Hottentotta Explained

Hottentotta is a genus of scorpions of the family Buthidae. It is distributed widely across Africa, except for most of the Sahara desert. Species in the genus also occur in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, southeastern Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Cape Verde Islands, and Sri Lanka (introduced).

Taxonomy

The genus was introduced in 1908 by A. A. Birula, originally as a subgenus of the genus Buthus.[1] It was elevated to genus rank by F. Werner in 1934.[2] Buthotus Vachon, 1949 is an often used but outdated synonym of Hottentotta.

Some authors subdivided the genus into three subgenera, Hottentotta (Hottentotta), Hottentotta (Balfourianus) Vachon, 1979,[3] and Hottentotta (Deccanobuthus) Lourenço, 2000.[4] The latest taxonomic reviews of this genus by F. Kovařík[5] reject this subdivision and recognizes a single, undivided genus Hottentotta. The differences separating the closely related genus Mesobuthus from Hottentotta are very subtle, and species have been often been misassigned among the two genera.[6]

Diversity

The content of this genus may vary, depending on the authority. At least 40-41 species are known:[5] [7] [8] [9]

Disputed species

General characteristics

Members of Hottentotta are generally moderately sized scorpions, with a total length of 70-; the smallest species are long, while the largest species reach 100-. They belong to the most colorful species of scorpions. The base color ranges from bright yellow to black, with most species colored in brown or reddish tones. Many species are ornamented by color spots or bands especially on the mesosoma. Coloration may be considerable variable between individuals of the same species or among regional populations.

They show a typical buthid habitus with gracile pedipalp chelae and a moderately thickened metasoma. The vesicle is bulbous and proportionally large in some species. The cephalothorax and mesosoma shows distinct granulation in most species, some are strongly hirsute. The tergites of the mesosoma bear three distinct, longitudinal carinae (ridges).

Toxicity

As in other buthids the venom in at least some species of Hottentotta is relatively potent and can be of medical importance to humans.

Hottentotta tamulus, the Indian red scorpion, has evidently caused human fatalities by cardiovascular and pulmonary manifestations of intoxication[12] [13] [14] and is considered the most lethal scorpion species in the world.[15]

Kleber et al. (1999)[16] listed envenomation by at least four other species as to cause clinically significant symptoms.

Relative toxicity and symptoms caused by envenomation from Hottentotta species
SpeciesMedian lethal dose
(LD50 [mg/kg]mice)[17] 		Symptoms[18] Species distribution[19]
H. alticolanot availableSevere pain, questionably cholinergic symptomsAfghanistan, Pakistan
H. franzwernerinot availableSevere pain, reportedly affection of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, questionably cholinergic symptomsAlgeria, Morocco
H. judaicus7.94Severe pain, reportedly affection of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, questionably cholinergic symptomsIsrael, Lebanon, Syria, southeastern Turkey
H. minaxnot availableSevere pain, questionably cholinergic symptomsCameroon, Chad, southern Libya, southern Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, questionably Tanzania and Uganda
H. saulcyi1.01not availableEastern Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, questionably Syria
H. tamulusnot availableSevere pain, cardiovascular symptoms (including acute myocarditis, cardiac dysrhythmia, ischemia-like changes and conduction blockade), pulmonary oedemaPakistan, India, and southeastern Nepal

This listing is not comprehensive due to lack of data and all species of Hottentotta are potentially highly venomous to humans.Note that the LD50 value might differ considerably between populations of the same species.

Habitat

Most species live in semi-arid to humid, steppe, savannah and forested environments. Hyperarid deserts are avoided. Some reach considerable topographic altitudes as e.g. in the Atlas Mountains, the Zagros Mountains or at the Hindukush.

In captivity

Due to their relatively colorful appearance Hottentotta species are often kept and bred in captivity. Popular species are H. hottentotta and H. trilineatus. As with other highly venomous buthids keeping these species in captivity is only recommendable to experienced people.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Birula, A. A. . 1908 . Ergebnisse der mit Subvention aus der Erbschaft Treitl unternommenen zoologischen Forschungsreise Dr. F. Werner's nach dem Anglo-Aegyptischen Sudan und Nord-Uganda. XIV. Skorpiones und Solifugae . German . Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlich-königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien . 117 . 1 . 121–152.
  2. Book: Werner, F. . 1934 . Scorpiones. Pedipalpi . Bronn, H. G. . Heinrich Georg Bronn . . 8 . 1–490 . Leipzig.
  3. Vachon, M. . 1979 . Notes on the types of scorpions in the British Museum (Natural History), London. Buthus socotrensis Pocock, 1889 (Family Buthidae) . . 36 . 4 . 233–237.
  4. Lourenço, W. R. . 2000 . The genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908, with the description of a new subgenus and species from India (Scorpiones, Buthidae) . . 13 . 162 . 191–195.
  5. Book: Kovařík, F. . 2013 . Family Buthidae . Kovařík, F. . Ojanguren Affilastro, A. . Illustrated catalogue of scorpions. Part II: Bothriuridae; Chaerilidae; Buthidae I: genera Compsobuthus, Hottentotta, Isometrus, Lychas and Sassanidotus . 141–212 . Prague.
  6. Teruel, R. . J. O. Rein . 2010 . A new Hottentotta Birula, 1908 from Afghanistan with a note on the generic position of Mesobuthus songi Lourenço, Qi and Zhu, 2005 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) . . 94 . 1–8 .
  7. Web site: Buthidae C. L. Koch, 1837 . Rein, J. O. . 2010 . The Scorpion Files . . April 7, 2010.
  8. Lowe, G. . 2010 . Two new species of Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from northern Oman . . 103 . 1–23 .
  9. Turiel, C. . 2014 . A new species of Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from southern Morocco . . 2014 . 181 . 1–9 . 10.18590/euscorpius.2014.vol2014.iss181.1 . free .
  10. Sousa, P., Froufe, E., Harris, D.J., Alves, P.C. & Meijden, A., van der. . 2011 . Genetic diversity of Maghrebian Hottentotta (Scorpiones: Buthidae) scorpions based on CO1: new insights on the genus phylogeny and distribution . . 52 (1) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004201001/http://www.africaninvertebrates.org.za/Sousa_etal_2011_5_1_494.aspx . 2011-10-04 .
  11. Web site: Taxonomical updates in The Scorpion Files for Buthidae (2008-) . Rein, J. O. . 2010 . The Scorpion Files . . April 7, 2010.
  12. Santhanakrishnan, B. R. . V. Balagopal Raju . 1974 . Management of scorpion sting in children . . 77 . 6 . 133–135. 4853089 .
  13. Bawaskar, H. S. . P. H. Bawaskar . 1992 . Management of the cardiovascular manifestations of poisoning by the Indian red scorpion (Mesobuthus tamulus) . . 68 . 468–480 . 10.1136/hrt.68.11.478 . 1467032 . 1025191 . 11.
  14. Bawaskar, H.S. . P.H. Bawaskar . 2008 . Scorpion sting: A study of clinical manifestations and treatment regimes . . 95 . 9 . 1337–1341. 14 April 2010.
  15. Ismail, M. . Bawaskar . 1995 . P. H. . The scorpion envenoming syndrome . . 33 . 7 . 825–858 . 10.1007/BF02761131 . 8588209. 683188 .
  16. Kleber, J. J. . P. Wagner . N. Felgenhauer . M. Kunze . T. Zilker . amp . 1999 . Vergiftung durch Skorpionsstiche . . 96 . 25 . A1710–A1715 . German . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110112052333/http://www.geiger-michael.de/skorpione/toxine_aerzteblatt.pdf . 2011-01-12 .
  17. Web site: Relative toxicity of scorpions . Chua Kian-Wee . 1997–2000 . April 7, 2010.
  18. Kanoo, S. . M. B. Mandal . A. B. Alex . S. B. Deshpande . amp . 2009 . Cardiac dysrhythmia produced by Mesobuthus tamulus venom involves NO-dependent G-Cyclase signaling pathway . . 379 . 5 . 525–532 . 10.1007/s00210-008-0375-7. 19037630 . 23872549 .
  19. 10.4103/0019-5359.19672 . Bhadani, U.K. . M. Tripathi . S. Sharma . R. Pandey . amp . 2006 . Scorpion sting envenomation presenting with pulmonary edema in adults: a report of seven cases from Nepal . Indian Journal of Medical Sciences. 60 . 1 . 19–23 . 16444084 . free .

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