African Specimens of the Genus Scorpio. 247 



The adoption of the genus Scorpio will necessitate the 

 alteration of the family name from Pandinoidge or Hetero- 

 metroidee into Scorpionida, or, as Thorell would call it, Scor- 

 pionoida3. 



It is unfortunate that there is so much uncertainty respect- 

 ing the identity of africanus (Linn.), the type of the genus 

 Scorpio. All the useful information concerning it is that it 

 is an African species, hairy, and possessing twelve or thir- 

 teen pectinal teeth ; but the conclusions hitherto arrived at on 

 the subject are as different as they are unsatisfactory. Simon 

 supposed it to be the ButJius ccesar of C Koch, Thorell the 

 Roeseli of Simon, and Becker the asjjer of Thorell. To each 

 of these views, however, exception may be taken. Firstly, 

 ccesar is an East-Indian species ; secondly, Roeseli has sixteen 

 pectinal teeth ; thirdly, asper is probably synonymous with 

 Sioammerdami, which is also an Indian species. I am in- 

 clined to think that the species that I have named below 

 dictator may be the unknown af-icanus of Linueeus. At all 

 events the description of Linnaeus, so far as it goes, applies 

 to this species, as I believe it applies to no other, and I 

 have consequently regarded dictator as questionably synony- 

 mous with africanus. 



Scorpio cavimanusj sp. n. 



Cephalothorax. — Anterior margin with a median semicir- 

 cular excision ; margin of the excision and of the frontal lobes 

 piliferous and dentate ; the posterior deeper portion of the 

 median longitudinal sulcus bounded on each side by a low, 

 finely granular prominence ; the frontal lobes, the slightly 

 depressed area immediately in front of the ocular tubercle, and 

 the lateral and postero-lateral regions of the cephalothorax 

 finely granular ; the rest smooth ; the central eyes nearer to the 

 semicircular excision than to the hind margin of the cephalo- 

 thorax ; median eye of lateral series nearer to the anterior 

 than to the posterior eye of the same series. 



Tergites granular, more coarsely so anteriorly than poste- 

 riorly ; each marked with two abbreviated sulci in front, and 

 with an obsolete crest behind; posterior tergite bearing a 

 conspicuous median finely granular prominence ; the granules 

 upon this tergite more coarse, and showing laterally a ten- 

 dency to arrangement in definite series. 



Sternites perfectly smooth, furnished with the usual sulci, 

 the last bearing posteriorly four very faint keels. 



Tail. — Inferior keels of two proximal segments quite 

 smooth ; inferior keels of third segment and the spaces be- 



