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.
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms The Office (2001–2003), Extras (2005–2007), and Life's Too Short (2011–2013) with Stephen Merchant. He also created, wrote and starred in Derek (2012–2014) and After Life (2019–2022).
Gervais's beaked whale, sometimes known as the Antillean beaked whale, Gulf Stream beaked whale, or European beaked whale is the most frequently stranding type of mesoplodont whale off the coast of North America. It has also stranded off South America and Africa.
Reginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. was a British zoologist.
Paul Gervais full name François Louis Paul Gervais was a French palaeontologist and entomologist.
The Valvatida are an order of starfish in the class Asteroidea, which contains 695 species in 172 genera in 17 families.
Squalodon is an extinct genus of whales of the Oligocene and Miocene epochs, belonging to the family Squalodontidae. Named by Jean-Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup in 1840, it was originally believed to be an iguanodontid dinosaur but has since been reclassified. The name Squalodon comes from Squalus, a genus of shark. As a result, its name means "shark tooth". Its closest modern relative is the South Asian river dolphin.
Opistophthalmus is a genus of scorpions known commonly as burrowing scorpions, tricolored scorpions, serkets, or hissing scorpions. They are found predominantly in southern Africa. They are known for making deep and elaborate burrows.
The Javan mongoose is a mongoose species native to Southeast Asia.
Centruroides is a genus of scorpions of the family Buthidae. Several North American species are known by the common vernacular name bark scorpion. Numerous species are extensively found throughout the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Antilles and northern South America. Some are known for their interesting patterning or large size ; most if not all fluoresce strongly under ultraviolet illumination, except after moulting. They contain several highly venomous species, and fatalities are known to occur. The venom of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides limpidus limpidus contains the neurotoxins Cll1 and Cll2.
Tityus is a large genus of thick-tailed scorpions, the namesake of its subfamily Tityinae. As of 2021, Tityus contains more than 220 described species distributed in Central America and South America, from Costa Rica to Argentina. Species in the genus Tityus have been studied for hundreds of years, long before the taxonomic classification was put in place. Tityus tend to be of medium size for scorpions, roughly 50 to 70 millimeters long. They are dark brown or red in color, and can exhibit sexual dimorphism. They can live in a variety of environments, ranging from urban to arid mountains to the Amazon Rainforest. Tityus scorpions are best known for their venom and potent sting. The genus contains several dangerously venomous scorpions, the best known of which is the Brazilian yellow scorpion, T. serrulatus. Its venom can cause severe illness, and in the young, old and infirm even death. Some experts have argued that the genus as a whole may be paraphyletic, which could explain the knowledge gaps related to Tityus.
Pandinus is a genus of large scorpions belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It contains one of the most popular pet scorpions, the emperor scorpion . The genus is distributed across tropical Africa.
The Bothriuridae are a family of scorpions, comprising 151 species in 16 genera.
Brachistosternus is a scorpion genus in the Bothriuridae family. B. ehrenbergii is the most cited species in the genus. The genus is distributed in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru.
B. ehrenbergii may refer to:
Bothriurus is a genus of Neotropical scorpions in the family Bothriuridae. They occur in many different habitats in South America, including deserts, steppes, savannas and forests.
Lychas is a genus of scorpions belonging to the family Buthidae. It is one of the most widespread genus of the scorpions, where the species are found throughout in Africa and Seychelles, and in the Oriental region from India to Melanesia.
Cercophonius is a genus of six species of Australian scorpions, often termed wood scorpions, in the family Bothriuridae.
Cercophonius queenslandae is a species of scorpion in the Bothriuridae family. It is native to Australia, where it occurs in eastern Queensland. It was first described in 1990 by Luis Acosta.
Hormurus waigiensis, also known as the Australian rainforest scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the Hormuridae family. It is native to Australia and New Guinea. It was first described in 1844 by French paleontologist and zoologist Paul Gervais.
