Professional Documents
Culture Documents
57 17
595.4
I.
F I G . 2 . — S T R I D U L A T I N G O R G A N O F I N D I A N S C O R P I O N , Scorpio swammerdami.
lodged between the basal segments of the pincers and of the first pair
of legs. No doubt, too, a rustling sound is produced by the w a v i n g
of the pincers and the consequent friction between the adjacent
surfaces of these two segments. B u t in this case the notes or keys
are situated upon the base of the first leg ( F i g . 3, A) and the scraper
upon the base of the pincer ( F i g . 3, B ) . T h e arrangement is, conse-
quently, e x a c t l y the opposite of that which obtains in W o o d - M a s o n ' s
instrument. T h e position, moreover, of the stridulating areas upon
the respective segments is also different, the area upon the coxa of the
first leg being situated, not upon the main part of the segment, but
upon its m a x i l l a r y process (see F i g . 3, B ) , and that upon the c o x a of
the pincer being moved a corresponding distance to the front ( F i g . 3, A ) .
T h e latter is thickly studded with minute spicules, and the former
much more sparsely with notes, smaller than those that occur in the
Indian species, but like them in origin and essential structure, being
evidently nothing but hairs e x p a n d e d at the base and bent over at the
distal end. T h e form of these notes in the W e s t African Scorpio
F I G . 3 . — S T R I D U L A T I N G O R G A N O F A F R I C A N S C O R P I O N , Scorpio africanus.
A, C o x a of pincer with rasp, x. B, C o x a of first leg with keyboard, z, on its
maxillary process. C, Portion of keyboard enlarged to show the notes.
features pointed out, the notes in all the specimens e x a m i n e d are alike,
being thin, flat, leaf-like, and finely striate. T h e edges, when entire,
are evenly convex, though not infrequently they present a ragged
appearance as if frayed from rough usage. T h a t these notes are
nothing but modified bristles there can be little doubt, though since
they now occupy an isolated area practically free from hairs, the direct
evidence of their origin is not so clear as it is in the analogous cases
presented by the species of Scorpio and by the mygalomorphous
spiders.
Of all the species of Opisthophthalmus contained in the B r i t i s h
Museum two only, namely 0. wahlbergi and 0. pallidimanus, show no
traces of this instrument. B u t in these, as in the other species of the
genus, the upper surface of the basal segment of the mandible is
raised at its distal end into a prominence thickly studded with
bristles ( F i g . 4, A and B ) ; and when e x a m i n e d under a high power
these bristles m a y be seen to be modified in e x a c t l y the s a m e w a y as
F I G . 4 . — S T R I D U L A T I N G O R G A N S OF Opisthophthalmus.
A, Inner surface cf mandible of 0. glabrifyons, with three notes and bristly
prominence on the basal segment. B, Basal segment, with notes and bristly promi-
nence, in 0. carinatus. C, Keyboard of 0. glabrifrons. D, One of the notes of 0.
carinatus. E, One of the notes of 0. granifrons. F, Some of the notes from the tuft
of bristles of 0. capensis.