الفهرس 
Introduction
Aims of the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
Abstract
English Summary
The New Valley Governorate or El Wadi El Gedid Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is in the southwestern part of the country, in Egypt’s Western Desert (part of the Sahara Desert), between the Nile, northern Sudan, and southeastern Libya. The governorate consists of roughly half of Egypt’s area, this spacious governorate is the country’s largest and most sparsely populated, and one of the biggest subnational divisions on the African continent, as well as the world, about 440,098 square kilometers in area. The capital is at the Kharga Oasis. To the best of the present authors’ knowledge, studies conducted on biodiversity on this governorate are very scarce despite its large area and the area still virgin in this respect.
So, the present work is the first step to fulfill this gap. It was designed to survey scorpions inhabiting the New Valley governorate, as well as to make some morphometric measurements and morphological studies on the recorded species and to design a key for the recorded species. To achieve the aims of the study, random samples were collected during the period from April to July 2017 and from July to September 2019. The study revealed the presence of four scorpion species belonging to the family Buthidae namely: Leiurus quinquestriatus, Androctonus amoreuxi, Orthochirus innesi and Buthacus leptochelys. The study provides a key for the identification of the species and some morphometric measurements.
The morphometric measurements included: Carapace length, Mesosoma length, Metasoma length, Telson length, Aculeus length, Vesicle length, Pedipalp femur length, Pedipalp patella length, Pedipalp chela length and total body length. The study revealed significant differences between the recorded four species. It also revealed significant differences between males and females of each species.
The study also included morphological characteristics of these species using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed differences among the studied scorpions in the dorsal carapace, respiratory pores of the third segment of mesosoma, pectinal teeth count between females and males, last segment of metasoma and telson. In all scorpions’ species studied, one venom pore was detected except in Buthacus leptochelys two venom pores in telson were observed.
Also, the study aimed to provide morphologically authenticated DNA barcodes for the recorded scorpion species and to identify telson components of the recorded scorpion’s species. the four scorpion species were subjected to study DNA barcoding through mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene hypervariable 5´ region amplification by PCR, sequencing, and comparison to GenBank database was done. The analyzed barcodes showed high similarity with some of their counterparts. The findings of the current study strongly recommend continuous and comprehensive research efforts dealing with morphogenetic authentication for different species of scorpions.
The present study also aimed to identify telson components of four scorpion species. The analysis of scorpion telson gave a complex mixture of mucopolysaccharides, neurotoxic peptides and other components. The present study indicated that the recorded amino acids could be divided into essential and nonessential. Fatty acids could be divided into fatty acid and fatty acid ester. Also, neurotoxic compounds could be recorded in the studied species. The four species of scorpions included: Leiurus quinquestriatus which has 14 amino acids, 15 fatty acids and 17 neurotoxic compounds. Androctonus amoreuxi has 8 amino acids, 13 fatty acids and 4 neurotoxic compounds. Orthochirus innesi; 10 amino acids, 16 fatty acids and 6 neurotoxic compounds were recorded. In Buthacus leptochelys; 6 amino acids, 19 fatty acids and 5 neurotoxic compounds were recorded. Amino acids, fatty acids and neurotoxic compounds recorded differences among the four studied species.
English Summary
The New Valley Governorate or El Wadi El Gedid Governorate is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is in the southwestern part of the country, in Egypt’s Western Desert (part of the Sahara Desert), between the Nile, northern Sudan, and southeastern Libya. The governorate consists of roughly half of Egypt’s area, this spacious governorate is the country’s largest and most sparsely populated, and one of the biggest subnational divisions on the African continent, as well as the world, about 440,098 square kilometers in area. The capital is at the Kharga Oasis. To the best of the present authors’ knowledge, studies conducted on biodiversity on this governorate are very scarce despite its large area and the area still virgin in this respect.
So, the present work is the first step to fulfill this gap. It was designed to survey scorpions inhabiting the New Valley governorate, as well as to make some morphometric measurements and morphological studies on the recorded species and to design a key for the recorded species. To achieve the aims of the study, random samples were collected during the period from April to July 2017 and from July to September 2019. The study revealed the presence of four scorpion species belonging to the family Buthidae namely: Leiurus quinquestriatus, Androctonus amoreuxi, Orthochirus innesi and Buthacus leptochelys. The study provides a key for the identification of the species and some morphometric measurements.
The morphometric measurements included: Carapace length, Mesosoma length, Metasoma length, Telson length, Aculeus length, Vesicle length, Pedipalp femur length, Pedipalp patella length, Pedipalp chela length and total body length. The study revealed significant differences between the recorded four species. It also revealed significant differences between males and females of each species.
The study also included morphological characteristics of these species using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed differences among the studied scorpions in the dorsal carapace, respiratory pores of the third segment of mesosoma, pectinal teeth count between females and males, last segment of metasoma and telson. In all scorpions’ species studied, one venom pore was detected except in Buthacus leptochelys two venom pores in telson were observed.
Also, the study aimed to provide morphologically authenticated DNA barcodes for the recorded scorpion species and to identify telson components of the recorded scorpion’s species. the four scorpion species were subjected to study DNA barcoding through mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene hypervariable 5´ region amplification by PCR, sequencing, and comparison to GenBank database was done. The analyzed barcodes showed high similarity with some of their counterparts. The findings of the current study strongly recommend continuous and comprehensive research efforts dealing with morphogenetic authentication for different species of scorpions.
The present study also aimed to identify telson components of four scorpion species. The analysis of scorpion telson gave a complex mixture of mucopolysaccharides, neurotoxic peptides and other components. The present study indicated that the recorded amino acids could be divided into essential and nonessential. Fatty acids could be divided into fatty acid and fatty acid ester. Also, neurotoxic compounds could be recorded in the studied species. The four species of scorpions included: Leiurus quinquestriatus which has 14 amino acids, 15 fatty acids and 17 neurotoxic compounds. Androctonus amoreuxi has 8 amino acids, 13 fatty acids and 4 neurotoxic compounds. Orthochirus innesi; 10 amino acids, 16 fatty acids and 6 neurotoxic compounds were recorded. In Buthacus leptochelys; 6 amino acids, 19 fatty acids and 5 neurotoxic compounds were recorded. Amino acids, fatty acids and neurotoxic compounds recorded differences among the four studied species.