Me in the Rain forest of Guinea Bissau
with Pandinus gambiensis.

I'm a zoologist specialised in arthropod systematics. My specialisation is on scorpions, but I know also on sea spiders and decapoda crustaceans. I'm collaborating with the Department of

Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena and the Scorpion Systematic Research Group of the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York.

Education__________

2006 Ph.D. Evolutionary Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena, Italy.
2003 M.Sc. Evolutionary Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena, Italy.
2002 M.Sc. Zoology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena, Italy.
2001 B.Sc. Zoology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena, Italy.

Grants & Awards__________

2007 Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) borsa di studio, University Greisfwald (Germania). 2005 Synthesys Project (European Union-Funded Integrated Infrastructure Initiative grant), borsa di studio, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris (Francia).

2005 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund, borsa di studio, American Museum of Natural History, New York (USA).

2004 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund, borsa di studio, American Museum of Natural History, New York (USA).

2003 Best student poster, 64th Congresso, Unione Zoologica Italiana, Varese.

Research Interests__________

-Morphological, molecular systematics and zoogeography of invertebrates, in particular of arachnids (Scorpiones), crustaceans (Decapoda) and sea spiders (Pycnogonida).

-Ultrastructural aspects of spermatozoa and spermatogenesis in scorpions.

Publications__________

Scientific publications:

VIGNOLI, V. & PRENDINI, L. (submitted) - A new species of Akentrobuthus Lamoral, 1976 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Republic of Benin (Western Africa). Journal of Afrotropical Zoology.

VIGNOLI, V. & PRENDINI, L. (submitted) - Systematic revision of the troglomorphic scorpion subfamily Typhlochactinae (Chactoidea: Superstitioniidae). American Museum Novitates.

VIGNOLI, V., SALOMONE, N., CICCONARDI, F. & BERNINI, F., 2007 - The Scorpion of Montecristo. Euscorpius oglasae Di Caporiacco, 1950, stat. nov. (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae): a paleo-endemism of the Tuscan Archipelago (northern Tyrrhenian, Italy). Comptes Rendus Biologies 330: 113-125.

SALOMONE, N., VIGNOLI, V., FRATI, F. & BERNINI, F., 2007 - Species boundaries and phylogeogeography of the “Euscorpius carpathicus complex” (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) in Italy. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43: 502-514.

VIGNOLI, V., SALOMONE, N. & BERNINI, F., (submitted) - The scorpion genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae). Zootaxa.

VIGNOLI, V., MAGARI, V., & BERNINI, F., 2006 - Preliminary study on the pycnogonids (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) associated to photophilous algae from the “Costa d’ Argento” (southern Tuscany). Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana 138: 3-8.

VIGNOLI, V., SALOMONE, N., CARUSO, T. & BERNINI, F., 2005 - The Euscorpius tergestinus (C. L. Koch, 1837) complex in Italy: biometrics of sympatric hidden species (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Zoologischer Anzeiger 244: 97-113.

VIGNOLI, V. & CRUCITTI, P., 2005 - Notes on the scorpion diversity (Arachnida, Scorpiones) of the Yazd province (central Iran). Acta Musei Moraviae Biologicae 90: 1-11.

VIGNOLI, V., 2005 - Description of a new species of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from southern Iran. Zoology in the Middle East 34: 5-10.

VIGNOLI, V., CARUSO, T. & FALCIAI, L., 2004 - Crustacea Decapoda Brachyura of Monte Argentario (Mediterranean Sea, central Thyrrenian). Crustaceana 77(2): 177-186.

CRUCITTI, P. & VIGNOLI, V., 2003 - Ricerche bio-ecologiche su Mesobuthus eupeus del Monte Damavand (Iran settentrionale) (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Bollettino Associazione Romana di Entomologia 5(1-4): 15-25.

VIGNOLI, V., KOVAŘÍK, F. & CRUCITTI, P., 2003 - Scorpiofauna of Kashan (Esfahan Province, Iran) (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Euscorpius. N°9: 7pp.

VIGNOLI, V. & KOVAŘÍK, F., 2003 - A new troglobitic scorpion of the genus Taurepania González-Sponga from Venezuela (Scorpiones; Chactidae). Revista Iberica de Arachnologia 7: 127-131.

VIGNOLI, V. & CRUCITTI, P., 2003 - Aggiornamento alla checklist delle specie della fauna italiana Fascicolo 21 - Arachnida, Scorpiones, Palpigradi, Solifugae, Opiliones. Bollettino della Società entomologica italiana, 134(3): 279-288.

CRUCITTI, P. & VIGNOLI, V., 2003 - Gli scorpioni (Scorpiones) dell’Anatolia sud-orientale (Turchia). Bollettino del Museo Regionale di Scienze naturali, Torino 19(2): 433-474.

FET, V., SOLEGLAD, M. E., GANTENBEIN, B., VIGNOLI, V., SALOMONE, N., FET, E. V. & P. J. SCHEMBRI, 2003 - New data on the “Euscorpius carpathicus” species complex (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) from Italy, Malta, and Greece: evidence from mitochondrial DNA and morphology. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 110(2): 355-379.

Cover Zoologischer Anzeiger 2-2005

Other publications:

VIGNOLI, V., 2006 - On the traces of Di Caporiacco’s scorpion studies. A complete review with taxonomic re-arrangements of the genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae)). Università degli Studi di Siena, Ph.D. thesis. 124 p.

VIGNOLI, V., 2005 - Breve rassegna sul genere Maja Lamarck, 1814 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Majidae). Bollettino Associazione Italiana Acquario Mediterraneo (AIAM), N°2.

VIGNOLI, V., 2003 - Il genere Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). pp. 181-182 in: L’ambiente della Toscana nelle tesi di laurea in Scienze Naturali. M. Kukavic & E. Pranzino (Eds.); Università degli Studi di Firenze, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Università degli Studi di Siena. 189 p.

VIGNOLI, V., 2002 - Il genere Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Università degli Studi di Siena, B.Sc. thesis.110 p.

Books:

VIGNOLI, V. & FALCIAI, L. 2007 - I crostacei della Costa d’Argento (Crustacea: Decapoda, Stomatopoda). Riconoscimento, biologia e curiosità delle specie più comuni della Toscana meridionale. BRS Edizioni, Siena, 169 pp.

Field expeditions__________

-05.2006 Expedition to Costa Rica on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

-07.2005 Expedition to Senegal and Guinea Bissau (western Africa) on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

-06.2005 Expedition to Benin (western Africa) on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

-08.2004 Expedition to southern Morocco on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

-04.2004 Participation of the zoological expedition of Società Romana di Scienze Naturali in central Iran.

-08. 2003 Tour of Greece, zoological trip from Igoumenitsa to Patra; Athens to Samos, Chios, Lesvos; Kavala and Drama.

-08.2000 Participation of the zoological expedition of Società Romana di Scienze Naturali in Iran.

-07.2000 Participation of the zoological expedition of Società Romana di Scienze Naturali in Turkey (Kurdistan).

-08. 1999 Central Morocco, zoological trip from Marrakesh to Zagora with local transports.09.

-0.8.1996 Tour of Tunisia, zoological trip from north to south with local transports.

Posters & Conferences__________

2006

VIGNOLI, V., SALOMONE, N., CICCONARDI, N. & BERNINI, F. - Euscorpius carpathicus oglasae Di Caporiacco, 1950 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae): an interesting scorpion endemism from Montecristo Island (central Tyrrhenian, Italy). 23nd European Colloquium of Arachnology, 4-8 September, Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. (oral presentation & poster)

VIGNOLI V., KLANN, A. E., TALARICO, G. & MICHALIK, P. - Ultrastructure of spermatozoa and sperm packages of the European troglophylous scorpion Belisarius xambeui Simon, 1879 (Troglotayosicidae, Scorpiones). 23nd European Colloquium of Arachnology, 4-8 September, Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. (poster)

VIGNOLI, V., TCHIBOZO, S. & PRENDINI, L. - First survey of scorpion diversity in the Republic of Benin (Western Africa). 23nd European Colloquium of Arachnology, 4-8 September, Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. (poster)

KLANN, A. E., VIGNOLI V., PERETTI, A., CARRERA, P., MICHALIK, P., TALARICO, G. & ALBERTI, G. - Spermatozoa of scorpions (Arachnida, Scorpiones) and their phylogenetic implications. 23nd European Colloquium of Arachnology, 4-8 September, Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. (poster)

SALOMONE, N, VIGNOLI, V. & BERNINI, F. - Biodiversity on Montecristo Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy): mitochondrial and nuclear data reveal cryptic species within the Euscorpius carpathicus complex (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae). 23nd European Colloquium of Arachnology, 4-8 September, Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. (poster)

SALOMONE, N, VIGNOLI, V. & BERNINI, F. - Phylogeography of the “Euscorpius carpathicus group” (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae) across the western Mediterranean Sea. Second Meeting of Italian Evolutionary Biologists, Florence, Italy, September, 4-7. (poster)

2005

VIGNOLI V. & PRENDINI L. - The genus Butheoloides Hirst, 1925 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) in Morocco with first record from the Anti-Atlas region. 22nd European Colloquium of Arachnology, 1-6 August, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. (poster)

SALOMONE N., VIGNOLI V. & BERNINI, F. - Assessing species boundaries in the “Euscorpius carpathicus” complex (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae). 22nd European Colloquium of Arachnology, 1-6 August, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. (poster)

VIGNOLI V. & PRENDINI L. - Systematic revision of the family Superstitioniidae Stahnke, 1940 (Arachnida: Scorpiones). 22nd European Colloquium of Arachnology, 1-6 August, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. (oral presentation & poster)


2004

MAGARI V., VIGNOLI V. & BERNINI F. - Studio preliminare sui picnogonidi (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) associati ad alghe fotofile della Costa d’Argento (Toscana meridionale). Congresso Nazionale Società Italiana di Ecologia, Siena, Ottobre 2004. (poster)

SALOMONE N., VIGNOLI V., FRATI F., & BERNINI F. - Phylogenetic relationships between the sibling species Euscorpius tergestinus and E. sicanus (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae) as inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data. 16nd International Congress of Arachnology Gent, Belgium, 2 – 7 August 2004. (poster)

VIGNOLI V., SALOMONE N., CARUSO T.& BERNINI F. - The Euscorpius tergestinus (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) complex in Italy: biometrics on sympatric cryptic species. 16th International Congress of Arachnology Gent, Belgium, 2 – 7 August 2004. (poster)


2003

SALOMONE N., VIGNOLI V. & F. BERNINI - Euscorpius carpathicus in Italia: un complesso di specie criptiche? Atti del 64th Congresso Nazionale Unione Zoologica Italiana, 21-25 Settembre 2003. (poster & oral presentation)


2002

FET V., SOLEGLAD M. E., GANTENBEIN B., VIGNOLI V., SALOMONE N., FET E. V. and P. J. SCHEMBRI - New data on the “Euscorpius carpathicus” species complex (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) from Italy, Malta, and Greece: evidence from mitochondrial DNA and morphology. Abstracts, 26th Annual Meeting of the American Arachnological Society, Riverside, CA, July 25-29, 2002. (poster)

SALOMONE N., VIGNOLI V., FET V. & F. BERNINI - Il genere Euscorpius Thorell 1876 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiinae) in Italia: un approccio molecolare. Atti del 63th Congresso Nazionale Unione Zoologica Italiana, 22-26 Settembre 2002. (poster & oral presentation)

VIGNOLI V. - “Ecologia degli scorpioni dell’Anatolia sud-orientale”. Conference room of the Società Romana di Scienze Naturali, Roma, 19.01.2002. (oral presentation)

1999

VIGNOLI V. - “Sistematica e biogeografia degli scorpioni e Solifugi della Turchia”. Conference room of the Società Romana di Scienze Naturali, Roma, 23.01.2000. (oral presentation)

Professional societies__________

-Unione Zoologica Italiana (UZI);

-Società Romana di Scienze Naturali (SRSN);

-International Society of Arachnology (ISA);

-American Arachnological Society (AAS);

-European Society of Arachnology (ESA).