Scorpions of the Brandberg Massif, Namibia: Species richness inversely correlated with altitude
Author
Prendini, Lorenzo
Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79 th Street, New York, NY 10024 - 5192, USA
lorenzo@amnh.org
Author
Bird, Tharina L.
Department of Arachnology, National Museum of Namibia, Robert Mugabe Avenue 59, Windhoek, Namibia
tharina@natmus.cul.na
text
African Invertebrates
2008
2008-12-31
49
2
77
77
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.5733/afin.049.0205
journal article
55053
10.5733/afin.049.0205
5718e8e9-b222-4871-9afb-dd8a8337fe37
2305-2562
7661550
Opistophthalmus lamorali
Prendini, 2000
Opistophthalmus lamorali
:
Prendini 2000
a
: 109–119
.
Opisthophthalmus undulatus ugabensis
Hewitt, 1934: 408–410
(
AMGS 6574
:
♂
only, not
♀syntype
), pl. I, figs 1, 4.
Material examined: 1
♂
(
NHRM
[
JF
173]), Brandberg [
21°14'S
:
14°30'E
],
8.iii.2004
, C.
R
. Owen; 1
♂
(
SMN
3090 [TB 07/05]),
1♀(
SMN
3089 [TB 07/05]), Brandberg, SW,
21°14'49.86''S
:
14°25'54.36''E
,
625 m
,
5.ii.2007
,
T
.L. Bird, A. Klann, P. Michalik & G. Talarico, scattered rubble, under stones; 1
♂
(
AMNH
[
AH
3202]), Brandberg, W foot [
21°09'S
:
14°42'E
],
3.xii.1982
, S. Braine;
1 subad.
♂
paratype
(
NMSA
10711 [
SMN
89]), Brandberg West,
32 km
from coast on road [
21°15'S
:
14°10'E
],
29.iv.1964
, W. Steyn;
1 subad
.♀2
juv.
♂
3 juv
.♀(
NHRM
[JF]), Brandberg West [
21°00'S
:
14°09'E
],
23.iii.2005
, C.
R
. Owen; 1
♂
paratype
(
SMN
1898), Brandberg West Mine,
21°00.51'S
:
14°09.03'E
,
300 m
,
17.i.1998
, L. Prendini & E. Scott, stoney plain with small drainage, under stone; 12
♂
3♀1
subad.
♂
Brandberg, Amis Gorge [
21°11'S
:
14°28'E
],
30.i.1981
, A. Harington (5
♂
AMNH
[AH 1742–1744, 1748, 1764],
3♀AMNH
[AH 1745–1747]), H. Pager (1
♂
AMNH
[
AH
3296]),
31.i.1981
,A. Harington (6
♂
AMNH
[AH 1929, 3367, 3369–3371, 3453],
1 subad.
♂
AMNH
[
AH
3368]);
4 subad.
♂
1 subad
.♀2
juv.
♂
1 juv
.♀paratypes
(
SMN
1900), Brandberg, Messum valley mouth [
21°14'S
:
14°31'E
],
690 m
,
17.iv.1999
, S. van Noort, under rock, gravel plain with Welwitschias;
1 subad.
♂
(
AMNH
[
AH
1749]), Brandberg, Numas Gorge [
21°07'S
:
14°25'E
],
30.i.1981
, A. Harington;
1 subad.
♂
paratype
(
SMN
1899), Numaskloof, Brandberg,
21°07.48'S
:
14°25.54'E
,
470 m
,
17.i.1998
, L. Prendini & E. Scott, under stone at base of rocky slope, syntopic with
P. granulatus
,
P.villosus
,
H. tityrus
,
O. ugabensis
and
O. wahlbergii
; 2
♂
(
AMNH
[AH 3288, 3289]), Brandberg, opposite Orabes Wall [
21°13'S
:
14°38'E
],
1.ii.1981
, A. Harington; 1
♂
paratype
(
SMN
1901), Messum Crater [
21°27'S
:
14°13'E
],
9.iv.2000
, M. Griffin, under stone, gravel plains;
1♀1
subad.
♂
paratypes
(
SMN
1897), Messum
R
., hills near intersection with road to Brandberg-Wes,
21°15.58'S
:
14°26.72'E
,
700 m
,
17.i.1998
, L. Prendini & E. Scott, low stony hills with Welwitschias, under dark metallic stones; 1
♂
(
NHRM
[
JF
109]), Tafelkop,
16.5 km
W [
21°03'S
:
14°10'E
],
10.iv.2002
, C.
R
. Owen; 1
♂
(
NHRM
[
JF
108]), Tafelkop,
20 km
E [
21°03'S
:
14°26'E
],
16.iv.2002
, C.
R
. Owen;
1 juv.
♂
paratype
(
NMSA
17185 [
AMGS
6458]), Brandberg area, Uis [
21°09'S
:
14°47'E
];
10 paratypes
, Uis [
21°13'S
:
14°51'E
], 2
♂ 2♀(
AMGS
), 1968, J.J. Nel (1
♂
TMSA
18201),
13.ii.1968
, J.J. Nel (
1 subad.
♂
TMSA
18199),
x.1968
, J.J. Nel (1
♂
TMSA
18200),
i.1969
, J.J. Nel (
1 subad
.♀TMSA
10028),
30.iii.1969
, J.J. Nel (
1♀TMSA
18290),
21.i–27.ii.1995
, E. Marais, preservative pitfall traps (1
♂
SMN
1792); 3
♂
(
AMNH
[AH 2034–2036]), Uis [
21°15'S
:
14°50'E
],
iii–iv.1981
, J. Botha;
3♀(
AMNH
[AH 2141, 2142, 2233]), Uis tin mine, Uis [
21°13'S
:
14°51'E
],
vii.1981
, J. Botha; 9
♂
3♀paratypes
(
SMN
1896), 1
♂
1♀paratypes
(
AMNH
), 1
♂
1♀paratypes
(
CASC
),
1 juv
.♀paratype
(
AMCC
100858 [
LP
1161]), Uis,
2 km
from town,
21°13.48'S
:
14°51.84'E
,
780 m
,
15.i.1998
, L. Prendini & E. Scott, rocky flats on outskirts of town, night collecting with
UV
detection, syntopic with
P.villosus
and
U. planimanus
; 2
♂ 2♀(
AMNH
),
1 subad
.♀(
SMN
2952), Uis,
3 km
W on road to Hentiesbaai,
21°13'57.5''S
:
14°51'08.7''E
,
814 m
,
31.iii.2006
, L. Prendini,
T
.L. Bird & S.K. Uunona,
UV
detection on warm, still, dark night, becoming windy later, followed by rain,
low rocky hills with
Euphorbia damarana
, small
Acacias
and sparse grass, specimens collected in open rocky ground; 1
♂
paratype
(
SAMC
C1367
),
Uis
,
Brandberg area
[
21°09'S
:
14°47'E
]; 2
♂
(
AMNH
[
AH 2130
,
2131
]),
Uis
R
., nr Kai-Nuses, nr Uis [
21°11'S
:
14°52'E
],
2.ii.1981
,
A. Harington
.
Figs 19, 20.
Opistophthalmus
adult males, habitus in life: (19)
O. lamorali
Prendini, 2000
; (20)
O. jenseni
(
Lamoral, 1972
)
.
Remarks: Specimen
NMSA
10711 [
SMN
89] was misidentified as
Opistophthalmus litoralis
Lawrence, 1955
by Lamoral (1979: 729).
Ecology and distribution: This semi-lithophilous species (
Fig. 20
) excavates shallow scrapes under stones in consolidated gritty or clayey substrata (
Prendini 2000
a
, 2001
b
). It is endemic to
Namibia
(
Prendini 2000
, 2005
a
) and has been collected in rocky areas surrounding the Brandberg (
Fig. 3
) and in gorges intersecting the Massif (
Fig. 4
), e.g. Numaskloof (
470 m
), but not on the slopes or the summit.