Seven new Alpine species of the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, stat. n. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)
Abstract
Two subgenera of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) are elevated to the genus status: Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, stat. n. and Tetratrichobothrius Birula, 1917, stat. n. Seven new Alpine scorpion species are described and illustrated: Alpiscorpius delta sp. n. (Italy) from the "alpha group" ("germanus complex"); A. kappa sp. n. (Slovenia) and A. lambda sp. n. (Slovenia) from the "germanus group" ("germanus complex"); A. omega sp. n. (Slovenia), A. omikron sp. n. (Slovenia), A. sigma sp. n. (Italy, Slovenia), and A. ypsilon sp. n. (Austria, Slovenia) from the "gamma group" ("mingrelicus complex").
The taxonomic validity of these cryptic species is confirmed through cytogenetic and DNA analysis (Štundlová et al., 2019). Alpiscorpius beta (Di Caporiacco, 1950), comb. n., stat. n. (Italy, Switzerland) is restored from synonymy and elevated to species level within the "alpha group".
Euscorpius germanus marcuzzii Valle et al., 1971 (Italy), recently elevated to species level, is synonymized with Alpiscorpius germanus (C. L.
Koch, 1837), comb. n. (which is found in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland but not in Slovenia). The genus Alpiscorpius currently includes 15 valid species (6 in "germanus complex" and 9 in "mingrelicus complex").
Many populations of Alpiscorpius spp. from the Balkan Peninsula, formerly listed under Euscorpius gamma or E. mingrelicus, remain unassigned.