Phylogeographic patterns of B uthus scorpions ( S corpiones: B uthidae) in the M aghreb and S outh‐ W estern E urope based on CO1 mtDNA sequences

Abstract The genus B uthus is a medium diverse scorpion genus, with 35 species distributed from P ortugal and M orocco ranging eastward to Y emen in the A rabic P eninsula. The bulk of the genus' known species diversity occurs in the W estern M editerranean area. A recent molecular study started to elucidate the patterns of diversity of this genus in the I berian P eninsula and the M aghreb. Since then, the taxonomy of the genus has changed substantially, with several new species having been described, and with the elevation of former subspecies to species‐level. In this study, we assessed the patterns of diversity of B uthus scorpions from across the Maghreb region of N orth A frica using CO1 DNA sequence data. Based on our dataset of 147 sequences, including 67 new sequences, we recovered four well‐supported deep clades within B uthus scorpions from the M aghreb and S outhern E urope. This further strengthens the support for cryptic diversity in the M aghreb region. The broader sampling of the M aghreb permitted a better understanding of the phylogeographic structure in this area. Three clades were restricted to M orocco and appear to have originated at the A tlantic C oast of this country, while the fourth was found throughout the region. We propose a model with two colonizing events to explain the distribution patterns across the S trait of G ibraltar, with an initial colonization from N orth A frica to I beria followed by a reinvasion of the R if M ountains region in M orocco.