ANNALS 



OF THE 



SOUTH AFKICAN MUSEUM 



PAET II. 



V. On the Species of Opisthophthalmus in the Collection of the 

 South African Museum, with Descriptions of some Nciu Forms. 

 By W. P. PURCELL, Ph.D., First Assistant. 



IN my previous paper (' Descriptions of New South African 

 Scorpions,' p. 1 of this volume) the new species of Opisthophthalmus, 

 then in the collection of the South African Museum, were described 

 and partly figured. The treatment of the genus is brought to a 

 conclusion in the present article, the principal object of which is to 

 record the localities and local peculiarities of the specimens of 

 Opisthophthalmus in our collection. The number of these specimens 

 is very large, and as most of them have been captured within the 

 last few years, I can vouch for the accuracy of the localities in 

 nearly every case. I append descriptions of three new forms, 

 received since the previous. paper went to press; also descriptions 

 of the adult females of schlechteri, Pure., and chapcri, Sim., and of 

 the adult male of latimanus, Koch, none of which have yet been 

 published. In conclusion, the synopsis of all the species known to 

 me, begun in the last paper, is brought to completion. 



The South African Museum collection now comprises twenty-five 

 species of Opisthophthalmus, of which twenty-one are represented by 

 the adults of both sexes, three by one sex only, and one by a young 

 specimen. There remain, at most, three described South African 

 species, which are not yet represented in the collection. 



Sexual Characters and Aye. The determination of the sex and 

 age (i.e., whether adult or young) is of first importance in ascertain- 



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