GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF TWO SPECIES OF MESOBUTHUS (SCORPIONES, BUTHIDAE) IN CHINA: INSIGHTS FROM SYSTEMATIC FIELD SURVEYS AND PREDICTIVE MODELS

• DOI: 10.1636/t06-20.1
• Publication Date: 2007-09-12T19:49:58Z
• Authors: Cheng-Min Shi; Zu-Shi Huang; Lei Wang; Li-Jun He; Yue-Ping Hua; Liang Leng; De-Xing Zhang
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; 15. Life on land

Although Mesobuthus scorpions in China have become endangered recent years, they are largely underinvestigated. Even the baseline data on their distributions lacking. Here geographical of two provided through a combined study systematic field surveys and GIS-based ecological niche modeling using 227 surveyed point occurrence across an area ca. 2800 × 1700 km2 validated historical records. martensii (Karsch 1879) appears to be restricted latitude south 43°N north side Yangtze River, bordered by Helan Mountains Tengger Mo Us sand desert west limited sea east. eupeus (C.L. Koch 1839) reaches east edge Loess Plateau, extending westward along northern slope Qilian ultimately penetrating part Junggar Basin. The former is mainly found semi-humid humid regions while latter arid semi-arid dweller. species show parapatric distribution whole with contact zone formed at boundary ranges big turning Yellow River central-western Inner Mongolia, Ningxia middle Gansu Province. This pattern shaped both fundamental constraint possibly biological interactions between species. Some diagnostic features for also quick identification.