Salabi Fatemeh, Zangi Bahman, Forouzan Alireza, Jahan-Mahin Mohammad Hossein, Kazemi Seyed Mahdi
Its discovery fills an important taxonomic gap in south-western Iran and carries significant implications for public health and conservation.
INTRODUCTION: Recent research has clarified the historically complex taxonomy of the medically significant scorpion genus Androctonus in Iran, chiefly by resolving the A. crassicauda Olivier, 1807 species complex and describing numerous new species. However, the taxonomic status of certain populations in Khuzestan Province (south-western Iran) has remained unsettled.
MATERIALS & METHODS: The new scorpion species, Androctonus nazarii sp. nov., was collected from Baghmalek in the Zagros Mountains of Khuzestan Province, Iran. The species description is based on two male specimens, which were characterized by a set of distinct morphological features.
RESULTS: The species exhibits distinctive diagnostic characteristics, including a brownish- yellow coloration, a light brown carapace devoid of ocular black patches and featuring fine granulation, uniformly yellow legs, and a specific yellowish-brown, finely granulated chela manus. A detailed comparison with its closest relatives (A. crassicauda, A. zagrosensis, A. sumericus, and A. barahoeii) confirms its distinctiveness.
CONCLUSION: Its discovery fills an important taxonomic gap in south-western Iran and carries significant implications for public health and conservation.