An updated checklist of the scorpiofauna of Iran is presented. The checklist is based on records of scorpion species which their presence have been confirmed in Iran through field expeditions, examination of scorpion collections, literature review, and personal communications with researchers. According to the presented checklist the scorpion fauna of ...

We present the results of some spider surveys that were conducted in different parts of Iran. Faunistic records for 30 species which are new to Iran are presented here. Biogeographic data are provided for each species. Two families, namely Liocranidae and Mimetidae, are recorded for the first time from the country.

The existence of substantial morphological variation has resulted in the description of numerous subspecies of the cosmopolitan barn owl, Tyto alba. H

Odontobuthus tirgari sp. nov. (Scorpiones, Buthidae) from the eastern region of the Iranian Plateau

In this study, the first molecular phylogenetic analysis of Mesobuthus eupeus in Iran is presented based on sequence data of a ∼ 700-base-pair fragment of cytochrome C oxidase, subunit I. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The results support monophyly of M. eupeus, but there is a clear divergence between northern and southern clades. The northern clade includes four subspecies – M. e. eupeus, M. e. philippovitschi, M. e. afghanus and M. e. thersites; whereas the southern clade is comprised of two others – M. e. phillipsi and M. e. kirmanensis. Accordingly, possible scenarios for the evolution and phylogeographic structure of M. eupeus based on the geological history of the Iranian Plateau were proposed. The observation of two distinct lineages supports the proposal that M. eupeus might be a species complex composed of species with highly similar morphological features.

In the present study a number of scorpions from Iran classified under the name of Mesobuthus eupeus (C.L. Koch, 1839) were considered. Currently, M. eupeus includes at least 14 described subspecies with no concrete taxonomic position. Here, this species is redescribed based on new specimens collected from Iran. In addition, multivariate statistical analyses were performed to investigate the degree of intraspecific morphological divergence of M. eupeus based on six Iranian subspecies. The results of morphological comparisons and univariate and multivariate statistical analyses confirm the high phenotypic variability within this species. The data presented here revealed two distinct groups: I. M. e. phillipsi and, II. Including five subspecies namely, M. e. eupeus, M. e. philippovitschi, M. e. thersites M. e. afghanus and M. e. kirmanensis. The results of this study clearly confirm the hypothesis that M. eupeus is a polytypic species complex and possibly includes more than one valid species. Therefore, according to comparative morphological analysis, M. e. phillipsi was raised to the species level.