Franckeus Soleglad et Fet, 2005

Soleglad, Michael E. & Fet, Victor, 2008, Contributions to scorpion systematics. III. Subfamilies Smeringurinae and Syntropinae (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Euscorpius 71 (71), pp. 1-115 : 97-98

Genus Franckeus Soleglad et Fet, 2005

Type Species. Vaejovis nitidulus C. L. Koch, 1843 [= Franckeus nitidulus (C. L. Koch, 1843) ].

References:

Franckeus : Soleglad & Fet, 2005: 1–9, figs. 2–3, 5,

9–19; Soleglad et al., 2007: 134.

Composition. The genus includes the following six species:

F. kochi (Sissom, 1991)

F. minckleyi (Williams, 1968)

F. nitidulus (C. L. Koch, 1843)

F. peninsularis (Williams, 1980)

F. platnicki (Sissom, 1991)

F. rubrimanus (Sissom, 1991)

Distribution. Mexico (Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Distrito Federal, Hidalgo, Mexico, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí).

The range of genus Franckeus exhibits several disjunct parts (see map in Fig. 205 ), the most conspicuously isolated is F. peninsularis occurring in the northern half of Baja California Sur. The most northern species in mainland Mexico are F. minckleyi in Coahuila, F. rubrimanus in Nuevo León, and F. platnicki in San Luis Potosí. Species F. nitidulus and F. kochi form the largest disjunct part of the range, occurring in southern states of Mexico and Hidalgo. Except for F. peninsularis in Baja California Sur, Franckeus species distribution in general follows the range of the Vaejovis “nigrescens ” group.

Taxonomic history. The genus Franckeus was recently established by Soleglad & Fet (2005). Scorpions of this genus were previously part of the informal “nitidulus ” group of Vaejovis , established by Sissom & Francke (1985); see Sissom (2000: 544–547). The remaining species of this group have been placed by Soleglad & Fet (2005) in the informal “nigrescens ” group of Vaejovis , closely related to Franckeus .

Figures

Figure 205: General distribution of scorpion subfamily Vaejovinae in North America with the ranges of genera Franckeus and Vaejovis “nigrescens” group delineated.