Description of Bothriurus mistral n. sp., the highest-dwelling Bothriurus from the western Andes (Scorpiones, Bothriuridae), using multiple morphometric approaches

PLoS One. 2023 Feb 22;18(2):e0281336. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281336. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

We describe Bothriurus mistral n. sp. (Scorpiones, Bothriuridae) from the Chilean north-central Andes of the Coquimbo Region. This is the highest elevational discovery for Bothriurus in the western slopes of the Andes. This species was collected in the Estero Derecho Private Protected Area and Natural Sanctuary as part of the First National Biodiversity Inventory of Chile of the Integrated System for Monitoring and Evaluation of Native Forest Ecosystems (SIMEF). Bothriurus mistral n. sp. is closely related to Bothriurus coriaceus Pocock, 1893, from the lowlands of central Chile. This integrative research includes a combination of traditional morphometrics and geometric morphometric analyses to support the taxonomic delimitation of the species.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biodiversity*
  • Chile
  • Ecosystem*
  • Forests
  • Scorpions

Grants and funding

DIDULS PR2121210 and DIDULS PEQMEN212124 projects of the University of La Serena, Chile, and the funding from the Ministry of Education of Chile, through MINEDUC’s performance agreement: Implementation of a competitive model of innovation and creation: preparing the University of La Serena for 2030, ULS19101, ANID FB210006 grant, and the SIMEF project (INFOR-IEB Agreement) to JPA. PICT 2019-597 project by Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (Argentina) to AAOA.