Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-1980 Studies on the Scorpions of Libya Nuri Milad Barbash Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Barbash, Nuri Milad, "Studies on the Scorpions of Libya" (1980). Master's Theses. 1857. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1857 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDIES ON THE SCORPIONS OF LIBYA by Nuri Milad Barbash A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Biology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 1980 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my major advisor, Professor Clarence J. Goodnight, for his supervision throughout the progress of this study and his helpful criticism of this manuscript and stimulating discussion which have contributed greatly to my understanding of scorpions. Sincere thanks also go to Professor Joseph G. Engemann and Professor William VanDeventer for their helpful comments. I would also like to express a very deep sense of thanks to the Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, at A1 Fateh University, Tripoli, Libya, for providing me with the most generous help to carry out this work. Gratitude is extended to the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Dr. Tahar Rabte, for his assistance and cooperation. Special thanks go to my parents and my wife, Amal, for their encouragement and help and also to the graduate students Fardin Oliaei and Julie Medlin for their assistance in drawings and taking pictures. Nuri Milad Barbash Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. 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TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................... ii LIST OF T A B L E S ................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ................................................... iv CHAPTER I Introduction .......................................... 1 Geography of Libya ................................. 2 Biology of Scorpions . .......................... 5 II Review of Selected Literature ......................... 15 Early History ..................................... 15 T a x o n o m y ............................................ 16 III Design and Methodology ............................... 29 IV Results and Discussion ............................... 32 Collecting Areas ................................... 32 Classification ..................................... 34 Family Buthidae, Simon, 1879 35 Family Scorpionidae, Pocock, 1893 ............... 36 Results of Collections ........................... 37 T o x i c o l o g y .......................................... 49 Conclusions ........................................ 51 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................... 54 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES 1. Collecting D a t a ............................................. 38 2. Deaths Due to Scorpion Stings in Sabha (Libya) 1973-1977 52 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Hap Showing Location of Libya in Africa .................. 3 2. Dorsal view of Leiurus quinquestriatus .................... 7 3. Ventral view of Leiurus quinquestriatus .................. 10 4. Map of Libya Showing Collecting Areas .................... 33 5. Androctonus australis (dorsal view) ...................... 39 6. Androctonus australis (ventral view) ...................... 39 7. Androctonus aeneas (dorsal view) ........................... 40 8. Androctonus aeneas (ventral view) ......................... 40 9. Buthus occitanus (dorsal view) ............................. 41 10. Buthus occitanus (ventral view) ........................... 41 11. Leiurus quinquestriatus (dorsal view) ...................... 42 12. Leiurus quinquestriatus (ventral view) .......... 42 13. Scorpio maurus (dorsal view) ............................... 43 14. Scorpio maurus (ventral view) ............................ 43 15. Androctonus australis (dorsal view) ....................... 44 16. Androctonus aeneas (dorsal view) ........................... 45 17. Buthus occitanus (dorsal view) ............................. 46 18. Leiurus quinquestriatus (dorsal view) ..................... 47 19. Scorpio maurus (dorsal view) ................................ 48 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I Introduction Members of the Class Arachnida belong to the Phylum Arthropoda, the joint-footed animals. Members of this class may be found in nearly all areas of the world, tending to be numerous in the warmer areas and less abundant in colder regions. Among the Arachnids, one order, the Scorpionida, has representa­ tives throughout the warmer regions of the earth. Since the stings of many scorpion species are highly toxic to humans, their biology is of special interest to students who encounter medical problems in­ volving the scorpions. All species possess a poison sac at the base of the terminal sting. Fortunately only a few are actually dangerous to humans. An exception to this generalization may be found in North Africa where a large percentage of the species have venom which is highly toxic to humans. As a matter of fact, there are areas in which the scorpions constitute one of the most important problems encountered in North Africa, particularly in the interior of the Sahara Desert. Until relatively recent times, communication in Libya was con­ fined to