Original Article

Faunistic Composition and Spatial Distribution of Scorpions in North Khorasan Province Northeast of Iran

Abstract

Background: Scorpions pose one of the most important public health and medical problems in tropical and subtropi­cal regions of the world, especially in developing countries. This study was conducted to determine the fauna and spatial distribution of scorpions.

Methods: In this descriptive study, scorpions were captured using ultra-violet (UV) light, pitfall traps and digging methods in North Khorasan Province, northeastern Iran in 2017. After being encoded, the collected scorpions were stored in plastic containers of 70% ethanol and then transferred to the medical entomology lab of Tehran University of Medical Sciences for species identification based on morphological keys. In addition, Arc GIS 9.3 software was utilized for mapping spatial distribution of scorpions.

Results: Overall, 143 scorpions were captured and identified. All of collected scorpions belonged only to Buthidae family. They were also classified into four genera (Androctonus, Mesobuthus, Odontobuthus, Orthochirus) and five species: M. eupeus (59.44%), A. crassicauda (16.78%), O. doriae (12.59), M. (Olivierus) caucasicus (9.09%), and O. farzanpayi (2.10%). Furthermore, spatial distribution of scorpions was performed in this area.

Conclusion: Regarding the diversity, high frequency and wide geographical distribution of scorpions and their long-term seasonal activity in this area, the probability of occurrence of scorpion sting is high. Therefore, in order to pre­vent the occurrence of this public health problem, health educational programs be implemented by health- care pro­viders in the area.

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IssueVol 13 No 4 (2019) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/jad.v13i4.2233
Keywords
Scorpions Spatial distributio GIS Iran
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How to Cite
1.
Firoozfar F, Saghafipour A, Vatandoost H, Mohammadi Bavani M, Taherpour M, Jesri N, Yazdani M, Arzamani K. Faunistic Composition and Spatial Distribution of Scorpions in North Khorasan Province Northeast of Iran. J Arthropod Borne Dis. 2019;13(4):378-390.