Van den Neucker, T.,  Deneve, S.,  Soors, J.,  Smitz, N.,  Jocqué, R. & Henrard, A. 2025. ‘First records of Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) from Meise Botanic Garden (Belgium), with morphological and molecular data’. North-Western Journal of Zoology 21(2): 103–109. ISSN: Print: 1584-9074 / Online: 1843-5629. URL: https://biozoojournals.ro/nwjz/content/v21n2.html  I.F. 0.7.

Article in a scientific Journal / Article in a Journal

Several females and immature specimens of the short-tailed whipscorpion Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) were collected in the “anthropogenic biome” glasshouse at the Meise Botanic Garden, constituting the first records of the species in Belgium. Specimens were identified based on both morphological and molecular characters. This facultatively parthenogenetic arachnid was described from Puerto Rico but is apparently very adaptable and easily spread, as it is now known from many South and North American countries in the wild, and from several European countries where it is mainly found in glasshouses. The risk of S. portoricensis becoming permanently established and its potential invasiveness are discussed.