Buthacus
| Buthacus | |
|---|---|
| File:Mk60581 buthacus-arabicus.jpg | |
| Buthacus arabicus | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Scorpiones |
| Family: | Buthidae |
| Genus: | Buthacus Birula, 1908 |
| Type species | |
| Androctonus (Leiurus) leptochelys Ehrenberg, 1829
| |
| Diversity | |
| About 22 species | |
Buthacus is a genus of scorpions in the family Buthidae. Species of the genus are distributed across northern and western Africa, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The genus was erected in 1908 by A.A. Birula, originally as a subgenus of the genus Buthus.[1] It was elevated to genus rank by M. Vachon in 1949.[2]
Diversity
[edit | edit source]Species of the genus Buthacus are very similar to each other and have been considered subspecies in some examples.[3][4] At least 22 species are known, some of need taxonomic revision:[5][6]
- Buthacus arenicola (Simon, 1885)
- Buthacus bicolor Afifeh, Al-Saraireh, Baker 2022
- Buthacus birulai Lourenço, 2006
- Buthacus buettikeri Hendrixson, 2006
- Buthacus calviceps (Pocock, 1900)
- Buthacus clevai Lourenço, 2001
- Buthacus ehrenbergi Kovařík, 2005
- Buthacus foleyi Vachon, 1949
- Buthacus huberi Lourenço, 2001
- Buthacus leptochelys (Ehrenberg, 1829) - Egyptian green scorpion
- Buthacus macrocentrus (Ehrenberg, 1828)
- Buthacus mahraouii Lourenço, 2004
- Buthacus maliensis Lourenço & Qi, 2007
- Buthacus nigerianus Lourenço & Qi, 2006
- Buthacus nigroaculeatus Levy, Amitai & Shulov, 1973
- Buthacus occidentalis Lourenço, 2000
- Buthacus pakistanensis Lourenço & Qi, 2006
- Buthacus spatzi (Birula, 1911)
- Buthacus striffleri Lourenço, 2004
- Buthacus villiersi Vachon, 1949
- Buthacus williamsi Lourenço & Leguin, 2009
- Buthacus ziegleri Lourenço, 2000
General characteristics
[edit | edit source]Small to moderately sized scorpions (40–75 mm). Most species are yellow, some are brownish, yellow-grayish or yellow-greenish colored. They show a rather slim habitus with long walking legs and a slender metasoma; pedipalp chelae very gracile and elongate. Cephalothorax smooth or with very weak carinae.
Toxicity
[edit | edit source]As in other buthids the venom in at least some species of Buthacus is relatively potent and can be of medical importance to humans.[7]
| Species | Median lethal dose (LD50 [mg/kg]mice) |
|---|---|
| B. arenicola | 0.99 - 3.50 [8] |
| B. leptochelys | 0.77 - 5.62 [8] |
Habitat
[edit | edit source]Most species live in arid, rocky and sandy desert habitats, some in semi-arid steppe environments. As most other scorpions they shelter from daylight in rock crevices or burrows.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ 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, 117(1): 121-152.
- ^ Vachon, M. 1949. Etudes sur les Scorpions. III (suite). Description des Scorpions du Nord de l’Afrique. Archives de l’Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, 27(1): 66-100.
- ^ Vachon, M. 1952. Etudes sur les Scorpions. 482 pp. Alger (Institut Pasteur d’Algérie).Fulltext
- ^ Lourenço, W.R. 2004. New considerations on the Northwestern African species of Buthacus Birula (Scorpiones, Buthidae), and description of a new species. Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, 10: 225-231. [1]
- ^ Rein, J.O. 2010. The Scorpion Files [Last accessed: 11MAR2010]
- ^ Kovařík, F. 2005. Taxonomic position of species of the genus Buthacus Birula, 1908 described by Ehrenberg and Lourenço, and description of a new species (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Euscorpius, 28: 1-13. [2]
- ^ Kleber, J.J., Wagner, P., Felgenhauer, N., Kunze, M. & Zilker, T. 1999. Vergiftung durch Skorpionsstiche. Deutsches Ärzteblatt, 96(25): A1710-A1715. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Chua Kian-Wee. 1997-2000. Relative toxicity of scorpions [Last accessed: 11MAR2010]
External links
[edit | edit source]Images of Buthacus leptochelys and Buthacus sp.. Exotics.nl
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