Hormurus waigiensis

Hormurus waigiensis, also known as the Australian rainforest scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the Hormuridae family. It is native to Australia and New Guinea. It was first described in 1844 by French paleontologist and zoologist Paul Gervais.^[1]

Hormurus waigiensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Scorpiones
Family:	Hormuridae
Genus:	Hormurus
Species:	H. waigiensis
Binomial name
Hormurus waigiensis (Gervais, 1844)[1]
Synonyms
Scorpio (Ischnurus) waigiensis Gervais, 1844 Liocheles waigiensis (Gervais, 1844) Ischnurus caudicula L.Koch, 1867 Ischnurus neocaledonicus Simon, 1877 Ischnurus dechangei Becker, 1880 Hormurus insculptus Thorell, 1888 Hormurus weberi Pocock, 1893 Hormurus sarasini Kraepelin, 1914 Hormurus caudicula novaeguineae Giltay, 1931

Description

The scorpions can grow to about 65 mm (2.6 in) in length. They have elongated and flattened bodies and powerful pincers.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Much of the species’ recorded range in Australia is in eastern Queensland, with some additional records from New South Wales, the Northern Territory, northern Western Australia, and New Guinea.^[3] As their common name suggests, the scorpions prefer warm, humid environments. Their body shape is adapted to sheltering in rock crevices and beneath decaying bark and plant litter.^[2]