The genus was introduced in 1828 by
C.G. Ehrenberg (in Hemprich & Ehrenberg 1828),[1] originally as a
subgenus of the genus Androctonus. It was finally elevated to genus rank by
M. Vachon in 1949.[2]
The genus was long considered to be
monotypic, containing a single species, L. quinquestriatus, but research since 2002 has shown that there are indeed several species.[3]
Diversity
Currently twenty species are recognized within this genus.[4]
Members of Leiurus are generally moderately sized scorpions that show a typical
buthidhabitus with gracile
pedipalpchelae and a slender
metasoma. The vesicle is bulbous and proportionally large in some species. The
cephalothorax and
mesosoma shows distinct granulation. Characteristically the
tergites of the mesosoma bear five distinct, longitudinal carinae (ridges). The base color is generally yellow with brown to blackish areas extending over various parts of the animal, depending on species.[21]
Toxicity
The venom of L. quinquestriatus is among the most potent scorpion
toxins. It severely affects the
cardiac and
pulmonary systems.
Humanfatalities, often children, have been confirmed by clinical reports.[22] The
median lethal dose of venom (LD50) for this species was measured at 0.16 - 0.50 mg/kgmice.[23]
The toxicity of the other species is also potentially high to life-threatening, but reliable data are currently not available.
Habitat
Most species live in
semi-arid to
arid regions, including the
Sahara and Arabian deserts. At least one species occurs in
savannah environment. Sparsely vegetated and sandy or rocky substrates are preferred. The scorpions live in shallow burrows in sand or beneath rocks.
In captivity
Members of the genus Leiurus are often bred in captivity and traded. Due to their extreme toxicity, keeping these species is strictly recommended to only very experienced and/or professionally trained people.
^Vachon, M. (1949). "Etude sur les Scorpions. III (suite). Description des Scorpions du Nord de l'Afrique". Archives de l'Institut Pasteur d'Algérie (in French). 27 (2): 134–169.
^Yağmur, E. A., Koç, H., & Kunt, K. B. 2009 . Description of a new species of Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Southеastеrn Turkey. Euscorpius, No. 85: 1-20.
^Lourenco WR, El-Hennawy HK. New considerations on the Leiurus Ehrenberg (Scorpiones: Buthidae) distributed in Africa and description of a particular species from Egypt. Serket. 2021;17(4):325-34.
^Lowe G, Yagmur EA, Kovarik F. A Review of the Genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with Description of Four New Species from the Arabian Peninsula. Euscorpius. 2014 (191):1-129.
PDF.
^Lowe G, Yagmur EA, Kovarik F. A Review of the Genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with Description of Four New Species from the Arabian Peninsula. Euscorpius. 2014 (191):1-129.
PDF.
^Lourenço W. R. (2020). Why does the number of dangerous species of scorpions increase? The particular case of the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg (Buthidae) in Africa. The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases, 26, e20200041.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-9199-JVATITD-2020-0041
^Kovařík, F., & Lowe, G. 2020 . Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part XXIV. Leiurus (Buthidae), with description of Leiurus gubanensis sp. n.. Euscorpius, No. 309: 1-19.
[1]
^Lowe G, Yagmur EA, Kovarik F. A Review of the Genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with Description of Four New Species from the Arabian Peninsula. Euscorpius. 2014 (191):1-129.
PDF.
^Lowe G, Yagmur EA, Kovarik F. A Review of the Genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with Description of Four New Species from the Arabian Peninsula. Euscorpius. 2014 (191):1-129.
PDF.
^Lowe G, Yagmur EA, Kovarik F. A Review of the Genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with Description of Four New Species from the Arabian Peninsula. Euscorpius. 2014 (191):1-129.
PDF.
^Lourenço, Wilson & Kourim, Mohamed & Sadine, Salah. (2018). Scorpions from the region of Tamanrasset, Algeria. Part II. A new African species of the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Arachnida – Rivista Aracnologica Italiana. 16.
^Lourenco WR. First record and description of a new species of Leiurus Ehrenberg from Kuwait (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Serket. 2020;17(2):143-9.
^Lowe G, Yagmur EA, Kovarik F. A Review of the Genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with Description of Four New Species from the Arabian Peninsula. Euscorpius. 2014 (191):1-129.
PDF.
^Lourenco WR. A new subgenus and species of Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Iraq (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Serket.18(4):421-7.
^Lourenco WR. A new species of Leiurus Ehrenberg (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Nigeria, with extension of the distribution range of the genus to the Southwestern portion of the African continent. Serket. 2021;18(1):1-10.
^Lourenco WR. A remarkable new species of Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the north deserts of Mali (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2020(37):147-52.
^Qi, J., Lourenço, W.R., & Cloudsley-Thompson, J. (2006). The African species of the genus "Leiurus Ehrenberg", 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) with the description of a new species.
^Sofer, S.; M. Gueron (1988). "Respiratory failure in children following envenomation by the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus: hemodynamic and neurological aspects". Toxicon. 26 (10): 931–939.
doi:
10.1016/0041-0101(88)90258-9.
PMID3201482.