Pandinus Gregoryi or Pandinus Smithii

[tabor]

Some comments from an article I dug up about Pandinus: "I am convinced that P. gregoryi, based on a female holotype, is a synonym of P. exitialis."

 

[tabor]

OK so this is a P. exitialis which according to the most RECENT research is the same as P. gregoryi (ie they will eventually be synonymously unified in to one species because they are the same thing)

 

[tabor]

To make a final call on Galpo's pictures I would need my Pandinus ID guide which I lost when I got a new computer. From what I have seen/know I would say that is definitely not an Opistophthalmus ssp. So I'm leaning towards smithii. I will try to get the guy to resend the photos I once had.

It would help if I knew where you got them from Galpo (PM me)

 

[tabor]

There is a picture of what I believe to be P. smithi on my post about helping to id. I'll post on it to bring it up, take a look at it.

Ok I borrowed the attached pic from your thread. THAT is not a P. smithii unless I'm completely off my mark here.

 

[tabor]

DISCLAIMER: Again I'm not standing behind any of my statements until I get my ID guide back ;P

 

[bigtyler1025]

tabor, here are the pics from the other post the guy is a dealer on here
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[tabor]

OK after talking to bigtyler, I have decided to post a final summation:

I have yet to see a proper ID guide or "on location" photo of a P. smithii. Only what is being marketed as P. smithii. Tyler says his looks more yellow in normal lighting, almost identical to Galpo's pics. What my conclusion is this: there is indeed a yellow/brown Pandinus ssp. being marketed and sold as P. smithii but until we get a definitive ID guide (one including granulation markings and such) we will never know for certain.

In the mean time I would refer to them simply as Pandinus ssp. because after hours of searing I cannot find one single REAL picture of a smithii (i.e. one from a scorpiologist) and all the papers that mention the species do not have pictures and only mention the species in passing, no description what so ever.

Until a definitive, DEATAILED guide surfaces there is no way of knowing.

 

[tabor]

tabor, here are the pics from the other post the guy is a dealer on here

Exactly, this is what is being marketed as a P. smithii. Is it actually a P. smithii? I can honestly say that I doubt anyone in the US would be able to ID it properly.

 

[Lennie Collins]

I have seen both a Pandinus Smithii and Pandinus Gregoryi. They both look like Pandinus Imperator EXCEPT smaller. The Pandinus Smithii is Golden in color and the Pandinus Greygoryi is brown/tan in color. After seeing Galapoheroes picture of the Pandinus Smithii and Tabor's picture of what looks like a Pandinus Greygoryi I am leaning more towards the Pandinus Smithii.

 

[GartenSpinnen]

Aw.... CRAP! According to what you guys are saying i got P. gregoryi. Someone better tell the dealers...hehehe...

But who knows? Do we really know for certain? Could they not just be different localities of the same species or something along those lines? I mean they do look very similar.... i have to admit whatever mine is, it is very pinchy .
Cheers

 

[tabor]

Basically dealer's are just slapping name's on things, so your could be smithii, something unknown (most likely). One thing is certain though P. exitialis is the same as P. gregoryi.

 

[Lennie Collins]

I might just say forget it and get both of 'em!

 

[GartenSpinnen]

How will you know your getting both of them when no one can figure out what they have, or if its even what everyone thinks it is? Until someone can dig up some papers, or something along those lines, lets for the sake of it find out where they are collected from and say "Pandinus sp. "Bla bla bla"".

 

[Lennie Collins]

Jadespider1985...a dealer in Wisconsin is selling the brown/tan one has Pandinus Gregoryi and a dealer in Arizona is selling the gold one has Pandinus Smithii. I guess buy from two different dealers? I probably want get the genus names right BUT I will get two different scorpions!

 

[tabor]

By the way I sent bigtyler the ID guide I have on Pandinus exitialis, and I'm pretty sure that's what he has, which is the same thing as P. Gregoryi.

 

[Lennie Collins]

Hey fellas...you probably been in the hobby longer than I have and you know species are given new or different names alot. Some species look alike with very small differences BUT it's enough to put 'em in another family!

 

[tabor]

Hey fellas...you probably been in the hobby longer than I have and you know species are given new or different names alot. Some species look alike with very small differences BUT it's enough to put 'em in another family!

Not a different family. At MOST a different species, more than likely a different subspecies. I get your point though. They LOOK different enough that its worth keeping a few of each type, regardless of what they are "officially".

remember: family -> genus -> species -> subspecies

takes an act of god to change families or establish new ones, or at least or research. new subspecies pop up all the time though.

 

[Lennie Collins]

Family, Genus, Species, etc, etc. I personsonally think that Pandinus Gregoryi and Pandinus Smithii are beautiful. Have any of you seen a picture of a Pandinus Dictator? I have had 4 Pandinus Imperator and they have all died. I keep my Pandinus Caveminus the same as I did them and he is still going strong. He is very docile compared to the care sheet reports.

 

[tabor]

Keep what you like Lennie, that's all that matters. Keep what you find attractive and enjoyable. and yes I have seen the pics

 

[tabor]

I'm working on my own rough draft of a Pandinus ID guide, since no one else seems to be doing it:

Hope this helps