Mr. R. I. Pocock on Neotropical Scorpions. 79 



Pectines with 8 or 9 teeth. 



Measurements in millimetres. — Total length 62, of carapace 

 9, of tail 37 ; width of tirst segment 5, length 3*5 ; width of 

 fifth and of vesicle 3*5, length of fifth 8'8. 



Two female specimens in the Museum collection ticketed 

 ^'PCliina," a locality which is without doubt erroneous. 



This species has an interesting history. On p. 232 of the 

 Act. Mus. vol. iv., Gervais, in connexion with his description 

 of Broteas maurusjveiers to a scorpion in the British Museum 

 collection which is ticketed China and is very near to his 

 maurus. This scorpion, there can be little doubt, is the one 

 that I have here described and dedicated to the distinguished 

 French zoologist. One of the specimens bears an old label 

 upon which is written "Scor-pio subnitens, Gervais, MS., 

 ? China." The scorpion figured by Prof. Lankester in the 

 Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. xi. pi. Ixxx., as Broteas subnitens^ 

 Gervais, is Teuthranstes atramentarius of Simon. 



This new form Gervaisii may be at once recognized from 

 the Broteas that I identify as D. Herbstii by having the 

 lower surface of the first caudal segment smooth, polished, 

 and with obsolete median keels. Of the last-named form the 

 British Museum has upwards of a dozen specimens of varying 

 age and sex from different parts of British Guiana. Upon 

 the identity of Herbstii of Thorell, however, there seems to 

 me to be some doubt. The name was applied by Thorell to 

 the scorpion described as maurus of LinnEeus by De Geer and 

 later authors. But it seems to me to be very doubtful if all 

 these authors have described the same species as maurus ; 

 for instance, Herbst's figure of maurus seems to me to repre- 

 sent a totally different form. 



C. Koch, however, in 1838 described as the type of Broteas 

 a species he named maurus, which came from Cayenne 

 (French Guiana). It is highly probable therefore that this 

 species of Koch's is identical with my examples from British 

 Guiana, and for this reason I identify these as B. Herbstii, 

 being unable to ascertain the characters of B. maurus of De 

 Geer, i. e. the true Herbstii. Wiiy Mons. Simon should 

 assert that B. Herbstii comes ])riucipally from La Plata, 

 seeing that both C. Koch and Gervais especially mention 

 Cayenne and Guiana as localities, I am unable to surmise. 

 According to Simon's description (Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1877, 

 p. 240) his Herbstii has the anterior caudal segments smooth 

 and punctured above between the keels, which are almost 

 absent on the first. U, however, in this description for dessus 

 we read dessous, it would apply well to my B. Gervaisii ; but 

 as tiic description stands it is not applicable cither to my 



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