Belisariini Lourenço, 1998,

Soleglad, Michael E. & Fet, Victor, 2003, High-level systematics and phylogeny of the extant scorpions (Scorpiones: Orthosterni), Euscorpius 2003 (11), pp. 1-175 : 102

Tribe Belisariini Lourenço, 1998 , new status

Type Genus. Belisarius Simon, 1879 .

Composition. This new monotypic tribe includes monotypic genus Belisarius . The former subfamily Belisariinae is downgraded here to the tribe rank under the subfamily Brotheinae .

Distribution. Europe ( France, Spain).

Taxonomic history. Tribe Belisariini corresponds to the subfamily Belisariinae introduced by Lourenço (1998a; incorrect original spelling Belisarinae) who followed unpublished classification of Stockwell (1989). Belisariinae was originally placed in the family Troglotayosicidae (Fet & Sissom, 2000b) .

Biogeographic history. This unique, relict genus is the only Old World taxon belonging to the family Chactidae . This remarkable blind scorpion, which lives in litter and caves in the Pyrenees, has not been sufficiently studied; accounts of distribution and biology were given by Vachon (1945), Auber (1961), and Lacroix (1992).

Diagnosis. Synapomorphies. Chelal trichobothrial series Db–Dt very basal, distance between Db and Dt quite small; pectinal fulcra absent. Important Symplesiomorphies. Patellar trichobothria distance between esb 1 and esb 2 much greater than distance between em 1 and em 2; ventral surface of leg tarsus dominated with setal pair configuration, median row of spinules essentially obsolete; orthobothriotaxic.

Discussion. Taxonomic position of this genus has recently been influenced by its cave adaptations, i.e. the loss of eyes and pectinal fulcra. Both Stockwell (1989) and Lourenço (1998a) placed Belisarius in groups that were dominated by these suspect characters. It is important that Belisarius , along with genus Uroctonus , are the only members of Chactidae that exhibit orthobothriotaxy. The trichobothrial patterns of these two genera are remarkably similar (see Figs. 81 and 87). Moreover, the trichobothrial patterns found in these two scorpion genera play the key role in determining homologous orthobothriotaxic trichobothria in the other chactid genera which exhibit major neobothriotaxy. Of particular importance is the somewhat basal positioning of the patellar ventral trichobothria, v 1 –v 3, and the overall position and orientation of external series esb 1 –esb 2. See discussion under subfamily Superstitioniinae for more details on the previous taxonomic position of Belisarius .