Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always ending with a stinger. The evolutionary history of scorpions goes back 435 million years. They mainly live in deserts but have adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions, and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. There are over 2,500 described species, with 22 extant (living) families recognized to date. Their taxonomy is being revised to account for 21st-century genomic studies.
The subphylum Chelicerata constitutes one of the major subdivisions of the phylum Arthropoda. Chelicerates include the sea spiders, horseshoe crabs, and arachnids, as well as a number of extinct lineages, such as the eurypterids and chasmataspidids.
Pseudoscorpions, also known as false scorpions or book scorpions, are small, scorpion-like arachnids belonging to the order Pseudoscorpiones, also known as Pseudoscorpionida or Chelonethida.
Plumage is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can be different colour morphs. The placement of feathers on a bird is not haphazard but rather emerges in organized, overlapping rows and groups, and these feather tracts are known by standardized names.
The emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator, is a species of scorpion native to rainforests and savannas in West Africa. It is one of the largest scorpions in the world and lives for 6–8 years. Its body is black, but like other scorpions it glows pastel green or blue under ultraviolet light. It is a popular species in the pet trade, and is protected by CITES to prevent over-collecting that might affect the species' survival.
The deathstalker is a species of scorpion, a member of the family Buthidae. It is also known as the Palestine yellow scorpion, Omdurman scorpion, and Naqab desert scorpion, as well as by many other colloquial names, which generally originate from the commercial captive trade of the animal. To eliminate confusion, especially important with potentially dangerous species, the scientific name is normally used to refer to them. The name Leiurus quinquestriatus roughly translates into English as "five-striped smooth-tail". In 2014, the subspecies L. q. hebraeus was separated from it and elevated to its own species Leiurus hebraeus. Other species of the genus Leiurus are also often referred to as "deathstalkers". Leiurus quinquestriatus is yellow, and 30–77 millimetres (1.2–3.0 in) long, with an average of 58 mm (2.3 in).
The Buthidae are the largest family of scorpions, containing about 100 genera and 1339 species as of 2022. A few very large genera are known, but a high number of species-poor or monotypic ones also exist. New taxa are being described at a rate of several new species per year. They have a cosmopolitan distribution throughout tropical and subtropical environments worldwide. Together with four other families, the Buthidae make up the superfamily Buthoidea. The family was established by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1837.
Superstitionia donensis is a species of scorpion, the only species in the genus Superstitionia and the family Superstitioniidae.
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos.
Ananteris balzanii is a scorpion species found in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. It is the type species of the Ananteris genus. The species will autotomize its Metasoma when threatened, and doing so decreases their ability to successfully subdue prey.
Ananteris nairae is a scorpion species found in Brazilian Amazonia. The species has the most western distribution of the species in Ananteris. The specific epithet refers to Nair Otaviano Aguiar.
Neobuthus amoudensis is a species of scorpion from the family Buthidae found in Somaliland and Ethiopia. It is named in honor of the Amoud University.
Wilson R. Lourenço is a French-Brazilian arachnologist specializing in scorpions.
Tityus asthenes is a significantly venomous scorpion endemic to South America. Sometimes it is known as Peruvian black scorpion.
Afrolychas braueri, commonly known as the Seychelles forest scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae. It is currently thought to survive only on Silhouette Island, Seychelles, although the species was historically found on two additional Seychellois islands. This scorpion lives in leaf litter in forests that are largely unaffected by invasive plant species. It is a small yellowish-brown scorpion with three prominent keels on the dorsal surface of its mesosoma, which distinguishes it from other scorpions. While not much is known about the Seychelles forest scorpion's ecology due to the paucity of sightings, it is known to rely solely on its venom to capture its prey and defend its young. Its venom is not dangerous to humans.
Wernerius inyoensis is a species of scorpion in the taxomic family Vaejovidae. W. inyoensis is the third species described in the genus Wernerius. Wernerius inyoensis lives throughout the Inyo Mountains of Death Valley National Park in the southwestern North America, eastern California just like many scorpion species discovered around the year 2009.
Australobuthus is a monotypic genus of scorpions in the Buthidae family. Its sole species is Australobuthus xerolimniorum, also known as the salt lake scorpion. It is endemic to Australia and was first described by Nicholas Locket in 1990.
Aops is a monotypic genus of scorpions in the Urodacidae family. Its sole species is the troglobitic Aops oncodactylus, which is endemic to Australia. It was first described in 2008 by Erich Volschenk and Lorenzo Prendini.
Ananteris chagasi is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae. It was first described in a 2009 paper along with the species Ananteris kuryi and Ananteris bernabei. It is endemic to Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Ananteris kuryi is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae. It was first described in a 2009 paper along with the species Ananteris chagasi and Ananteris bernabei. It is endemic to Bahia, Brazil.
