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Geographical Distribution of Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in Southern Regions of Kerman Province, Iran

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Abstract

Scorpion stings are the major public health problem related to arthropods in tropical and subtropical areas of Iran. The study aimed to determine the species diversity and geographical distribution of scorpions in southern regions of Kerman province, Iran. The descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from March 2019 to November 2021 in the south of Kerman province. The specimens were collected by rock rolling method using long forceps during the day and UV light during the night. The specimens were put in containers containing 80% ethanol, transported to the laboratory, identified using valid taxonomic keys, and studied their sexes. A total of 126 scorpions were collected from 2 families, 7 genera, and 10 species including Hemiscorpius acanthocercus (2.2%), H. enischnochela (0.4%), Androctonus crassicauda (56.1%), Mesobuthus kirmanensis (29%), Odontobuthus baluchicus (3.5%), Hottentotta navidpouri (2.2%), Ho. sistanensis (2.2%), Orthochirus hormozganensis (1.3%), O. kucerai (0.9%) and Sassanidotus gracilis (1.3%). Mesobuthus kirmanensis were reported as dominant species. H. navidpouri, H. sistanensis, O. baluchicus, and O. hormozganensis are reported for the first time from Kerman province. Androctonus crassicauda, H. acanthocercus and H. enischnochela are known as dangerous species and could enhance the potential risk of scorpion stings deaths, especially in children. The fauna and geographical distribution of scorpions in the southeast of Iran showed the presence of suitable habitats for scorpions and can be a warning to the health care system. Identification of dangerous species and their range of distribution can be comprehensive and valuable guides to reducing the exposure of scorpions in high-risk areas.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Mr. Solat Jedavi and colleagues from Manoujan, Javad Sanjari and colleagues from Anbarabad, Hossein Vaziri and colleagues from Kahnouj, Hossein Badakhshan and colleagues from Roodbar Jonoub and colleagues of the health care system of sough of Kerman province.

Funding

This study is the result of a research project with the financial support of the Jiroft University of Medical Sciences and the cooperation of the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Deputy, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran

    M. Adeli-Sardou, M. Ahmadyousefi-Sarhadi & Ghasem Falah

  2. Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    M. Shahi

  3. Department of Public Health, School of Health, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran

    H. Dehghan

  4. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Agriculture Institute, Research Institute of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

    Hossein Barahoei

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  1. M. Adeli-Sardou
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. MSH designed the work and contributed to the concept. MAS and GHF collected the specimens. MSH and HB performed experiments and data validation. MAS and HD wrote original draft, HD and MAS performed the critical revision of the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to H. Dehghan.

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Ethical permission of project was evaluated by research ethics committees of Jiroft University of Medical Sciences and approved on November 31, 2017 with approval ID: IR.SBMU.REC.1396.047 in.

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The authors of this work declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Adeli-Sardou, M., Shahi, M., Dehghan, H. et al. Geographical Distribution of Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in Southern Regions of Kerman Province, Iran. Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci 51, 644–654 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359023604834

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