Heterometrus barberi

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Heterometrus barberi
Systematics
Sub-stem : Jawbearers (Chelicerata)
Class : Arachnids (arachnida)
Order : Scorpions (Scorpiones)
Family : Scorpionidae
Genre : Heterometrus
Type : Heterometrus barberi
Scientific name
Heterometrus barberi
( Pocock , 1900)

Heterometrus barberi is an Indian scorpion in the Scorpionidae family .

description

The holotype is a 124 millimeter long female animal with a uniform greenish-black color. Only the scissors of the Pedipalps are yellow-orange, they have granules merging into one another on the surface, but are not keeled. The carapace has a smooth surface in the middle and a granular surface on the edges. The combs of the comb organ have 11 to 12 teeth. The chelae are not lobed. The metasoma is relatively short, about three times as long as the carapace. The telson has a poisonous bladder that is longer than the sting.

distribution and habitat

The terra typica of Heterometrus barberi is the Kannikatti rainforest in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu , on the border with the state of Kerala , at an altitude of about 800 meters above sea level. Nearby is the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve ( 8 ° 39 ′ 0 ″  N , 77 ° 13 ′ 0 ″  E ). In a more recent study on the endangerment of the species, Heterometrus barberi was found in the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve ( 8 ° 30 ′ 43 ″  N , 77 ° 33 ′ 28 ″  E ), one of the protected areas of the Western Ghats designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . In the state of Kerala, the species has been identified in several districts of the Western Ghats.

Heterometrus barberi lives in dense forests at an altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 meters above sea level. The range has an area of ​​about 5,000 square kilometers, of which only about 2,000 square kilometers are actually colonized by the species.

Danger

Heterometrus barberi is not on the Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN listed as yet no evaluation was conducted by the experts of the organization. In 1998, however , a study of selected bottom-dwelling invertebrates was published by the Indian Zoo Outreach Organization, a non-governmental organization for the promotion of species protection affiliated with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums . The investigation was based on the system of hazard categories used by the IUCN. Heterometrus barberi was then classified as "endangered". This corresponds to a high level of endangerment and a very high risk of extinction in nature in the immediate future.

The reason given for the endangerment was the small area of ​​distribution, impairment of the habitat and habitat loss caused by humans.

Systematics

Initial description

The first description was made by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1900 on the basis of a specimen with the location information Tinnevelly, the anglicised name of Tirunelveli. The holotype is in the Natural History Museum in London, in the documents there it is listed as " Heterometrus flavimanus Pocock , 1900 ". There are no other type copies.

etymology

The species name honors Charles Alfred Barber (1860-1933), a British botanist in the service of the Madras presidency , who collected the type specimen and sent it to Pocock.

Synonyms (chronological)

  • Palamnaeus barberi Pocock, 1900: the name was given by Pocock in his first description, but the genus Palamnaeus had already been declared a synonym for Heterometrus by Ferdinand Karsch in 1879 .
  • Heterometrus (Chersonesometrus) phipsoni phipsoni Couzijn, 1981: In his revision of the genus Heterometrus in 1981, HWC Couzijn declared Heterometrus barberi to be a synonym for the nominate form of Heterometrus phipsoni phipsoni , which he had newly described and which he placed in the also newly described subgenus Chersonesometrus . This synonymization was lifted in 1983 by BK Tikader and DB Bastawade, which, however, retained the sub-genus.
  • Heterometrus (Chersonesometrus) barberi Tikader & Bastawade, 1983: In their monograph on the scorpions of India, BK Tikader and DB Bastawade raised Heterometrus barberi again to type.

The subgenus Chersonesometrus and all other subgenera of Heterometrus described by Couzijn were repealed in 2004 by František Kovařík in his revision of the genus Heterometrus .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e František Kovařík: A review of the genus Heterometrus, p. 4.
  2. ^ Reginald Innes Pocock: Arachnida, p. 95.
  3. ↑ a b c B. A. Daniel, Sanjay Molur and Sally Walker (eds.): Selected Soil Invertebrates of Southern India, p. 54.
  4. ↑ PM Sureshan, DB Bastawade and C. Rdhakrishnan: Taxonomic studies on a collection of scorpions (Scorpiones: Arachnida) from the Western Ghats in Kerala, India with two new distribution records. In: Zoos' Print Journal 2007, Volume 22, No. 12, pp. 2903-2908, doi : 10.11609 / JoTT.ZPJ.1751.2903-8 .
  5. ^ BA Daniel, Sanjay Molur and Sally Walker (eds.): Selected Soil Invertebrates of Southern India, p. 3.
  6. ^ BA Daniel, Sanjay Molur and Sally Walker (eds.): Selected Soil Invertebrates of Southern India, p. 21.
  7. ^ A b Reginald Innes Pocock: Arachnida, p. 96.
  8. ^ Ferdinand Karsch: Scorpionological contributions. I. In: Mitteilungen des Münchener Entomologische Verein 1879, Volume 3, No. 1, pp. 6–22, here p. 20, digitizedhttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3D~GB%3D~IA%3Dmittheilungendes35187981mn~MDZ%3D%0A~SZ%3Dn36~ double-sided%3Dja~LT%3D~PUR%3D .
  9. ^ HWC Couzijn: Revision of the genus Heterometrus. In: Zoologische Verhandelingen 1981, Volume 184, No. 1, pp. 1–196 (also dissertation, University of Leiden 1981), here pp. 149–151, online PDFhttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.repository.naturalis.nl%2Fdocument%2F149049~GB%3D~IA%3D~MDZ%3D%0A~SZ%3D~ double-sided%3D~ LT% 3DOnline% 20PDF ~ PUR% 3D , 18.6 MB.
  10. ↑ a b B. K. Tikader and DB Bastawade: Scorpions (Scorpionida: Arachnida). The Fauna of India, Vol. 3. Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta 1983, pp. 614-619, Online PDF , 30 MB.