40 Mr. R. I. Pocock on 



from Singapore, the place where the tr/pe of P. Pefersii was 

 obtained — a coincidence which suggests at once the likelihood 

 of specific identity between the scorpions. And this idea as 

 to their identity is amply borne out by Dr. Thorell's descrip- 

 tion of Petersii ; for the vesicle is described as ferruginous, 

 and of the hand it is said " ipso latere inter iore qranuh's 

 acuminati's fortihus ohsitoy But if we turn to what is said 

 of the Burmese specimens that were referred to Petersii we 

 read, " manus intus sat dense granulosa est, granulis sat parvis 

 et parum acuminatis,''^ and again, " color caudce niger, vesica 

 interdum imidlo clariore.'''' Thus the figure of spimfer and 

 the description of Petersii ap])ear to apply to the larger and 

 more widely distributed East-Indian form. The smaller 

 Burmese species is consequently without a name. I propose 

 therefore to call it P. Thorellii. 



As regards the number of the pectinal teeth, which seeras 

 to have been a stumbling-block in the way of the identifica- 

 tion of P. spinifer, it may be said that the Museum series 

 shows them to vary from 14 to 18 in spinifer and from 14 to 

 19 in Thorellii. So that the existence of 19 in the type of 

 spinifer and of 16 in the type of Petersii cannot be used as 

 an argument for the separation of the two. 



The known synonymy of these will be as follows : — 



Palamnceus spinifer (Hempr. & Ehrb.). 



Heterometrus spinifer, Ilempr. & Ehrb. Svmb. I'hys. Scorpiones, p. 3, 



pi. i. fig. 2 (1829). 

 Palamnceus Pefersii,Th.oxe\\, Anu. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (ser. 4) vol. xvii. 



p. 13 (1876) ; ActesSoc. Ital. Sci. Nat. xi.\. pp. 214-217 (syu. excl.) 



(1877). 



Palamnceus Thorelli^ sp. n. 



Palamn(Btis hengalensis, Simon, Ann. Mus. Genov. xx. pp. 3G0-362 

 (1884) ; not Buthus hengalensis, C. Koch, Die Arach. ix. p. 3, tisi-. 60(3 

 (1842). 



Palamn(mis Petersii, Thorell, Ann. Mus. Genov. (2) vii. pp. oSS-o'.tO 

 (1889) ; not Petersii, Thorell, 1876. 



The average size of P. spinifer is perhaps about 125 

 millim., although I have measured many varying from 135 

 to 140. P. Thorellii, on the contrary, is much less, seldom 

 being more, and generally less, than 115 millim. 



The appended tables of measurements will serve to show 

 how the sexes of the two species may be recognized. From 

 it may be seen, in addition, that tlie average length of the 

 tail in the female is greater in P. spinifer than in P. Thorellii. 



