Iuridae Thorell, 1876

Soleglad, Michael E. & Fet, Victor, 2003, High-level systematics and phylogeny of the extant scorpions (Scorpiones: Orthosterni), Euscorpius 2003 (11), pp. 1-175 : 110

Family Iuridae Thorell, 1876

Type Genus. Iurus Thorell, 1876 .

Synonyms.

Calchinae Birula, 1917; type genus Calchas Birula, 1899 .

Composition. The family Iuridae includes two monotypic genera from the Mediterranean region ( Greece and Turkey), Calchas and Iurus . Subfamilies are not recognized in Iuridae . The content of Iuridae is restricted here since the former subfamily Caraboctoninae is elevated to family rank. The subfamily Hadrurinae is transferred to Caraboctonidae , and the genus Anuroctonus is transferred to Chactidae (subfamily Uroctoninae ).

Distribution. Europe ( Greece), Asia ( Turkey).

Taxonomic history. This taxon was first established as a subfamily Iurini in Thorell’s Pandinoidae, and included genera Iurus and Uroctonus (the latter now in Chactidae ). Pocock (1893) first recognized Iuridae as a family but expanded it to include also current Chactidae , Chaerilidae , Euscorpiidae , and Vaejovidae . Kraepelin (1905) treated iurids as a monotypic subfamily under Vaejovidae .

The genus Calchas Birula, 1899 was for a long time included in Chactidae . To accommodate it, Birula (1917a, 1917b) established a special subfamily Calchinae (under Chactidae ). Vachon (1971, 1974) demonstrated that Calchas is very close to Iurus but did not propose taxonomic changes. Francke & Soleglad (1981) reestablished Iuridae as a family, with two subfamilies (Iurinae and Caraboctoninae ); they moved Calchas to Iurinae. Their Caraboctoninae (formerly in Vaejovidae ) included tribe Caraboctonini (genera Caraboctonus and Hadruroides ) and tribe Hadrurini (genus Hadrurus ). Later, Stockwell (1992) reestablished the subfamily Hadrurinae , which included Hadrurus and Anuroctonus as first introduced (under Vaejovidae ) by Stahnke (1974). Sissom & Fet (2000b) listed three subfamilies ( Caraboctoninae , Hadrurinae , and Iurinae) and six genera in Iuridae .

Biogeographic history. Details on a possible relict history of Iurus , which ranges from southern Greece to Anatolia, were given in Vachon (1953) and Kinzelbach (1975). The other, vicariant genus Calchas , also seems to be a relict; an account of its ecology and distribution is found in Birula (1917a, 1917b) and Kinzelbach (1980).

Diagnosis. Synapomorphies. Chelal trichobothrium Eb 1 on ventral surface or ventroexternal carina; chelal trichobothrium it on distal aspect of fixed finger; chelal trichobothria ib and it not adjacent; chelal trichobothrium Et 1 positioned on external surface of palm; presence of additional petite trichobothria on the chela; patellar ventral trichobothrium v 2 found on external surface; presence of additional petite trichobothria on patella. Important Symplesiomorphies. Ventral edge of cheliceral movable finger with one large denticle; ventral surface of leg tarsus with median row of spinule clusters; stigma oval in shape; chelal trichobothrial series db–dt and eb–et found on distal half of finger; patella ventral trichobothrium v 3 found on external surface.

Discussion. See discussion under subfamily Uroctoninae for the reasons for removing Anuroctonus from Iuroidea .