Buthacus is a genus of scorpions in the family Buthidae. Species of the genus are distributed across northern and western Africa, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Taxonomy
The genus was erected in 1908 by A.A. Birula, originally as a subgenus of the genus Buthus.Birula, A. A. 1908. Ergebnisse der mit Subvention aus der Erbschaft Treitl unternommenen zoologischen Forschungsreise Dr. F. Werner’s nach dem Anglo-Aegyptischen Sudan und Nord-Uganda. XIV. Skorpiones und Solifugae. Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlich-königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien, 117(1): 121-152. It was elevated to genus rank by M. Vachon in 1949.Vachon, M. 1949. Etudes sur les Scorpions. III (suite). Description des Scorpions du Nord de l’Afrique. Archives de l’Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 27(1): 66-100.
Diversity
Species of the genus Buthacus are very similar to each other and have been considered subspecies in some examples.Vachon, M. 1952. Etudes sur les Scorpions. 482 pp. Alger (Institut Pasteur d’Algérie).FulltextLourenço, W.R. 2004. New considerations on the Northwestern African species of Buthacus Birula (Scorpiones, Buthidae), and description of a new species. Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, 10: 225-231. At least 36 species are known, some of need taxonomic revision:Rein, J.O. 2026. The Scorpion Files [Last accessed: 12MAR2026]Kovařík, F. 2005. Taxonomic position of species of the genus Buthacus Birula, 1908 described by Ehrenberg and Lourenço, and description of a new species (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius, 28: 1-13.
Buthacus agarwali Zambre & Lourenço, 2010 Buthacus ahaggar Lourenço, Kourim & Sadine, 2017 Buthacus algerianus Lourenço, 2006 Buthacus amitaii Cain, Gefen & Prendini, 2021 Buthacus arava Cain, Gefen & Prendini, 2021 Buthacus arenicola (Simon, 1885) Buthacus armasi Lourenço, 2013 Buthacus bicolor Afifeh, Al-Saraireh, Baker 2022 Buthacus birulai Lourenço, 2006 Buthacus clevai Lourenço, 2001 Buthacus deserticus Sadine, Souilem, Lourenço & Ythier, 2024 Buthacus elmenia Lourenço & Sadine, 2017 Buthacus foleyi Vachon, 1949 Buthacus frontalis Werner, 1936 Buthacus fuscata Pallary, 1929 Buthacus golovatchi Lourenço, Duhem & Cloudsley-Thompson, 2012 Buthacus leptochelys (Ehrenberg, 1829) - Egyptian green scorpion Buthacus levyi Cain, Gefen & Prendini, 2021 Buthacus macrocentrus (Ehrenberg, 1828) Buthacus mahraouii Lourenço, 2004 Buthacus nigerianus Lourenço & Qi, 2006 Buthacus nigroaculeatus Levy, Amitai & Shulov, 1973 Buthacus nitzani Levy, Amitai & Shulov, 1973 Buthacus occidentalis Lourenço, 2000 Buthacus pakistanensis Lourenço & Qi, 2006 Buthacus sadinei Ythier, 2022 Buthacus samiae Lourenço & Sadine, 2015 Buthacus spatzi (Birula, 1911) Buthacus spinatus Lourenço, Bissati & Sadine, 2016 Buthacus stockmanni Kovařík, Lowe & Šťáhlavský, 2016 Buthacus striffleri Lourenço, 2004 Buthacus tadmorensis (Simon, 1892) Buthacus villiersi Vachon, 1949 Buthacus williamsi Lourenço & Leguin, 2009 Buthacus yotvatensis Levy, Amitai & Shulov, 1973 Buthacus ziegleri Lourenço, 2000
General characteristics
Small to moderately sized scorpions (40–75 mm). Most species are yellow, some are brownish, yellow-grayish or yellow-greenish colored. They show a rather slim habitus with long walking legs and a slender metasoma; pedipalp chelae very gracile and elongate. Cephalothorax smooth or with very weak carinae.
Toxicity
As in other buthids the venom in at least some species of Buthacus is relatively potent and can be of medical importance to humans.Kleber, J.J., Wagner, P., Felgenhauer, N., Kunze, M. & Zilker, T. 1999. Vergiftung durch Skorpionsstiche. Deutsches Ärzteblatt, 96(25): A1710-A1715.
+ Relative toxicity in species of Buthacus Species Median lethal dose (LD50 [mg/kg]mice) B. arenicola 0.99 - 3.50 Chua Kian-Wee. 1997-2000. Relative toxicity of scorpions [Last accessed: 11MAR2010] B. leptochelys 0.77 - 5.62
Habitat
Most species live in arid, rocky and sandy desert habitats, some in semi-arid steppe environments. As most other scorpions they shelter from daylight in rock crevices or burrows.
References
External links
Images of Buthacus leptochelys and Buthacus sp.. Exotics.nl