Mr. R. I. Pocock on South'African Scorpions* 'dUt LIV. — A Further Revision of the Species of Scorpions be-longing to the South-African Genera Uroplectes, Lepreus, and Tityolepreus *. By R. I. POCOCK, of the British Museum of Natural History. The distinctions between the genera Lepreus^ Uroplectes, and Tityolepreus, based upon the dentition of the digits of the chelse, depends, firstly, upon the number of enLirged teeth (whether 0, 1, or 2) at the apex of the median rows ; secondly, upon the position taken up by the teeth of the internal row with regard to the apices of the median series f-Perhaps the simplest form of dentition is found in such species of Lepreus as planimanus, Karsch, carinatus, Poc, and variegatus, C. Koch, where none of the apical teeth of the median rows are enlarged and the teeth of the inner series are throughout the dental area only separated by a small space from the extremities of the median rows and form transverse series with the two enlarged teeth, constituting the posterior termination of the median rows. But the position varies a little in the species named, the inner teeth being further forward in planimanus and carinatus, so that the short transverse rows are oblique, and a little further back in variegatus, the transverse rows being more angular. To this section belongs, in all probability, the type of the genus Lepretis, L. jnlosus, Thor., which is unfortunately unknown to me in nature. The second type of dental formula to be noticed occurs in such species as vittatus and Fischeri, which were also referred to Lepreus ; but the formula here is very different, the teeth of the inner set being separated by a wider space from the middle rows than in L. planimanus, and in the posterior five sixths of the digit the individual teeth of the inner series lie well behind the apex of the corresponding median row, so that they alternate with the pair of enlarged teeth of the outer set, instead of forming short oblique transverse rows with them. Considerable difference, however, in the position taken up by the inner teeth is observable, the teeth lying much * Collectors and others in South Africa who are not acquainted with the generic characters of Scorpions may usually readily recognize the species belonging to this group by their small or medium size, tolerably slender build'^ thin claws, and bright colouring, most of the species being varieo-ated with black and yellow spots or stripes, though sometimes the body "approaches a uniform bright green or even black. t For the sake of clearness 1 am considering in this instance that the teeth of the inner series have arisen independently from those forming the median series. Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 6. Vol. xvii. 27
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