DISTRIBUTION OF COMPSOBUTHUS MATTHIESSENI (BIRULA, 1905) AND COMPSOBUTHUS SCHMIEDEKNECHTI VACHON, 1949 (SCORPIONES: BUTHIDAE) IN TURKEY

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1 59 TURK J ARACH Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2008 DISTRIBUTION OF COMPSOBUTHUS MATTHIESSENI (BIRULA, 1905) AND COMPSOBUTHUS SCHMIEDEKNECHTI VACHON, 1949 (SCORPIONES: BUTHIDAE) IN TURKEY Ersen Aydın Yağmur ¹, Halil Koç ¹ and Mehmet Yalçın ² ¹ Ege University, Science Faculty, Biology Department, Zoology Section, İzmir, TURKEY ² Gaziantep University, Science and Art Faculty, Biology Department, Gaziantep, TURKEY ersen.yagmur@gmail.com [Yağmur, E. A., Koç, H. & Yalçın, M Distribution of Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905) and Compsobuthus schmiedeknechti Vachon, 1949 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Turkey. Turk J Arach. 1 (1): ] ABSTRACT: In this work, locality records and distribution of Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905) and C. schmiedeknechti Vachon, 1949 (Buthidae) in Turkey are presented. KEY WORDS: Compsobuthus matthiesseni, Compsobuthus schmiedeknechti, distribution, scorpion, Turkey. TÜRKİYE DE COMPSOBUTHUS MATTHIESSENI (BIRULA, 1905) VE COMPSOBUTHUS SCHMIEDEKNECHTI VACHON, 1949 (SCORPIONES: BUTHIDAE) NİN YAYILIŞI ÖZET: Bu çalışmada, Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905) ve C. schmiedeknechti Vachon, 1949 nin Türkiye deki lokalite kayıtları ve yayılışı sunulmuştur. ANAHTAR KELİMELER: Compsobuthus matthiesseni, Compsobuthus schmiedeknechti, yayılış, akrep, Türkiye. INTRODUCTION The genus Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 is widespread in the Palearctic Region (Morocco, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) (Levy & Amitai 1980; Vachon & Kinzelbach 1987; Kabakibi et al. 1999; Kovařík 1996, 2003; Sissom & Fet 1998; Fet & Lowe 2000; Crucitti & Vignoli 2002; Vignoli 2005). Up to now, 36 scorpion species are known as belong to the genus Compsobuthus in this region (Fet & Lowe 2000; Kovařík 2003; Kovařík & Ahmed 2007; Lourenço 2001, 2004; Lourenço & Vachon 2001; Vignoli 2005; Hendrixson 2006). The current known distribution of Compsobuthus matthiesseni is occured in Iran, Iraq (Pringle 1960; Farzanpay & Pretzmann 1974; Farzanpay 1988; Sissom & Fet 1998), Turkey (Kovařík 1996) and Syria (Kovařík 2003). Kovařík (1996) was reported firstly in Diyarbakır province (near Ergani District) in Turkey. Then it was found in Adıyaman (Crucitti 1999; Crucitti & Cicuzza 2000, 2001; Crucitti & Vignoli 2002), Gaziantep (Yağmur 2005) and Kilis (Yağmur et al. 2007). It is known

2 TURK J ARACH Vol. 1, No. 1, June from the Southeastern Anatolian Region (Kovařík 1996; Crucitti & Vignoli 2002; Yağmur 2005; Yağmur et al. 2007), Easthern Anatolian Region (Crucitti & Cicuzza 2000; Crucitti & Vignoli 2002) and Easthern Mediterranean Region (Yağmur et al. 2007). Compsobuthus schmiedeknechti is distributed in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon (Fet & Lowe 2000; Fet et al. 2000b; Kovařík 2003) and southern Syria (Kabakibi et al. 1999). The first record of this species in Turkey is from the district of Yayladağı, Hatay (Varol et al. 2006). According to all autors that mentioned in the text, the distribution of C. schmiedeknechti is allopatric with C. matthiesseni. The purpose of the this study is to show the distribution and zoogeografical patterns of C. matthiesseni and C. schmiedeknechti in Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS The field studies were performed during the period between 2003 and A total of 92 specimens of C. matthiesseni were collected from 48 different localities, and 39 specimens of C. schmiedeknechti were collected from eight different localities in the research area. The specimens were collected under stones in daytime and at night with the UV lamp, F8T5/BLB. The handled scorpions were fixed in 70 % ethanol and deposited in the personal collections of Ersen Aydın Yağmur. The specimens was examined under Stereomicroscope, XTL-3400E. The following abbreviations are used in the text: Vil.-Village; Dis.-District; Juv.-Juvenile. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Only two species of Compsobuthus occur in Turkey: C. matthiesseni and C. schmiedeknechti. Identification key for the species 1. Manus of pedipalp narrow, central median and postereo median carianae aren t unit, external accessory denticles is absence on the movable finger of pedipalp... C. matthiesseni 2. Manus of pedipalp wider, central median and postereo median carianae are unit, external accessory denticles is exist on the movable finger of pedipalp... C. schmiedeknechti

3 61 TURK J ARACH Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2008 Specimen examined Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905) (Fig. 1) 1. Adıyaman: 4. Central Dis., 1 km west of Aydınoluk Vil. fork in road, , E.A.Yağmur, A.Avcı. 2. Batman: 4. Beşiri Dis., 15 km south of Batman, , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, A.Kürşat. 3. Diyarbakır: 1. Ergani Dis., Tevekli Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Yalçın. 4. Gaziantep: 1, 1 Juv. Karkamış Dis., 500 m east of Kıvırcık Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, C.Toprak, S.Kesmezoğlu. 5. 1, 1 Juv. Nizip Dis., 500 m west of Aşağı Çardak Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, C.Toprak, S.Kesmezoğlu Nizip Dis., 1 km south of Tanır Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, C.Toprak, S.Kesmezoğlu Oğuzeli Dis., 2 km west of Sazgın Vil., , E.A.Yağmur. 8. 1, 1. Şehitkâmil Dis., Akçaburç Vil., , E.A.Yağmur. 9. 1, 3 Juv. Karkamış Dis., 1 km west of Karkamış Dam, , E.A.Yağmur, C.Toprak Karkamış Dis., 1 km south of Gürçay Vil. (Sand Factory), , E.A.Yağmur, C.Toprak , 1. Nizip Dis., Kavunluk Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, C.Toprak, S.Kesmezoğlu Şehitkâmil Dis., 2 km east of Türkyurdu Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, A.Akaya Oğuzeli Dis., Tüzel Vil., , E.A.Yağmur , 2. Oğuzeli Dis., 1 km south of Kayacık Vil. fork in road, , E.A.Yağmur Şehitkâmil Dis., 11 th km from Gaziantep to Yavuzeli, , E.A.Yağmur, C.Toprak Oğuzeli Dis., 2 km east of Keçikuyusu Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Özkörük , 2. Karkamış Dis., 1 km south of Arıkdere Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Yalçın, F.Değirmenci Yavuzeli Dis., 1 km west of Yöreli Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Yalçın Araban Dis., 1 km west of Doğan Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Yalçın Nizip Dis., 3 km north east of Turlu Vil., , N, E, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov Nizip Dis., Bozcadağ Mt., , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov. 22. Hakkâri: 1. Central Dis., Yeniyat Vil., , N, E, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov ; , Çukurca Dis., Güzeldere Vil., N, E, H.Koç. 24. Hatay: 1. Reyhanlı Dis., north slope of Kavalcık Vil., , H.Koç , 2 ; , Kumlu Dis., Hamam Vil., N, E, H.Koç. 26. Kilis: 1. Central Dis., Çörten Vil., N, E, , E.A.Yağmur, M.Yalçın ; Musabeyli Dis., Hasancalı Vil., 1 km west, N, E, , E.A.Yağmur, M.Özkörük Central Dis., Konak Vil. fork in road, the road from Kilis to Gaziantep, 12 th km, N, E, , E.A.Yağmur, M.Özkörük, M.Yalçın Musabeyli Dis., Küçükahmethöyüğü (Körahmethöyüğü) Vil., N, E, , E.A.Yağmur, M.Özkörük Elbeyli Dis., Uzunali Vil., 1.5 km northeast, N, E, , E.A.Yağmur, M.Özkörük, M.Yalçın. 31. Mardin: 1. Central Dis., Yolbaşı Vil., , N, E, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov. 32. Şanlıurfa: 1. Birecik Dis., 2 km north of Yukarı Habip Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Özkörük Birecik Dis., 4 km south of Mezra Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Yalçın Birecik Dis., 1 km north of Çiçekalan Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Yalçın Harran Dis., 2 km north west of Şuayipşehir Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Z.Yıldız , 1. Central Dis., Duruca Vil., 1,5 km west of Tofaş memory forest, , E.A.Yağmur, M.Z.Yıldız Central Dis., Dalbaşı Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, M.Z.Yıldız , 1. Halfeti Dis., 7 km south east of Arğaç Vil. (2 km south of Yeni Halfeti), , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, M.Z.Yıldız , 3. Siverek Dis., Destek Vil., , E.Özben Suruç Dis., Aşağı Kendirci (Mürşitpınar) Vil., , İ. Yağmur Akçakale Dis., Edebey Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov Suruç Dis., 20 km east of Suruç, , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov , 1. Ceylanpınar Dis., Şeyhnasır Canyon, , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov Ceylanpınar Dis., north west of Gümüşsu Vil., , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov Central Dis., north of the Tektek Mountains, , N, E, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov , 1. Halfeti Dis., 1 km south of Savaşan Vil , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, M.Özkörük 47. Şırnak: 2. Dicle Dis., Yalıntepe Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, M.Yalçın, E.Ulupınar, N.Aşkın , 1 Juv. İdil Dis.,

4 TURK J ARACH Vol. 1, No. 1, June Yörük Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, M.Yalçın, E.Ulupınar, N.Aşkın. 2, 1. İdil Dis., Yörük Vil., , H.Koç, A.V.Gromov. 49. Localities cited in the literature: Adıyaman: National Park of Nemrut Mountain (Crucitti & Cicuzza, 2000), 50. Narince, 51. Catbahçe (Kahta) (Crucitti & Cicuzza, 2000; Crucitti & Vignoli, 2002). Compsobuthus schmiedeknechti Vachon, 1949 (Fig. 2) 1. Gaziantep: 1, 1. İslahiye Dis., Yesemek Vil., , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov İslahiye Dis., 2 km west of Yeniköy Vil., south slopes of Yüksek Hill, , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov. 3. Hatay: 2. Yayladağı Dis., Güveççi Vil., , N, E, M.Yalçın. 1. Yayladağı Dis., Güveççi Vil., , E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, M.Yalçın, G.Çalışır, V.Ülgezer Reyhanlı Dis., Bükülmez Vil., , H.Koç. 5. 4, 3, 1 Juv. Reyhanlı Dis., Kavalcık Vil., , N, E, H.Koç. 1, 1. Reyhanlı Dis., Kavalcık Vil., , N, E, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov Juv. Kırıkhan Dis., 2 km north toward Kırıkhan from Kırıkhan - Belen fork in road, , E.A.Yağmur, M.Yalçın, G.Çalışır. 7. 2, 5, 1 Juv. Kırıkhan Dis., Camuzkışlası Vil., , H.Koç. 8. Kilis: 2, 1, 3 Juv. Musabeyli Dis., Hasancalı Vil., , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov. 2. Musabeyli Dis., Hasancalı Vil., , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov. 4, 1. Musabeyli Dis., Hasancalı Vil., , N, E, E.A.Yağmur, H.Koç, A.V.Gromov. Taxonomical Positions The members of the genus Compsobuthus are similar to those of Hottentotta and Mesobuthus. However, it is easy to distinguish them by the following characters: Centromedian and posteriomedian carapacial carinae is linear; mesosomal tergites have three carinae and exceed beyond posterior margin of tergites, ventrolateral carinae of fifth metasomal segment are without enlarged denticles in Compsobuthus. Also, pedipalp chela trichobothrium have db proximal to est on fixed finger. Compsobuthus is splited into two groups based on the external accessory denticles on the pedipalp movable finger, werneri group and acutecarinatus group (Levy et al. 1973). C. matthiesseni is included into the acutecarinatus group while C. schmiedeknechti belongs to the werneri group. C. matthiesseni was originally described as Buthus acutecarinatus matthiesseni from Iran in 1905 (Birula 1905). Then this species was redescribed by Vachon in 1949 (Vachon 1949). Similarly C. schmiedeknechti was described by Birula (1905) as Buthus acutecarinatus judaicus from southern Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Then, Vachon (1949) pointed out that C. schmiedeknechti is a species, but Levy & Amitai (1980) indicated it as C. werneri judaicus. Recently, Fet and Lowe (2000) separated C. werneri into two subspecies; C. w. werneri (Birula 1908) and C. w. schmiedeknechti Vachon, Finally, Kovarik (2003) was recently elevated C. schmiedeknechti to species status. C. matthiesseni was known previously from Diyarbakır (Kovařík 1996), Adıyaman (Crucitti & Vignoli 2002), Gaziantep (Yağmur 2005) and Kilis (Yağmur et al. 2007) in Turkey. In the present study, we have

5 63 TURK J ARACH Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2008 determined that C. matthiesseni is distributed in many localities in Hatay, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Batman, Şırnak and Hakkâri. In addition, C. schmiedeknechti was recorded by Varol et al. (2006) only from one locality in Hatay. According to our records this species is widely distributed also in Gaziantep and Kilis provinces. In spite of these two species recorded in some localities in Hatay and Kilis simpatrically, their zoogeografic patterns are quite different. C. matthiesseni has a wide distribution in the Southeastern Turkey. It seems that this species maybe confined from the Southeast Anatolian Taurus along the whole plains of Southeast Turkey. But C. schmiedeknechti was recorded from most places of the Easthern Mediterranean Region. It is possible that C. schmiedeknechti demands more humid areas. The northern boundary of C. matthiesseni in the Middle East is not clear. This species is found in Ergani, Diyarbakır (Kovařík 1996). We have listed localities which constitute the natural boundary of C. matthiesseni in the Southeast of Turkey as currently known. Boundary in the west coincides with the border of the Mediterranean Region climate and it goes to north foothills of Amanos Mountain trough southern foothills of the Southeast Anatolian Taurus which does not allow the distribution of C. matthiesseni on the north. On the east of Turkey, Hakkâri is completely different division from the Southeast Anatolian Region (Emeljanov 1974). Valley s in Hakkâri follows river banks and reaches the plains of northern Iraq. This is the reason why C. matthiesseni occurs in Hakkâri. It appears that in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, northern boundary of C. schmiedeknechti limited by Amanos Mountain. The Southeast Anatolian Region has dry climate condition comparing with the Mediterranean Region. So, distribution of this species is not reach trough the Southeast Anatolian Region. C. schmiedeknechti is restricted Amanos Mountain on the west, and the Southeast Anatolian Region frontier on the east. Yeniköy Vilage in Gaziantep is the northern border of C. schmiedeknechti in the Middle East. Ecologically, C. matthiesseni is usually found on basaltic rocky slopes and stony ground covered with steppes and scarce vegetation while C. schmiedeknechti associate with steppes and moor vegetation. C. matthiesseni was found in same habitat with Calchas nordmanni, Leiurus quinquestriatus, Mesobuthus nigrocinctus, M. eupeus, Scorpio maurus, Buthacus macrocentrus, Hottentotta saulcyi, Androctonus crassicauda and C. schmiedeknechti in the Easthern Mediterranean Region and Southeast Anatolian Region. One specimen was collected from Yeniyat Vil., Hakkâri at an altitude of 1535 m above see level. This is the highest vertical distribution of C. matthiesseni. C. schmiedeknechti was recorded with Mesobuthus nigrocinctus, Leiurus quinquestriatus, C. matthiesseni and Scorpio maurus simpatrically in Easthern Mediterranean Region. It was recorded highest vertical distribution an altitude of 830 m above see level in Hasancalı Vil. (Kilis). So, wide area is occupied in the Southeastern Turkey by C. matthiesseni.

6 TURK J ARACH Vol. 1, No. 1, June ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to thank Alexander V. Gromov (Institute of Zoology, Almaty, Kazakhstan), M. Zülfü Yıldız (Department of Biology, Ege University), Aziz Avcı (Department of Biology, Adnan Menderes University), Selda Kesmezoğlu (Forensic Science Institute of İstanbul University), Abdulmuttalip Akaya (Department of Biology, Uludağ University), Fatih Değirmenci, Gökhan Çalışır, Ekber Ulupınar, Ahmet Kürşat, Nesrin Aşkın, Volkan Ülgezer (Department of Biology, Gaziantep University), Cemali Toprak, Mehmet Özkörük for their help in field trips. We also thank Prof. Dr. Saadet Saygıdeğer (Department of Biology, Gaziantep University) for providing equipments; Edip Özben, İsmail Yağmur for providing specimens and Kadir Boğaç Kunt (Turkish Arachnological Society, Ankara) for correcting the manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Birula, A.A Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Scorpionenfauna Persiens (Dritter Beitrag). Bulletin de l Académie Impériale des Sciences de St. Pétersbourg, 23 (1 2): Crucitti, P The scorpions of Anatolia: Bio-geographical patterns. Biogeographica. 20: Crucitti, P. & Cicuzza, D Gli Scorpioni del Parco Nazionale del Monte Nemrut (Turchia sud-orientale) (Scorpiones). Mem. Soc. Entomol. Ital. 78 (2): Crucitti, P. & Cicuzza, D Scorpions of Anatolia: Ecological patterns, p In Fet, V. & P.A. Selden (eds.). Scorpions 2001: In Memoriam Gary A. Polis. Burnham Beeches, Bucks: British Arachnological Society. Crucitti, P. & Vignoli, V Gli Scorpioni (Scorpiones) dell Anatolia sud-orientale (Turchia). Bolletino di Museo regionale di Scienze naturali Torino. 19 (2): Emeljanov, A.F Proposal on the classification and nomenclature of areals. Ent. Obozr., 53: [In Russian]. Farzanpay, R. & Pretzmann, G Ergebnisse einiger Sammelreisen nach Vorderasien 4. Teil: Scorpione aus Iran. Ann. Naturhistor. Mus. Wien, 78: Farzanpay, R A catalogue of the scorpions occuring in Iran, up to january Revue Arachnologique, 8(2): Fet, V. & Lowe, G Family Buthidae, p In: Fet, V., W.D. Sissom, G. Lowe & M.E. Braunwalder, 2000, Catalog of the Scorpions of the World ( ), New York, NY: The New York Entomological Society, 690 pp. Fet, V., Sissom, W.D., Lowe, G. & Braunwalder, M.E Catalog of the Scorpions of the World ( ), New York, NY: The New York Entomological Society. 690 pp. Hendrixson, B.E Buthid scorpions of Saudi Arabia, with notes on other families (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Liochelidae, Scorpionidae). Fauna of Arabia. (21): Kabakibi, M.M, Khalil, N. & Amr, Z Scorpions of southern Syria. Zool. Middle East. (17): Kovařík, F First report of Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Turkey. Klapalekiana. 32 (1-2):

7 65 TURK J ARACH Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2008 Kovařík, F. & Ahmed. Z Two New Species of the Genus Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 from Afghanistan and Pakistan (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius. (53): 1 6. Kovařík, F Eight new species of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 from Africa and Asia (Scor-piones: Buthidae). Serket, 8 (3): Levy, G., Amitai, P. & Shulov, A New scorpions from Israel, Jordan and Arabia. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 52 (2): Levy, G. & Amitai, P Fauna Palaestina. Arachnida I: Scorpiones. Israel Acad. Sc. Hum. 132pp. Lourenço, W.R A new species of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 from Afghanistan (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg. 13 (164): Lourenço, W.R. & Vachon, M A new species of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 from Iran (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Pp In Fet, V. & P. A. Selden (eds.). Scorpions 2001 In Memoriam Gary A. Polis. British Arachnological Society, Burnham Beeches, Bucks. Lourenço, W.R A new species of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 from India (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg. 14 (169): Pringle, G Notes on the scorpions of Iraq. Bulletin Endemic Diseases, 3(3-4): Sissom, W.D. & Fet, V Redescription of Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Scorpiones, Buthidae) from southwestern Asia. Journal of Arachnology. 26: 1-8 Vachon, M Études sur les Scorpions. III (suite). Déscription des Scorpions du Nord de l Afrique. Archives de l Institut Pasteur d Algérie, 27 (1): Vachon, M. & Kinzelbach, R On the taxonomy and distribution of the scorpions of the Middle East. Tuebingen Atlas des Vorderen Orients, A. (28): Varol, İ., Yağmur E.A., Özaslan M. & Yalçın M A scorpion Compsobuthus schmiedeknechti (Scorpions: Buthidae) New to the Turkish fauna. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences. 9 (8): Vignoli, V Description of a new species of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from southern Iran. Zoology in the Middle East. 34: Yağmur E.A., Koç H., Kesmezoğlu S. & Yalçın M Scorpions of Kilis province, Turkey (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Serket. 10 (3): Yağmur, E.A Gaziantep Akrepleri (Ordo: Scorpiones) ve Zoocoğrafik Dağılışları. Gaziantep Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Yüksek Lisans Tezi. Gaziantep. 136 s

8 TURK J ARACH Vol. 1, No. 1, June Fig. 1. Sampling localities of Compsobuthus matthiesseni (Birula, 1905) in Turkey (circles: new data, squaires: previous records). Fig. 2. Sampling localities of Compsobuthus schmiedeknechti Vachon, 1949 in Turkey.