Pandinus
Encyclopedia
Pandinus is a genus
of large scorpions belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It contains one of the most popular pet scorpions, the emperor scorpion (P. imperator). The genus is distributed widely across tropical Africa
and the southwestern Arabian Peninsula
(Yemen
, Saudi-Arabia).
. Subsequent research subdivided the genus into five subgenera
, however recent studies doubt on these subgenera to represent natural groups .
, is considered a nomen dubium
.
and legs. The pedipalp
pincers are massive while the metasoma is porportionally thin with a small vesicle and stinger (aculeus).
They possess a stridulatory organ, composed of a rough area on the first segment (coxa) of the pedipalps and a 'scraper' made of bristles on the first segment of their first pair of walking legs. Scraping these bristles on the rough zone produces a scratching sound.
Genera of the subfamily Scorpioninae are extremely similar to each other and Pandinus is especially close to the south-east Asian
genus Heterometrus
. They differ mainly in details of the stridulatory organ and sensory bristles (trichobothria
).
sting. At least P. imperator rarely stings at all, and often prefers to use its massive pincers for prey capture and even for defense. The defensive behaviour of the other species is not yet studied in detail.
near rivers and other woodlands aside of savannah
habitats. Arabian species also occur in semi-arid
climates. Soft, loamy soils seem to be preferred by most species but ecology is only well known for the forest-living P. imperator.
, Togo
, Niger
, and Chad
).
The CITES-listing has been conceptually critizised for protecting three species, of which only one (P. imperator) is frequently exported for international pet trade. On the other hand, several other, unprotected species are also harvested for export, especially P. cavimanus and P. viatoris in Tanzania
. Even in countries with effective quotas, the origin of traded specimens either from farms or from the wild is hardly traceable. Beside of over-harvesting, the species are most endangered by habitat-destruction due to deforestation
.
Traded specimens are sometimes labelled "Pandinus africanus". This name is an invalid synonym
for P. imperator and apparently used to avoid CITES regulations for this species. However, other - unlisted - species were also traded under this name.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of large scorpions belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It contains one of the most popular pet scorpions, the emperor scorpion (P. imperator). The genus is distributed widely across tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the southwestern Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
(Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, Saudi-Arabia).
Taxonomy
The genus was introduced in 1876 by Tamerlan ThorellTamerlan Thorell
Tord Tamerlan Teodor Thorell was a Swedish arachnologist.Thorell studied spiders with Giacomo Doria at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale de Genoa...
. Subsequent research subdivided the genus into five subgenera
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
, however recent studies doubt on these subgenera to represent natural groups .
Subgenus Pandinus Thorell, 1876
- Pandinus imperator (C. L. Koch, 1841)
- Pandinus gambiensis Pocock, 1899
- Pandinus philippsii (Pocock, 1896)
- Pandinus smithi (Pocock, 1899)
Subgenus Pandinurus Fet, 1997
- Pandinus arabicus (Kraepelin, 1894)
- Pandinus exitialis (Pocock, 1888)
- Pandinus gregoryi (Pocock, 1896)
- Pandinus magrettii Borelli, 1901
- Pandinus meidensis Karsch, 1879
- Pandinus pallidus (Kraepelin, 1894)
- Pandinus percivali Pocock, 1902
- Pandinus viatoris (Pocock, 1890)
Subgenus Pandinopsis Vachon, 1974
- Pandinus dictator (Pocock, 1888)
Subgenus Pandinoides Fet, 1997
- Pandinus cavimanus (Pocock, 1888)
- Pandinus platycheles Werner, 1916
Subgenus Pandinops Birula, 1913
- Pandinus bellicosus (L. Koch, 1875)
- Pandinus colei (Pocock, 1896)
- Pandinus eritreaensis Kovařík, 2003
- Pandinus hawkeri Pocock, 1900
- Pandinus peeli Pocock, 1900
- Pandinus pococki Kovařík, 2000
Doubtful species
Pandinus boschisi Caporiacco, 1937, known only from one, presumably lost specimen from SomaliaSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, is considered a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
.
General characteristics
Members of Pandinus are generally large sized scorpions (c. 120-200 mm total length), which are dark to black colored, sometimes with paler metasomaMetasoma
The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory system, and circulatory system, and the apical segments are typically...
and legs. The pedipalp
Pedipalp
Pedipalps , are the second pair of appendages of the prosoma in the subphylum Chelicerata. They are traditionally thought to be homologous with mandibles in Crustacea and insects, although more recent studies Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi), are the second pair of appendages of the...
pincers are massive while the metasoma is porportionally thin with a small vesicle and stinger (aculeus).
They possess a stridulatory organ, composed of a rough area on the first segment (coxa) of the pedipalps and a 'scraper' made of bristles on the first segment of their first pair of walking legs. Scraping these bristles on the rough zone produces a scratching sound.
Genera of the subfamily Scorpioninae are extremely similar to each other and Pandinus is especially close to the south-east Asian
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
genus Heterometrus
Heterometrus
Heterometrus, which members are also known by the collective vernacular name giant forest scorpions, is a genus of scorpion belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It is distributed widely across tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia, including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as...
. They differ mainly in details of the stridulatory organ and sensory bristles (trichobothria
Trichobothria
Trichobothria are elongate setae, present in the arachnids, and various orders of insects, that function in the detection of airborne vibrations and currents.-Morphology:...
).
Toxicity
As in other Scorpionidae, the venom of Pandinus species is rather mild, human fatalities are unknown. Symptoms are mostly restricted to local pain, described similar to those of a beeBee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
sting. At least P. imperator rarely stings at all, and often prefers to use its massive pincers for prey capture and even for defense. The defensive behaviour of the other species is not yet studied in detail.
Habitat
Most species live in humid tropical low-land regions. They occur in rain forest, gallery forestGallery forest
Gallery forests are evergreen forests that form as corridors along rivers or wetlands and project into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands or deserts....
near rivers and other woodlands aside of savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
habitats. Arabian species also occur in semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...
climates. Soft, loamy soils seem to be preferred by most species but ecology is only well known for the forest-living P. imperator.
Conservational status
Three species of Pandinus (P. imperator, P. dictator, and P. gambiensis) are the only scorpions which are listed by the CITES Appendix II since 1995, due to overly exploitation for pet trade from the wild. Export quotas have been issued for P. imperator by several countries in West Africa (including BeninBenin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, and Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
).
The CITES-listing has been conceptually critizised for protecting three species, of which only one (P. imperator) is frequently exported for international pet trade. On the other hand, several other, unprotected species are also harvested for export, especially P. cavimanus and P. viatoris in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. Even in countries with effective quotas, the origin of traded specimens either from farms or from the wild is hardly traceable. Beside of over-harvesting, the species are most endangered by habitat-destruction due to deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
.
Traded specimens are sometimes labelled "Pandinus africanus". This name is an invalid synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
for P. imperator and apparently used to avoid CITES regulations for this species. However, other - unlisted - species were also traded under this name.
In captivity
The large size, its docile and gregarious behaviour, partly diurnal activity and mild venom make P. imperator the most popular pet scorpion. After listing of the species in CITES commercial scorpion farms have been established in several West African countries. A few other species, especially P. cavimanus, are also frequently kept in captivity.External links
- Images of Pandinus cavimanus and P. imperator. Exotics.nl