BackgroundThe age of lineages has become a fundamental datum in studies exploring the interaction between geological transformation and biotic diversification. However, phylogeographical studies are often biased towards lineages that are younger than the geological features of the landscapes they inhabit. A temporally deeper historical biogeography framework may be required to address episodes of biotic diversification associated with geologically older landscape changes. Signatures of such associations may be retained in the genomes of ecologically specialized (stenotopic) taxa with limited vagility. In the study presented here, genetic data from montane scorpions in the Vaejovis vorhiesi group, restricted to humid rocky habitats in mountains across southwestern North America, were used to explore the relationship between scorpion diversification and regional geological history.ResultsStrong phylogeographical signal was evident within the vorhiesi group, with 27 geographically cohesive lineages inferred from a mitochondrial phylogeny. A time-calibrated multilocus species tree revealed a pattern of Miocene and Pliocene (the Neogene period) lineage diversification. An estimated 21 out of 26 cladogenetic events probably occurred prior to the onset of the Pleistocene, 2.6 million years ago. The best-fit density-dependent model suggested diversification rate in the vorhiesi group gradually decreased through time.ConclusionsScorpions of the vorhiesi group have had a long history in the highlands of southwestern North America. Diversification among these stenotopic scorpions appears to have occurred almost entirely within the Neogene period, and is temporally consistent with the dynamic geological history of the Basin and Range, and Colorado Plateau physiographical provinces. The persistence of separate lineages at small spatial scales suggests that a combination of ecological stenotopy and limited vagility may make these scorpions particularly valuable indicators of geomorphological evolution.

Aim  To test how Pleistocene climatic changes affected diversification of the Crotalus intermedius species complex. Location  Highlands of Mexico and the south‐western United States (Arizona). Methods  We synthesize the matrilineal genealogy based on 2406 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA sequences, fossil‐calibrated molecular dating, reconstruction of ancestral geographic ranges, and climate‐based modelling of species distributions to evaluate the history of female dispersion. Results  The presently fragmented distribution of the C. intermedius group is the result of both Neogene vicariance and Pleistocene pine–oak habitat fragmentation. Most lineages appear to have a Quaternary origin. The Sierra Madre del Sur and northern Sierra Madre Oriental are likely to have been colonized during this time. Species distribution models for the Last Glacial Maximum predict expansions of suitable habitat for taxa in the southern Sierra Madre Occidental and northern Sierra Madre Oriental. Main conclusions  Lineage diversification in the C. intermedius group is a consequence of Pleistocene climate cycling. Distribution models for two sister taxa in the northern and southern Sierra Madre Occidental and northern Sierra Madre Oriental during the Last Glacial Maximum provide evidence for the expansion of pine–oak habitat across the Central Mexican Plateau. Downward displacement and subsequent expansions of highland vegetation across Mexico during cooler glacial cycles may have allowed dispersal between highlands, which resulted in contact between previously isolated taxa and the colonization of new habitats.

Euscorpius is the first research publication completely devoted to scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Euscorpius takes advantage of the rapidly evolving medium of quick online publication, at the same time maintaining high research standards for the burgeoning field of scorpion science (scorpiology). Euscorpius is an expedient and viable medium for the publication of serious papers in scorpiology, including (but not limited to): systematics, evolution, ecology, biogeography, and general biology of scorpions. Review papers, descriptions of new taxa, faunistic surveys, lists of museum collections, and book reviews are welcome. Derivatio Nominis The name Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 refers to the most common genus of scorpions in the Mediterranean region and southern Europe (family Euscorpiidae).

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