Hottentotta

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Hottentotta
Hottentotta jayakari jayakari (2).JPG
Hottentotta jayakari jayakari
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Buthidae
Genus: Hottentotta
Birula, 1908
Type species
Scorpio hottentotta
Fabricius, 1787
Diversity
About 39 species
Synonyms [1]
  • ButhotusVachon, 1949
  • Hottentotta (Balfourianus)Vachon, 1979
  • Hottentotta (Deccanobuthus)Lourenço, 2000

Hottentotta is a genus of scorpions of the family Buthidae. It is distributed widely across Africa, except for most of the Sahara desert. Species in the genus also occur in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, southeastern Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Cape Verde Islands, and Sri Lanka (introduced).

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus was introduced in 1908 by A. A. Birula, originally as a subgenus of the genus Buthus . [2] It was elevated to genus rank by F. Werner in 1934. [3] Buthotus Vachon, 1949 is an often used but outdated synonym of Hottentotta. [1]

Some authors subdivided the genus into three subgenera, Hottentotta (Hottentotta), Hottentotta (Balfourianus) Vachon, 1979, [4] and Hottentotta (Deccanobuthus) Lourenço, 2000. [5] The latest taxonomic reviews of this genus by F. Kovařík [1] [6] reject this subdivision and recognizes a single, undivided genus Hottentotta. The differences separating the closely related genus Mesobuthus from Hottentotta are very subtle, and species have been often been misassigned among the two genera. [1] [7]

Diversity

The content of this genus may vary, depending on the authority. At least 40-41 species are known: [1] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Disputed species

  • Hottentotta syrticus(Borelli, 1914) and Buthotus (=Hottentotta) asimiiAmir, Kamaluddin & Khan, 2004 are considered nomina dubia. [1] [12]

General characteristics

Members of Hottentotta are generally moderately sized scorpions, with a total length of 70–90 millimetres (2.8–3.5 in); the smallest species are 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long, while the largest species reach 100–130 millimetres (3.9–5.1 in). They belong to the most colorful species of scorpions. The base color ranges from bright yellow to black, with most species colored in brown or reddish tones. Many species are ornamented by color spots or bands especially on the mesosoma. Coloration may be considerable variable between individuals of the same species or among regional populations. [1]

They show a typical buthid habitus with gracile pedipalp chelae and a moderately thickened metasoma. The vesicle is bulbous and proportionally large in some species. The cephalothorax and mesosoma shows distinct granulation in most species, some are strongly hirsute. The tergites of the mesosoma bear three distinct, longitudinal carinae (ridges). [1]

Toxicity

As in other buthids the venom in at least some species of Hottentotta is relatively potent and can be of medical importance to humans.

Hottentotta tamulus , the Indian red scorpion, has evidently caused human fatalities by cardiovascular and pulmonary manifestations of intoxication [13] [14] [15] and is considered the most lethal scorpion species in the world. [16]

Kleber et al. (1999) [17] listed envenomation by at least four other species as to cause clinically significant symptoms.

Relative toxicity and symptoms caused by envenomation from Hottentotta species
Species Median lethal dose
(LD50 [mg/kg]mice) [18] 		Symptoms [14] [15] [17] [19] Species distribution [1] [20]
H. alticola not availableSevere pain, questionably cholinergic symptoms Afghanistan, Pakistan
H. franzwerneri not availableSevere pain, reportedly affection of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, questionably cholinergic symptoms Algeria, Morocco
H. judaicus 7.94Severe pain, reportedly affection of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, questionably cholinergic symptoms Israel, Lebanon, Syria, southeastern Turkey
H. minax not availableSevere pain, questionably cholinergic symptoms Cameroon, Chad, southern Libya, southern Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, questionably Tanzania and Uganda
H. saulcyi 1.01not availableEastern Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, questionably Syria
H. tamulus not availableSevere pain, cardiovascular symptoms (including acute myocarditis, cardiac dysrhythmia, ischemia-like changes and conduction blockade), pulmonary oedema Pakistan, India, and southeastern Nepal

This listing is not comprehensive due to lack of data and all species of Hottentotta are potentially highly venomous to humans. Note that the LD50 value might differ considerably between populations of the same species.

Habitat

Most species live in semi-arid to humid, steppe, savannah and forested environments. Hyperarid deserts are avoided. Some reach considerable topographic altitudes as e.g. in the Atlas Mountains, the Zagros Mountains or at the Hindukush.

In captivity

Due to their relatively colorful appearance Hottentotta species are often kept and bred in captivity. Popular species are H. hottentotta and H. trilineatus. As with other highly venomous buthids keeping these species in captivity is only recommendable to experienced people.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buthidae</span> Family of scorpions

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.

Buthacus is a genus of scorpion of the family Buthidae. It is distributed across northern and western Africa, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

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.

<i>Hottentotta tamulus</i> Species of scorpion

Hottentotta tamulus, the Indian red scorpion, also known as the eastern Indian scorpion, is a species of scorpion of the family Buthidae. It occurs in most of India, eastern Pakistan and the eastern lowlands of Nepal, and recently from Sri Lanka.

<i>Heterometrus</i> Genus of scorpions

Heterometrus, whose members are also known by the collective vernacular name giant forest scorpions, is a genus of scorpions belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It is distributed widely across tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia, including Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and China (Hainan). It is notable for containing some of the largest living species of scorpions.

<i>Leiurus</i> Genus of scorpions

Leiurus is a genus of scorpion of the family Buthidae. The most common species, L. quinquestriatus, is also known under the common name Deathstalker. It is distributed widely across North Africa and the Middle East, including the western and southern Arabian Peninsula and southeastern Turkey. At least one species occurs in West Africa.

<i>Mesobuthus eupeus</i> Species of scorpion

Mesobuthus eupeus is a polymorphic scorpion species belonging to the well-known family Buthidae. Commonly known as the lesser Asian scorpion or the mottled scorpion. It is thought to be the most widely dispersed species of the genus Mesobuthus, perhaps even of the family Buthidae.

<i>Compsobuthus</i> Genus of scorpions

Compsobuthus is a genus of buthid scorpions.

<i>Buthus</i> Genus of arachnids

Buthus is a genus of scorpion belonging and being eponymous to the family Buthidae. It is distributed widely across northern Africa, including Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, as well as the Middle East, including Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and possibly Saudi Arabia and southern Turkey. Its European range includes the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, and Cyprus.

<i>Chaerilus</i> Genus of scorpions

Chaerilus is a genus of scorpions in the family Chaerilidae. They live in tropical parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. A fossil genus Electrochaerilus is known from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) aged Burmese amber.

<i>Isometrus</i> Genus of scorpions

Isometrus is a genus of scorpion belonging and being eponymous to the family Buthidae. Some species are currently assigned to the genus Reddyanus.

Mesobuthus is an Asian genus of scorpions in the family Buthidae.

<i>Scorpiops</i> Genus of scorpions

Scorpiops is a genus of scorpions in the family Scorpiopidae. It is distributed throughout much of Asia. The taxonomy of the group is unclear because new species and subgenera are described often, and one subgroup may represent a species complex.

Hottentotta finneganae is a species of scorpion, belonging to the family Buthidae. It was first found in Pakistan.

Hottentotta jabalpurensis is a species of scorpion, belonging to the family Buthidae. It was first found in Madhya Pradesh, India.

Hottentotta jalalabadensis is a species of scorpion of the family Buthidae. It was first found in Afghanistan.

Hottentotta stockwelli is a species of scorpion of the family Buthidae. It was first found in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, India.

<i>Hottentotta conspersus</i> Species of scorpion

Hottentotta conspersus, the Sesriem scorpion, is a species of scorpion of the family Buthidae.

<i>Reddyanus</i> Genus of scorpions

Reddyanus is a genus of buthid scorpions native to Oriental region from India, Sri Lanka, China: Tibet, to Melanesia. The genus was previously described as a subgenus of Isometrus.

Orthochirus is a genus of scorpion in the family Buthidae, first described by Ferdinand Karsch in 1891.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kovařík, F. (2007). "A revision of the genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908, with descriptions of four new species" (PDF). Euscorpius . 58: 1–105.
  2. ↑ Birula, A. A. (1908). "Ergebnisse der mit Subvention aus der Erbschaft Treitl unternommenen zoologischen Forschungsreise Dr. F. Werner's nach dem Anglo-Aegyptischen Sudan und Nord-Uganda. XIV. Skorpiones und Solifugae". Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlich-königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien (in German). 117 (1): 121–152.
  3. ↑ Werner, F. (1934). "Scorpiones. Pedipalpi". In Bronn, H. G. (ed.). Klassen und Ordnungen des Tierreichs . Vol. 8. Leipzig. pp. 1–490.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ↑ Vachon, M. (1979). "Notes on the types of scorpions in the British Museum (Natural History), London. Buthus socotrensis Pocock, 1889 (Family Buthidae)". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology Series . 36 (4): 233–237.
  5. ↑ Lourenço, W. R. (2000). "The genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908, with the description of a new subgenus and species from India (Scorpiones, Buthidae)". Entomologische Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum Hamburg . 13 (162): 191–195.
  6. 1 2 Kovařík, F. (2013). "Family Buthidae". In Kovařík, F.; Ojanguren Affilastro, A. (eds.). Illustrated catalogue of scorpions. Part II: Bothriuridae; Chaerilidae; Buthidae I: genera Compsobuthus, Hottentotta, Isometrus, Lychas and Sassanidotus. Prague. pp. 141–212.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. 1 2 Teruel, R.; J. O. Rein (2010). "A new Hottentotta Birula, 1908 from Afghanistan with a note on the generic position of Mesobuthus songi Lourenço, Qi and Zhu, 2005 (Scorpiones: Buthidae)" (PDF). Euscorpius . 94: 1–8.
  8. ↑ Rein, J. O. (2010). "Buthidae C. L. Koch, 1837". The Scorpion Files. Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet . Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  9. ↑ Lowe, G. (2010). "Two new species of Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from northern Oman" (PDF). Euscorpius . 103: 1–23.
  10. ↑ Turiel, C. (2014). "A new species of Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from southern Morocco" (PDF). Euscorpius . 2014 (181): 1–9. doi: 10.18590/euscorpius.2014.vol2014.iss181.1 .
  11. 1 2 Sousa, P., Froufe, E., Harris, D.J., Alves, P.C. & Meijden, A., van der. (2011). "Genetic diversity of Maghrebian Hottentotta (Scorpiones: Buthidae) scorpions based on CO1: new insights on the genus phylogeny and distribution". African Invertebrates . 52 (1). Archived from the original on 2011-10-04.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Rein, J. O. (2010). "Taxonomical updates in The Scorpion Files for Buthidae (2008-)" (PDF). The Scorpion Files. Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet . Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  13. ↑ Santhanakrishnan, B. R.; V. Balagopal Raju (1974). "Management of scorpion sting in children". Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene . 77 (6): 133–135. PMID   4853089.
  14. 1 2 Bawaskar, H. S.; P. H. Bawaskar (1992). "Management of the cardiovascular manifestations of poisoning by the Indian red scorpion (Mesobuthus tamulus)". British Heart Journal . 68 (11): 468–480. doi:10.1136/hrt.68.11.478. PMC   1025191 . PMID   1467032.
  15. 1 2 Bawaskar, H.S.; P.H. Bawaskar (2008). "Scorpion sting: A study of clinical manifestations and treatment regimes" (PDF). Current Science . 95 (9): 1337–1341. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  16. ↑ Ismail, M.; Bawaskar, P. H. (1995). "The scorpion envenoming syndrome". Toxicon . 33 (7): 825–858. doi:10.1007/BF02761131. PMID   8588209. S2CID   683188.
  17. 1 2 Kleber, J. J.; P. Wagner; N. Felgenhauer; M. Kunze & T. Zilker (1999). "Vergiftung durch Skorpionsstiche" (PDF). Deutsches Ärzteblatt (in German). 96 (25): A1710–A1715. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-01-12.
  18. ↑ Chua Kian-Wee (1997–2000). "Relative toxicity of scorpions" . Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  19. ↑ Kanoo, S.; M. B. Mandal; A. B. Alex & S. B. Deshpande (2009). "Cardiac dysrhythmia produced by Mesobuthus tamulus venom involves NO-dependent G-Cyclase signaling pathway". Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology . 379 (5): 525–532. doi:10.1007/s00210-008-0375-7. PMID   19037630. S2CID   23872549.
  20. ↑ Bhadani, U.K.; M. Tripathi; S. Sharma & R. Pandey (2006). "Scorpion sting envenomation presenting with pulmonary edema in adults: a report of seven cases from Nepal" (PDF). Indian Journal of Medical Sciences . 60 (1): 19–23. doi: 10.4103/0019-5359.19672 . PMID   16444084.
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