''Opistophthalmus'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
s known commonly as burrowing scorpions, tricolored scorpions, serkets, or hissing scorpions. They are found predominantly in southern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. They are known for making deep and elaborate burrows.
Description
''Opistophthalmus'' scorpions are typically heavily built for scorpions, and have broad, powerful claws (
chelae
A chela ()also called a claw, nipper, or pinceris a pincer-shaped organ at the end of certain limbs of some arthropods. The name comes from Ancient Greek , through Neo-Latin '. The plural form is chelae. Legs bearing a chela are called chelipeds ...
). They vary in color from
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...
through
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black.
In the ...
to
black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
, usually with darker or lighter areas. The leg color is typically much lighter than the rest of the body.
File:O. pallipes female(left) and male(right).jpg, ''O. pallipes'' female (left) and male (right)
Species
Sources disagree on how many species are within the genus, but they number around 60:
*''
Opistophthalmus adustus
''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.
Desc ...
''
(Kraepelin,2898)
*''
Opistophthalmus ammopus''
(Lamoral, 1980)
*''
Opistophthalmus ater''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus austerus''
(Karsch, 1879)
*''
Opistophthalmus boehmi''
(Kraepelin, 1896)
*''
Opistophthalmus brevicauda''
(Lawrence, 1928)
*''
Opistophthalmus capensis''
( Herbst, 1800)
*''
Opistophthalmus carinatus
The robust burrowing scorpion (''Opistophthalmus carinatus'') is a widespread species of scorpion in the drier regions of southern Africa. It is a burrowing scorpion, which often places its burrow beside a large rock. Compared to others of its ge ...
''
( Peters, 1861)
*''
Opistophthalmus cavimanus''
(Lawrence, 1928)
*''
Opistophthalmus chaperi''
(Simon, 1880)
*''
Opistophthalmus chrysites''
(Lawrence, 1967)
*''
Opistophthalmus coetzeei''
(Lamoral, 1979)
*''
Opistophthalmus concinnus''
(Newlands, 1972)
*''
Opistophthalmus crassimanus''
(Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version of Shakespeare's ...
, 1899)
*''
Opistophthalmus fitzsimonsi''
(Hewitt, 1935)
*''
Opistophthalmus flavescens''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus fossor''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus fuscipes''
(Purcell, 1899)
*''
Opistophthalmus gibbericauda''
(Lamoral, 1979)
*''
Opistophthalmus gigas''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus glabrifrons''
( Peters, 1861)
*''
Opistophthalmus granicauda''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus granifrons''
(Pocock, 1896)
*''
Opistophthalmus haackei''
(Lawrence, 1966)
*''
Opistophthalmus holmi''
(Lawrence, 1969)
*''
Opistophthalmus intercedens''
(Kraepelin, 1908)
*''
Opistophthalmus intermedius''
(Kraepelin, 1894)
*''
Opistophthalmus jenseni''
(Lamoral, 1972)
*''
Opistophthalmus karrooensis''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus keilandsi''
(Hewitt, 1914)
*''
Opistophthalmus lamorali''
(Prendini, 2000)
*''
Opistophthalmus laticauda''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus latimanus''
( Koch, 1841)
*''
Opistophthalmus latro''
( Thorell, 1894)
*''
Opistophthalmus lawrencei''
(Newlands, 1969)
*''
Opistophthalmus leipoldti''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus litoralis''
(Lawrence, 1955)
*''
Opistophthalmus longicauda''
(Purcell, 1899)
*''
Opistophthalmus lornae''
(Lamoral, 1979)
*''
Opistophthalmus luciranus''
(Lawrence, 1959)
*''
Opistophthalmus lundensis''
(Monrad, 1937)
*''
Opistophthalmus macer''
(Thorell, 1876)
*''
Opistophthalmus nitidiceps''
(Pocock, 1896)
*''
Opistophthalmus opinatus''
(Simon, 1888)
*''
Opistophthalmus pallipes''
(Koch, 1842)
*''
Opistophthalmus pattisoni''
(Purcell, 1899)
*''
Opistophthalmus penrithorum''
(Lamoral, 1979)
*''
Opistophthalmus peringueyi''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus pictus''
(Kraepelin, 1894)
*''
Opistophthalmus pluridens''
(Hewitt, 1918)
*''
Opistophthalmus praedo''
(Thorell, 1876)
*''
Opistophthalmus pugnax''
(Thorell, 1876)
*''
Opistophthalmus pygmaeus''
(Lamoral, 1979)
*''
Opistophthalmus scabrifrons''
(Hewitt, 1913)
*''
Opistophthalmus schlechteri''
(Purcell, 1898)
*''
Opistophthalmus schultzei''
(Kraepelin, 1908)
*''
Opistophthalmus setifrons''
(Lawrence, 1961)
*''
Opistophthalmus ugabensis''
(Hewitt, 1934)
*''
Opistophthalmus wahlbergii''
(Thorell, 1876)
*''
Opistophthalmus werneri''
(Lamoral & Reynders, 1975)
In captivity
''O. glabrifrons'', ''O. wahlbergii'', and ''O. boehmi'' are readily available in the exotic
pet
A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, inte ...
trade. They are generally hardy captives, but tend to have a nervous disposition and if set up properly with deep substrate, they are rarely seen, as they burrow and hide most of the time.
Toxicity
In southern Africa, thick-clawed scorpions belonging to the families Scorpionidae, Bothriuridae, and Ischnuridae, are generally assumed to be harmless. However, ''Opistophthalmus glabrifrons'' is an exception to the rule. ''Opistophthalmus species'' are burrowing scorpions, and probably never leave their burrows except when coming out to mate. This probably accounts for the timing and relative rarity of their stings.
References
Scorpions of southern Africa*http://www.afpmb.org/sites/default/files/pubs/guides/field_guide.pdf
Scorpionidae
Scorpions of Africa
{{Scorpion-stub