| Cercophonius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cercophonius squama | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Scorpiones |
| Family: | Bothriuridae |
| Genus: | Cercophonius Peters, 1861 |
Cercophonius is a genus of six species of Australian scorpions, often termed wood scorpions, in the family Bothriuridae. [1]
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.
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 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.
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.
Cercophonius squama, commonly known as the forest scorpion or wood scorpion, is a scorpion native to south-eastern Australia. It is typically around 25–40 mm (0.98–1.57 in) long. Its colour consists of different shades of brown.
The taxonomy of scorpions deals with the classification of this predatory arthropod into 13 extant families and about 1,400 described species and subspecies. In addition, 111 described taxa of extinct scorpions are known.
Karl Matthias Friedrich Magnus Kraepelin was a German naturalist who specialised in the study of scorpions, centipedes, spiders and solfugids, and was noted for his monograph Scorpiones und Pedipalpi (Berlin) in 1899, which was an exhaustive survey of the taxonomy of the Order Scorpiones. From 1889 to 1914, he served as the Director of the Naturhistorisches Museum Hamburg, which was destroyed during World War II, and worked on myriapods from 1901 to 1916.
The Bothriuridae are a family of scorpions, comprising 151 species in 16 genera.
Diplocentridae is a family of scorpions. The roughly 120 species are mostly native to the New World, except for genus Nebo, which is distributed in the Middle East.
Brachistosternus ehrenbergii is a scorpion species and the most cited species in the genus Brachistosternus. The species was first described by Paul Gervais in 1841. Its venom is toxic to mice.
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.
Urodacus is a genus of scorpion belonging to the family Urodacidae. It was described by German naturalist Wilhelm Peters in 1861. The type species is U. novaehollandiae. Its species are native to Australia, and dig burrows. The genus was placed in its own family in 2000. Before this, the group had been a subfamily Urodacinae within the family Scorpionidae.
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.
Homonota darwinii, also known commonly as Darwin's marked gecko or the prickly gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Argentina. There are two recognized subspecies.
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.
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 granulosus is a species of small scorpion in the Bothriuridae family. It occurs in south-west Western Australia, and was first described in 1908 by German naturalist Karl Kraepelin.
Cercophonius michaelseni is a species of scorpion in the Bothriuridae family. It occurs in Western Australia, and was first described in 1908 by German naturalist Karl Kraepelin. The specific epithet michaelseni honours German zoologist Wilhelm Michaelsen.
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