Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of the Scorpion Genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Buthidae) in the Iranian Plateau and the Zagros Mountains

TL;DR

This study explores the evolutionary history and geographic spread of scorpions in the Hottentotta genus, focusing on their diversification in Iran and the Zagros Mountains.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the biogeographic origins and diversification of Hottentotta scorpions in the Iranian Plateau and Zagros Mountains.

Findings

All Hottentotta species form a single evolutionary group with a shared ancestor.

The Iranian and Afro-Arabian species originated from an African ancestor that dispersed into the region.

The Zagros Mountains acted as a geographic barrier, promoting species separation and diversification.

Abstract

The scorpion genus Hottentotta is widely distributed across Africa, the Middle East, and parts of South Asia, but its evolutionary history is not well understood. In this study, we analyzed nuclear and mitochondrial DNA from species found in Africa, Arabia, and the Middle East, with a focus on species from Iran. Our results confirmed that all examined species form a single evolutionary group and that Iranian and Afro-Arabian species share a common ancestor. Biogeographic analyses suggest that Hottentotta species in the Iranian Plateau and Zagros Mountains originated from an African ancestor that later dispersed into the region. Their diversification appears to have been influenced by the uplift of the Zagros Mountains and climate changes during the Miocene epoch. These findings support the idea that the Zagros Mountains acted as a geographic barrier, promoting species separation and diversification in the Iranian Plateau.

The scorpion genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908 is widely distributed across Africa and the Middle East, extending to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The processes which resulted in their evolution and diversification across this vast area are poorly understood. The present study investigated the phylogeny and historical biogeography of the genus in the Iranian Plateau and the Zagros Mountains based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences from four African species, an Arabian species and eight species from the Middle East, most of which are endemic to Iran. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the monophyly of all species included in the analysis and recovered a clade comprising Iranian and Afro-Arabian species. S-DIVA and BBM analyses demonstrated that the species of Hottentotta occurring in the Iranian Plateau and the Zagros Mountains originated from an African ancestor and then dispersed to their current geographical ranges. Further divergence coincided with the orogeny of the Zagros Mountains and climatic changes during the Miocene epoch. The results support the hypothesis that the Zagros Mountains formed a geographical barrier which promoted vicariance and diversification on the Iranian Plateau.

Figures