Urodacus lunatus
| Urodacus lunatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype ♂ Scale bar = 1 cm (0.4 in) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Scorpiones |
| Family: | Urodacidae |
| Genus: | Urodacus |
| Species: | U. lunatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Urodacus lunatus Buzatto et al., 2023 | |
_and_Urodacus_lunatus_(green).png) | |
| Urodacus lunatus is only shown by green circles | |
Urodacus lunatus is a rare species of burrowing scorpion in the family Urodacidae. It is endemic to the northern part of western Australia and was described in 2023.[1]
Description
Urodacus lunatus cannot be distinguished from Urodacus uncinus with external morphology and examination of genitalia is required.[1]
Distribution and ecology
The species is known from 9 specimens from 3 locations in Pilbara shown by the green circles on the range map. These locations only make up around 50 km2 (20 mi2), which means it is a short-range endemic species, as it is likely distributed in under 10,000 km2 (3860 mi2).[1]
It is likely fossorial but this is based on the similar species U. uncinus. It is hypothesized that the males travel longer distances to mate, as this is common in the genus.[1]
Etymology
The specific epithet "lunatus" refers to the crescent or lunate shape of the laminar hook in the hemispermatophore, a part of the genitalia.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Buzatto, Bruno A.; Clark, Huon L.; Harvey, Mark S.; Volschenk, Erich S. (2023-11-03). Cooper, Steven (ed.). "Two new species of burrowing scorpions (Urodacidae: Urodacus) from the Pilbara region of Western Australia with identical external morphology". Australian Journal of Zoology. 71 (1). doi:10.1071/ZO23018. ISSN 0004-959X.