Opisthophthalmus pictus

Monod, Lionel, Duperre, Nadine & Harms, Danilo, 2019, An annotated catalogue of the scorpion types (Arachnida, Scorpiones) held in the Zoological Museum Hamburg. Part I: Parvorder Iurida Soleglad & Fet, 2003, Evolutionary Systematics 3 (2), pp. 109-200 : 109

Opisthophthalmus pictus Fig. 53

Opisthophthalmus pictus Kraepelin 1894: 80, 102-104, pl. I, fig. 35

Current combination.

Opistophthalmus pictus Kraepelin, 1894

Paralectotypes.

4 ♀ (ZMH-A0000912), [South Africa], Oranje-Freistaat [Freestate], Reddersburg [29°39 ’10” S, 26°10 ’03” E], H. Meyer leg., ded. 30.04.1887.

Remarks.

Kraepelin (1894) reported eight specimens in the type series: seven from Reddersburg in the ZMH collections and one from Cape Town in the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Kopenhagen (ZMUC). Prendini (2001) reported seven syntype specimens and designated one female lectotype (ZMB/Arach-7186) in the ZMB, four females paralectotypes in the ZMH (the specimens listed here), one female paralectotype in the BMNH, and one female paralectotype in the ZMUC.

Remarks on collector.

The possible collector is Hans Meyer (1858-1929) who was a German geographer and the first European to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 1889. Meyer traveled extensively in eastern Africa but we are not sure if he also traveled to southern Africa.

Figures

Figure 53. Opistophthalmus pictus Kraepelin 1894, female paralectotype, habitus A dorsal aspect B ventral aspect. Scale bars: 10 mm.