Somalilandsun: In the years 2011–2019, a number of zoological expeditions to the Horn of Africa to study scorpions at 62 localities in Somaliland were undertaken.
The study found that the genus Hottentotta is one of the most widely distributed genera within the family Buthidae. In its current scope, the genus ranges across much of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and extends into the Oriental Region, reaching Pakistan and India.
The species H. polystictus was found to be relatively common in Somaliland. It was recorded from 18 of 58 sampled localities covering a variety of habitats making it the most frequently collected scorpion in Somaliland.
However during recent excursions, other populations of Hottentotta, similar in morphology to H.polystictus, but with allopatric areas of distribution were discovered
This comes in the heels of the discovery of three species of Buthus –Scorpions thus making Somaliland a venue of interest to zoologists
These were described @crawlycreepy as two new species of scorpion found in Somaliland in a report titled Scorpions of the Horn of Africa
Two new species, Hottentotta haudensis sp. n. and H. nigrimontanus sp. n. from the Somaliland, are described, compared with H. polystictus, and fully illustrated with color photos showing their morphology, habitus and collection areas. H. haudensis sp. n. is the smallest known species of the genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908, while H. nigrimontanus sp. n. is larger than H. polystictus. HERE
