Scorpions and Centipedes from Madras. 237 



This species has been recorded from so many widely- 

 separated localities in India that it is not rash to surmise that 

 it exists all over the country. The British Museum has 

 specimens from Sikkim, Umballah, Bengal, Madras, and 

 Bombay. All the specimens possess the black lines on the 

 tail which Thorell states to be characteristic of grammurus, 

 and a feature by which it may be separated from hottentotta. 

 This, however, is not the case, for nearly all the specimens 

 of hottentotta in the British Museum have black-lined tails. 



Scorpio Swammerdami (Simon) *. 



Heterometrus Swammerdcnni, Simon, Rev. Mag. Zool. 1872, p. 58, 



pi. vi. fig. 3. 

 Pandinus asper, Thorell, Etudes Scorpiol. pp. 125-128 (1876). 

 Pandinus Kochii (Peters, MS.), Karseh, Mitth. Munchn. ent. Ver. 1879, 



p. 127. 

 Scorpio lucidipes, Simon, Bull. Soc. Zool. Fr. x. p. 38 (1885). 



This Scorpion is the largest of the Indian species and one 

 that is very easily recognized in the adult condition ; the 

 cephalothorax is much depressed laterally and posteriorly, 

 the inner border of the hand is straight, and the tail is long 

 and powerful. 



Four species presenting these characters have been 

 described — two by Mons. Simon, one by Dr. Thorell, and 

 one by Dr. Karseh. But the examination of a long series of 

 forms, such as exists in the British Museum, shows that the 

 characters of these so-called species are not constant and that 

 they vary with age, sex, and individuals. This is clearly 

 shown by the appended table of measurements of some of the 

 Museum specimens. Included in the table are many of the 

 examples sent by Mr. Thurston from Madras, and these 

 specimens, being immature and adult examples of both sexes, 

 have proved most useful in establishing the above-given 

 synonymy. 



Of Sc. asper Dr. Thorell says : — " P, Swammerdami 

 (Sim.) valde affinis est P. asper ; forma manuum in utraque 

 specie eadem, sed P. Swammerdami major est, obscurior, 



* All must agree with Dr. Thorell that if the name Aranea be abol- 

 ished as a generic term the name Scorpio must be treated in a similar 

 fashion. But the principle upon which this system rests, if widely ex- 

 tended — and consistency demands that if it be applied to one case it be 

 extended to all — would lead to the abolition of many names which are 

 now in common use. Thus Papilio, Musca, Vespertilio, Anguis, &c. 

 wou d have to be abandoned, and much confusion would thereby be 

 occasioned. Consequently it were surely better that these terms, which 

 were originally used in a general sense, be letained as restricted by zoolo- 

 gists of the present day. 



