A GEOGRAPHICAL REANALYSIS OF THE SCORPION GENUS ANUROCTONUS POCOCK, 1893 BASED ON MORPHOLOGY, MERISTICS AND MORPHOMETRICS

The scorpion genus Anuroctonus was considered monotypic for over a century before a new species, containing two subspecies, was described in 2004 by Soleglad and Fet. This resulted in three nominal forms: Anuroctonus phaiodactylus Williams 1863, Anuroctonus pococki pococki Soleglad & Fet 2004, and Anuroctonus pococki bajae Soleglad & Fet 2004. Anuroctonus pococki pococki contained enormous variation and it was likely that more species could be described. This study analyzed Anuroctonus morphology, meristics, and morphometrics and addresses problems of diagnosability from the original descriptions of the subspecies Anuroctonus pococki pococki and Anuroctonus pococki bajae. The variation in Anuroctonus pococki pococki was reanalyzed in a geographical context. Discriminant function analyses based on 13 morphometric ratios were performed in an exploratory fashion on populations in the ranges of both subspecies to determine statistical significance and diagnosability. Anuroctonus pococki pococki and Anuroctonus pococki bajae were elevated to species level after diagnosability was determined based on morphology.