Type Specimens of Scorpions and Pedipalps. 83 



as in * Mus. Ludov. Ulr. Regin^e ^ (1764), p. 429, bears that 

 name. In all these books " 8. afer " is said to have thirteen 

 toothed combs, as has also the type specimen, thus in this, 

 as in everj other respect, agreeing with the description given 

 in ' Museum Principis.' It is possible, perhaps probable, 

 that the " Scorpio afer " of Linnaeus was a collective name, as 

 has been supposed by many later authors. The words in 



' Mus. Lud. Ulr. Reg.' p. 429—" Chel^ cordat^e ad- 



spersse Punctis eminentibus. . . ." — seem to give support to 

 this supposition. Perhaps this refers to a scorpion with 

 granulate chelae — for instance, S. ceylonicus^ Herbst (=:Buthus 

 megacejyJialus, C. L. Koch) *. The real type specimen from 

 ' Museum Principis ' is, however, the Javan species Butkus 

 reticulatus, i.). L. Koch, or, as it is called in Krjepelin's 

 ' Revision der Scorpione ' t (p. 53), ^^ Scorpio indicus^ L." 

 In examining this scorpion Thorell has come to the same 

 conclusion in his " Etudes Scorpiologiques " :|:, pp. 208-209. 

 He seems, however, not to have any faith in Thunberg's 

 labels, and therefore he only uses the name ^^ afer^'' as 

 a synonym. It is true that Thunberg has sometimes 

 changed a Linnean name to another of his own invention, 

 but he always gives correct information about the origin 

 of the specimens — that is, to which collection they have 

 belonged — and he has given a very good account in his 

 catalogues of this matter. There cannot then be any 

 doubt that the animals labelled by Thunberg as belonging 

 to Linnean collections really do so. But Thorell also thinks 

 that Linneeus has mixed up two (or perhaps more) species of 

 scorpions. In older books, as in Syst. Nat. ed. vi. (1748) 

 p, 68, LinnaBUS mentions an Asiatic " Scorpio indicus " with 

 thirteen teeth in the combs and an African " Scorpio afri- 

 caniis " with eighteen com b-teeth. This statement concerning 

 the Indian scorpion induces Krsepelin to propose {I. c. p. 54) 

 to make for once an exception and use the name from ed. vi., 

 because " ifidicus" is more suitable from a geographical 

 point of view, and he calls the Javan scorpion ">S. indicus^ 

 Linn." Such a violation of the accepted rules of nomen- 

 clature is, however, dangerous, as it conduces to further 

 excesses, and, although it seems rather enticing in this case, 

 it must be resisted. In ' Mus. Ad. Frid. Reg.' (1754) p. 84, 

 we also find both the names " africanus " and " indicus " ; but 

 to the former a new diagnosis is given, as the comb-teeth are 



* This is the more probable as there is in Thunberg's collection a 

 specimen of this kind labelled " afer." 

 t Jahrb. wiss. Anst. Hamburg, 1893. 

 X Att. Soc. It. vol. xix. (Milano, 1877). 



6* 



