Fauna of Sistan Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Southeast Iran

Scorpions are nocturnal animals that feed on invertebrates and other arachnids. So far, 10 species of scorpions from the family Buthidae have been reported from the Sistan region. Sampling was done using UV ultralight at night and direct search or digging during the day, from different areas in the Sistan region in 2021 and 2022. Examination of 117 collected scorpion specimens led to the identification of seven species belonging to six genera of the family Buthidae including Androctonus cf. crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), A. sistanus Barahoei & Mirshamsi, 2022, Kraepelinia palpator (Birula, 1903), Mesobuthus rakhshanii sp. nov., Odontobuthus tirgari Mirshamsi et al., 2013, Orthochirus persa (Birula, 1900), and Sassanidothus gracilis (Birula, 1900). Mesobuthus rakhshanii sp. nov. was described as a new species for the world fauna. This species has a dominant population in the region, which was collected from all stations. All specimens were fixed in 80% alcohol and kept in the author's personal collection. Androctonus species are dangerous scorpions that are distributed in the Sistan region. Identifying dangerous species is important and practical for health management. This is possible by identifying the fauna of scorpions in the region and determining the range of distribution of each species.