Hemiscorpiidae is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of scorpion

Scorpion

Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...

s with 72 described species in 12 genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

. Their old name is Ischnuridae, which had to be changed due to a naming conflict with the damselfly

Damselfly

Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...

 family of the same name

Ischnuridae

Ischnuridae most commonly refers to:* Ischnuridae , an extant family of dragonflies * Ischnuridae, a now superseded name for the scorpion family Hemiscorpiidae...

. They at one point also held the name Liochelidae.

Description

Most species have a very flat and broad body plan, due to their main habitat in tight rock crevices. Some long-living species can reach a length of more than 20 cm.

Distribution

Hemiscorpiidae are distributed throughout the world's tropics and subtropics. The family's center of distribution appears to be Africa where several genera are found, although it is also known from Australasia, the Middle East, and South America

Human interaction

Many species are held as pets.In this family are one of the less venomous scopions. Only genus Hemiscorpius have a strong venom; especially that of Hemiscorpius lepturus can result in deadly accidents.

Genera

• Cheloctonus Pocock, 1892
• Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899
• Chiromachus Pocock, 1893
• Habibiella Vachon, 1974
• Hadogenes Kraepelin, 1894
• Hemiscorpius Peters, 1861
• Heteroscorpion Birula, 1903
• Iomachus Pocock, 1893
• Liocheles Sundevall, 1833
• Monodopisthacanthus Lourenço, 2001
• Opisthacanthus Peters, 1861
• Paleocheloctonus Lourenço, 1996