SCORPIONES. 11 



larger or more numerous, sometimes both. Lastly, the genital 

 operculum is always formed of two movable halves, whereas in the 

 female the two halves are frequently united. 



The young are born alive. 



Distribution. Scorpions are found almost all over the world to 

 the south of a line represented roughly by the 40th or 45th parallels 

 of North latitude. None, however, occur in New Zealand or 

 in Oceanic islands, unless artificially introduced, or in the extreme 

 south of South America. They are strictly carnivorous, feeding 

 for the most part on insects, and live under stones, fallen tree^ 

 trunks, the bark of dead trees, in deep burrows that they dig in- 

 the soil, or in shallow depressions excavated in the loose sand. 



The Scorpions of British India are referable to five families, the 

 characters of which may be tabulated as follows : 

 ft. Legs furnished with a pair of pedal spurs, one in 



front and one behind. 



o 1 . Sternum almost invariably triangular, narrowed 

 in front; 3rd and 4th legs usually furnished 



with tibial spurs Buthidae. 



ft 1 . Sternum pentagonal, parallel-sided, tibial spurs 



never present. 



2 . Maxillary process of 1st leg anteriorly ex- 

 panded, with broadly truncate border; two 

 lateral eyes on each side ; stigmata circular ; 



shaft of pecten scarcely segmented Chaerilidae, 



/r. Maxillary process of 1st leg anteriorly nar- 

 rowed, apically pointed : three lateral eyes 

 on each side ; stigmata narrow, elongate j 



shaft of pecten distinctly segmented Vejovidaa, 



b. Legs furnished with a single" anterior pedal spur, 

 the posterior always absent ; sternum pentagonal. 

 a 3 . Distal lateral edges of tarsi not produced into a 

 lobate prominence overlapping the base of the 

 claw, but straight and forming a right angle 

 with the claw-lobe ; body and chelae flat ; 

 hand with strong finger-keel ; tail weak, com- 

 pressed Ischnuridae 



b 3 . Distal lateral edges of tarsi produced into a 

 rounded lobe overlapping base of claws and 

 forming a very acute angle with the base 

 of the claw-lobe ; body and chelse not flat ; 

 hand without strong finger-keel ; tail strong, 



not compressed Scorpionidae. 



NOTE. The following species, belonging to the family Chactidae, 

 which, with the exception of the Mediterranean genus Scorpius 

 ( = Euscorpius, Thor.), is confined to Central and South America r 

 were originally recorded from India, but certainly erroneously : 

 OJiactas quinque-dentatus, Karsch, Zeits. Naturw. liii, p. 405, 1880. 

 Ghactas scJiawnii, id. ibid. p. 406. 



The generic position and specific validity of the first-named is 

 still a matter of doubt. The second, however, which is possibly 

 identical with it, is, according to Kraepelin, specifically the same 

 as a species from British Guiana which I described in 1893 as 

 Hadrurochactas sclateri. 



