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Top1. Introduction
Scorpions are invertebrates of the phylum Arthropoda and class Arachnida, which also includes spiders, opilions, mites, solifuge, pseudoscorpions among others. All species of scorpions have the ability to inoculate venom with the tail stinger, and some of them even with the possibility of killing a human. For this reason, due to the high dangerousness, scorpions have been studied for a long time and is still a major subject of interest for health care (Abushama 1964; Ahmadi et al. 2020; Gaffin et al. 2012; Gopalakrishnakone et al. 2015; Kladt et al. 2007; Petricevich 2010).
Scorpions are nocturnal animals with negative phototropism. They can be found sheltered during the day, in natural environments, under rocks or inside holes, although some species can also be domiciliary, which remain hidden in the daytime and roam at night. Usually, the scorpion bites happen accidentally, which is due to the ignorance of the presence of these arachnids.
These arachnids inhabit all continents except Antarctica, living in a wide variety of environments, preferably in warm areas. Some of the dangerous species worldwide belong to the Buthidae family, which with 95 genera and 1259 species, it is the largest of the scorpion families (Rein 2021). This family is widespread around the world and many of their genera are dangerous for humans. In South America the genus Tityus has some species that can cause death (Borges 2013; Kaltsas et al. 2008; Mullen and Sissom 2018).
Argentina has about 60 species of scorpions belonging to two families, the Bothriuridae with the largest number of genera (Bothriurus, Timogenes, Brachistosternus, Orobothriurus, Vachonia, Phoniocercus and Mauryius), and the Buthidae family with three genera (Tityus, Zabius and Ananteris) (de Roodt et al. 2019; Ojanguren Affilastro 2005). Only one genus (Tityus) is considered of sanitary importance, since they cause accidents every year, and some can be fatal, especially in children and elderly. This genus has several highly dangerous species, such as Tityus confluence, Tityus serrulatus¸ Tityus bahiensis and Tityus carrilloi (known until now as Tityus trivittatus) (Affilastro et al. 2021). Other species of this genus can cause great pain with their bites, although they do not register fatal accidents.
Specifically, two species of Tityus (Tityus confluence and Tityus carrilloi) and one species of Bothriurus (Bothriurus bonariensis) coexist in La Plata city (Argentina) (L. A. Giambelluca et al. 2021). The two species of Tityus are of sanitary importance whereas Bothriurus bonariensis is not dangerous for humans. These different species of scorpions can not only increase their population but can also conquer new areas. In recent years, the number of consultations made at the CEPAVE Arachnology Laboratory (CONICET-UNLP- Assoc. CICPBA) in La Plata city have increased substantially, which is due to the increase in the appearance of scorpions in different areas of this city. The query species are mainly Bothriurus bonariensis and Tityus carrilloi (L. Giambelluca et al. 2018).
Figure 1 shows pictures of two species of scorpions: Tityus and Bothriurus. Although both arachnids have many similarities, they also have some differences, especially concerning their morphology, in the shape of their tails and pedipalp. The difference in dangerousness between these species makes it necessary to identify them correctly, in order to avoid determination errors in case of accidents, and thus proceed according to the dangerousness of the scorpion. In the event that a person has been bitten by a species dangerous to humans, early, fast and accurate detection and identification of the different types of scorpions, by people unrelated to the subject, can help save lives.