Vaejovidae

Vaejovis sp.

The Vaejovidae (synonym used in the 20th century for a long time: Vejovidae ) are a family of scorpions ( Scorpiones ), which in the arid, semi-arid and cold regions of North America occurs.

Features

The exact delimitation of Vaejovidae of other families of scorpions is difficult. Currently two apomorphies be used as criteria for the characterization of the family.

  • The patella, the all arachnids, including all known scorpions leg member between the femur and the tibia is the pedipalps carrying the strong shearing, particularly pronounced. It carries on the inside an elongate keel, which is not present in the other Family scorpions.
  • The spermatophores, actually Hemispermatophoren with the scorpions, are structures of chitin, which are deposits of the males during the mating dance and contain at the head of the sperm. These are Hemispermatophoren for the systematic differentiation of the scorpions of importance. Characteristic of the Vaejovidae is a pocket-like sperm is turned-up channel on the Hemispermatophor.

Distribution and habitat

With around 150 species Vaejovidae exceed the number of species of all other scorpion families in North America, which are represented with about 85 species.

Representatives of Vaejovidae live in the southwest of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The southernmost distribution area is located in Guatemala. These scorpions are found in almost all habitats and specially adapted to their habitat. They live mainly in dry desert and semi- desert areas. Some species are found in mountains up to 3000 meters above sea level, others are adapted to frost and cold. The most common type is the north Paruroctonus Boreus, the kind in the south to Guatemala is occurring Vaejovis Chiapas.

System

William David Sissom took in 2000 together ten genera. Since then reclassifications have been made by various researchers are not yet final, however, and were not generally accepted.

The following genera have been summarized as Vaejovidae:

  • Paravaejovis Williams, 1980
  • Paruroctonus Werner, 1934
  • Pseudouroctonus Stahnke, 1974
  • Serradigitus Stahnke, 1974
  • Smeringurus Haradon, 1983
  • Syntropis Kraepelin, 1900
  • Uroctonites Williams & Savary, 1991
  • Uroctonus Thorell, 1876
  • Vaejovis C. L. Koch, 1836
  • Vejovoidus Stahnke, 1974

2005 were provided by ME Sole Glad and V. Fet five species of the genus Vaejovis together with a kind of newly described in a new genus:

  • Franckeus Sole Glad & Fet, 2005

In the years 2006 and 2007, some species of the genus Serradigitus were divided into two new genera together with a new type:

  • Stahnkeus Sole Glad & Fet, 2006
  • Gertschius Graham & Sole Glad, 2007

In 2008, many kinds of large genus of Vaejovis ME Sole Glad and V. Fet were spun off and put together with some new species in four newly described genera:

  • Hoffmannius Sole Glad & Fet, 2008
  • Kochius Sole Glad & Fet, 2008
  • Thorellius Sole Glad & Fet, 2008
  • Wernerius Sole Glad & Fet, 2008

Vaejovidae and people

Some types of Vaejovidae are regularly held as terrarium animals. The sting is painful but apparently harmless.

Name

Vaeiovis ( linguistically correct but Veiovis, older Vediovis ) was the name of an ancient Roman underworld deity, an " anti- Jupiter", therefore, be equated with the ( destructive or vengeful ) god Apollo. Verballhornt put the name may in Vesuvius, who had given more than 500 years of peace before the devastating eruption in 79 AD and had dwindled to the Romans as a volcano from memory.

Tamerlan Thorell Desert climate Patella (disambiguation)
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