The scorpions of the urban habitat of Rome (Italy)

Abstract

A review of the scorpions (three species of the genus Euscorpius, family Chactidae) found in the urban habitat of Rome, Central Italy, together with an analysis of the factors which affect their distribution and abundance in the town, is pointed out. It appears that Euscorpius carpathicus, a species commonly found on limestone terrains in Latium, is frequent, though not particularly abundant, in the urban area of the city especially along the course of the Tiber River. It appears that Euscorpius flavicaudis, a species commonly found on volcanic terrains in Latium and the most common terrains in and around the area of Rome, is the most common species in both the urban and suburban areas of the city. It appears that Euscorpius italicus, a species common in north and northeastern Latium, is represented, in the sample of the scorpions of the city, by a single, possibly aberrant, specimen.