Parabuthus kraepelini Werner, 1902

Prendini, Lorenzo & Bird, Tharina L., 2008, Scorpions of the Brandberg Massif, Namibia: Species richness inversely correlated with altitude, African Invertebrates 49 (2), pp. 77-77 : 90

Parabuthus kraepelini Werner, 1902

Parabuthus kraepelini: Werner 1902: 599 .

Material examined: 5 ♂ ( AMNH [AH 1653, 1656, 1848, 3290, 3291]), 5♀( AMNH [AH 1652, 1654, 1655, 1657, 3292]), Brandberg, base of hill 282, opposite Orabeskopf [21°15'S: 14°38'E], 1.ii.1981, A. Harington, night collecting (cloudy sky, warm, windless), on harder flats at base of hill, sympatric with H. conspersus , P. brevimanus , P. gracilis , P. granulatus , U. gracilior , U. planimanus , O. jenseni , O. lamorali and O. wahlbergii ; 1 ♂ ( AMNH [ AH 3384]), 1♀( AMNH [ AH 3385]), Daweb (N Uis), 4 km S [21°03'S: 14°54'E], 6.ii.1981, A. Harington, on sand flats away from hills, one had a burrow, often nr Euphorbia bushes, sympatric with L. elegans , P. brevimanus , P. granulatus , O. jenseni and O. wahlbergii ; 1 subad. ♂ ( AMNH [ AH 3601]), 2 ♂ ( AMNH [AH 1795, 1796]), Omatjette–Khorixas junction, 25 km towards Uis [21°03'S: 14°53'E], 6.ii.1981, A. Harington (1 subad. ♂), syntopic with P. brevimanus and O. jenseni (2 ♂); 1 ♂ ( AMNH [ AH 2144]), Uis R., nr Kai-Nuses, nr Uis [21°11'S: 14°52'E], 2.ii.1981, A. Harington, syntopic with P. brevimanus , P. namibensis , U. otjimbinguensis and U. planimanus ; 1 ♂ ( AMNH [ AH 1193]), Uis [21°15'S: 14°50'E], 1979, H. Henke, syntopic with P. granulatus ; 1 ♂ ( TMSA 18158), Uis tin mine, Uis [21°13'S: 14°51'E], 7.ii.1969, J.J. Nel; 1♀( SMN 1621 [ SAIMR 860]), Uis mine, 30.iii.1969, J.J. Nel; 2 ♂ ( AMNH [AH 2085, 2087]), 2♀( AMNH [AH 2086, 2088]), Uis, 20 km from turnoff to Khorixas [21°02'S: 14°54'E], 6.ii.1981, A. Harington, drizzling, specimens on sand flats away from hill, often near Euphorbias, one in burrow, syntopic with P. gracilis , P. granulatus , O. jenseni and O. wahlbergii .

Ecology and distribution: This semi-psammophilous species ( Fig. 13 ) excavates burrows in open ground and at the base of shrubs and grass tufts in consolidated sandy and gritty substrata (Lamoral 1979; Prendini 2001 b, 2004). Although it may also occur in Angola, this species has been recorded only from Namibia (Lamoral 1979; Prendini 2004, 2005 a). It has been collected in the areas surrounding the Brandberg, but not on the Massif itself.

Figures

Figs 13, 14. Parabuthus adults, habitus in life: (13) P. kraepelini Werner, 1902, female; (14) P. villosus (Peters, 1862), male.