2.1 Study area
Our study was conducted in Khuzestan province, which is the most species-rich region of Iran in terms of scorpion diversity. About 30 species, including the deadliest Iranian scorpions, have been reported from Khuzestan province (Barahoei et al. 2020), and in recent years, about 80% of all the reported sting cases in Iran were from Khuzestan (Dehghani et al. 2018).
Sampling was carried out in an arid plain with sparse vegetation near the city of Haftkel (31° 27’N, 49° 26’E; elevation 150 m a.s.l.) in Khuzestan province, Southwest Iran. The annual precipitation is about 380 mm, the maximum annual mean temperature is 48 °C, and the minimum is -2 °C. The temperature and relative humidity of the study area were measured during the sampling periods using a portable multifunction meter (model: AZ77535). The mean temperature was 19.5, 25.5, and 35 °C, and the mean humidity was 31%, 26%, and 18% in March, April, and May, respectively. The soil texture of the study area was determined to be clay loam and sandy loam. The reason for selecting this area was that it was easily accessible and the scorpion fauna was abundant and diverse.
We collected and identified scorpions in the study area and the areas surrounding it using ultraviolet light to obtain an overall assessment of the scorpion fauna of the region prior to setting the traps. Other animals caught in the pitfall traps were also identified when possible and then released.