ARACHNIDA. 121 
the evidence for their occurrence in Central America is doubtful and requires 
confirmation *. 
DISTRIBUTION OF THE FAMILIES AND SUBFAMILIES OF 
CENTRAL AMERICAN SCORPIONS. 
No genera of Scorpions are common to the Old and New Worlds, except Jsometrus, 
one species of which has been commercially carried everywhere from the East Indies. 
None of the families mentioned above, however, are peculiar to America. The Old 
World appears to be the headquarters of the Scorpionide, since this family is 
represented there by many genera distributed over Africa, South Asia, and Australia 
and referable to four subfamilies, only two of which, the Ischnurine and Diplocentrine, 
occur also in America. 
The Veejovide, absent from Africa and Australia, range from the Mediterranean 
area eastwards through North India into Further India, and reappear in North, 
Central, and South America, but are absent from the Antilles. Unless the Mediter- 
ranean genus Jurus and the Indian genus Scorpiops be included, as has been done, 
in the Viejovine, the American subfamilies are peculiar to the New World. But, in 
any case, the distinctions between the subfamilies of this family are finely drawn. 
Excluding the two Old World genera above mentioned, the Vejovine contain the four 
American forms enumerated above and two from South America. No other genera of 
the Megacormine are known. The Chactine, however, are represented by several 
genera in the northern countries of South America. 
The Buthide are mainly an Old World group. The family contains a large number 
cf genera and species in Europe, Africa, Madagascar, South Asia, and Australia. 
Apart from the aberrant South American genus Ananteris, the only known American 
genera are the three indigenous forms enumerated above. These do not differ more 
from each other, or from some of the Old World genera, than the latter differ from 
each other. ‘There is no evidence, indeed, that Zityus is not closely allied to the 
Oriental genus Jsometrus. 
* The genera Uroctonus and Anuroctonus, for example, were included in my report on the testimony of 
Thorell, who recorded Uroctonus mordax and Anuroctonus pheodactylus, two species originally described from 
California, from Guatemala. The specimens he had for examination, however, were sent to him with an‘ 
example of Hadrurus hirsutus, also a Californian species, by Dr. Gustav Eisen, who was then living at 
San Francisco, and my opinion that they were wrongly localised is based upon the improbability of identical 
species inhabiting the two countries in question. The Buthid genus Rhopalurus was included on the evidence 
of old specimens of Rhopalurus junceus, ticketed “* Mexico ” in the British Muscum, the species in question 
having its home in Haiti. Finally, although Isometrus no doubt exists in the seaport towns of Central 
America, it has not yet been actually recorded, and as a commercially introduced form is wholly without 
interest. 
BIOL, CENTR.-AMER., Introd. Vol., June 1915. 
