Opistophthalmus ammopus

Opistophthalmus ammopus
Systematics
Sub-stem :	Jawbearers (Chelicerata)
Class :	Arachnids (arachnida)
Order :	Scorpions (Scorpiones)
Family :	Scorpionidae
Genre :	Opistophthalmos
Type :	Opistophthalmus ammopus
Scientific name
	Opistophthalmus ammopus
	Lamoral , 1980

Opistophthalmus ammopus is in South Africa endemic occurring Scorpio from the family Scorpionidae .

features

Opistophthalmus ammopus is a medium-sized scorpion about 90 millimeters in length. It has a dark brown color in different tones, the legs and the telson are brown-orange, while the telson has longitudinal stripes on both sides that are slightly lighter than their surroundings. The sternites are yellow-brown, the genital operkulum and the comb organs are yellow-orange.

The median pair of ocelles is located behind the middle of the carapace, the length of the carapace is about 1.72 times the distance between the ocelles and the front edge. The sternum is pentagonal and longer than it is wide. The comb organs in male scorpions have 8 to 11 teeth. The telson is hairy and has only a slightly curved poison sting .

The telotarsi of all legs have greatly elongated outer pairs of claws, while the two elongated claws are of different lengths. The two front pairs of legs carry a row of long, comb-like setae on the front and back of each leg.

The surface of the carapace is strong and weakly granulated in the area of the median pair of ocelles . The posterior halves of the tergites and the surfaces of the segments of the metasoma , with the exception of the telsons, are granulated to varying degrees. The upper and outer sides of the chelae and tibiae of the pedipalps have a weakly but evenly granulated surface, on the chelae granules merging into one another form distinct keels.

The first description was based only on an adult male specimen. No information can therefore be given about a possible sexual dimorphism of Opistophthalmus ammopus .

It is closely related to the species Opistophthalmus capensis . Opistophthalmus ammopus differs from this and the other species of the genus in several morphological characteristics. Of particular importance are the position of the median pair of ocelles on the carapace, the comb-like rows of setae on the two front pairs of legs and the long claws on the telotarsi of all legs. The hemispermatophores of Opistophthalmus ammopus and Opistophthalmus capensis differ significantly in length, shape and other features.

distribution and habitat

The terra typica of Opistophthalmus ammopus is located in the Richtersveld , west of the Richtersveld cultural landscape , about eight kilometers south of the Springklipberg ( 28 ° 40 ′ 0 ″ S , 16 ° 53 ′ 0 ″ E ). The distribution area includes sandy areas of the South African province of North Cape . -28.666666666667 16.883333333333

The Richtersveld is a dry mountain desert in the far northwest of the North Cape Province, on the border with Namibia . The climatic conditions, with mean annual rainfall of 25 to 75 millimeters, have produced a unique flora and fauna with numerous endemics . The western half of the Richtersveld has large areas of sand, partly with the formation of shifting dunes . The localities are in sandy deserts and the succulent caroo .

Way of life

Various morphological adaptations, in particular the eponymous extended claws on the telotarsi and the setae on the front legs, indicate that Opistophthalmus ammopus belongs to the psammophilic species of the genus Opistophthalmus . All specimens found were found resting on sand dunes during the night. It could not be determined whether the scorpions also dig living tubes there.

Systematics

Initial description

The first description of Opistophthalmus ammopus was made in 1980 by the South African arachnologists Bruno H. Lamoral by an adult male Scorpio type locality.

Type material

The type material consists of a male adult holotype and six male paratypes. It is in the collection of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg .

etymology

The species name ammopus is derived from the ancient Greek words ammos ( άμμος , German: sand ) and pous ( πούς , German: foot ). The naming refers to the morphological adaptations of the species to life in sandy habitats.

literature

Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa (Arachnida: Scorpionida) . In: Annals of the Natal Museum 1980, Volume 24, No. 1, pp. 201-210, online .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa , p. 203.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa , p. 205.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa , p. 202.
^ ^A ^b Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa , p. 201.
↑ Gérard Dupré: Dictionary of scientific scorpion names. In: Arachnides. Bulletin de Terrariophilie et de Recherche 2016, Supplément au n ° 78, p. 6, online PDF , 560 kB.

[Lamoral_203-1] Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa , p. 203.

[Lamoral_205-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa , p. 205.

[Lamoral_202-3] Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa , p. 202.

[Lamoral_201-4] A ^b Bruno H. Lamoral: Two new psammophile species and new records of scorpions from the northern Cape Province of South Africa , p. 201.

[Dupre-5] Gérard Dupré: Dictionary of scientific scorpion names. In: Arachnides. Bulletin de Terrariophilie et de Recherche 2016, Supplément au n ° 78, p. 6, online PDF , 560 kB.