CHAPTER V 



SCORPIONS 



Classification and distribution 



Although different in size, all scorpions are more or less alike in 

 general appearance and are easily distinguished from other Arach- 

 nida by a combination of characters that are always present. Their 

 most striking features are the large pedipalps furnished with stout 



Fig. 17. Examples of scorpion families: 1. Buthidae, 2. Scorpion- 

 idae, 3. Chactidae. (Drawings not to scale.) (After various authors.) 



chelae or claws and the division of the abdomen into two portions: 

 a broad pre-abdomen consisting of seven segments which are as 

 wide or wider than the cephalothorax or prosoma, and a slender 

 tail-like post-abdomen. At the end of the tail is a sting, somewhat 



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