Systematics, evolution and biogeography of the Southern African burrowing scorpions, Opistophthalmus C.L. Koch (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae)
The primary aims of this research were to delimit and define Opistophthalmus and its component species, determine their geographical distributions, ecological predilections and conservation status, and infer a phylogenetic hyothesis for their relationships, using organismal (morphological and behavioural) and molecular (DNA sequence) data. Futher aims were to test the monophyly of Opistophthalmus and of the family Scorpionidae, and to determine their phylogenetic positions with respect to other scorpionoid families and genera.
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