Family HORMURIDAE

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• HORMURIDAE.
• LIOCHELIDAE.

Introduction

The Liochelidae (as Ischnuridae) were, until recently, included as a subfamily within the Scorpionidae, but were elevated to family level by Lourenço (1989). Eight genera were included by Prendini (2000), of which only the widespread Liocheles Sundevall is known from Australia where it occurs in tropical areas. Liochelids are elsewhere found in Asia, Africa and tropical America, and on many islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Australian species occur under stones and rocks in eastern and northern Australia.

Following Monad et al. (2013), the family name Hormuridae is used in preference to Liochelidae.

General References

Lourenço, W.R. 1989. Rétablissement de la famille des Ischnuridae, distincte des Scorpionidae Pocok, 1893, à partir de la sous-famille des Ischnurinae Pocock, 1893. Revue Arachnologique 8: 159-177

Monod, L., Harvey, M.S. & Prendini, L. 2013. Stenotopic Hormurus Thorell, 1876 scorpions from the monsoon ecosystems of northern Australia, with a discussion on the evolution of burrowing behaviour in Hormuridae Laurie, 1896. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 120(2): 281-346

Prendini, L. 2000. Phylogeny and classification of the superfamily Scorpionoidea Latreille, 1802 (Chelicerata, Scorpiones): an exemplar approach. Cladistics 16: 1-78

History of changes