mosul, Iraq: locality type). So far, there have been reports concerning this species of the taxon from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. Domestic Iranian researchers from Ardebil,Isfahan, Alborz, Bushehr, Tehran, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Hamedan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh and Boyerahmad and Lorestan provinces have also proposed their respective reports. However, a new record from West Azarbaijan province is introduced in this research.

Keywords:

Scorpion , Hottentotta saulcyi , New record , West Azarbaijan province , Iran