The fine structure of the book lungs of scorpions is diverse and phylogenetically informative, but has not been comprehensively investigated across the major lineages of the order. In this contribution, we present a fully illustrated atlas of the variation in book lung fine structure among 200 exemplars from 100 genera and 18 families of extant scorpions. We document variation in the surface sculpturing of the respiratory lamellae, the edges of the lamellae in the atrial chamber, and the posterior valvelike edges of the spiracles. These data provide insights into the phylogenetic relationships among Recent scorpions at several branches of the tree.
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24 December 2008
An Atlas of Book Lung Fine Structure in the Order Scorpiones (Arachnida)
CARSTEN KAMENZ,
LORENZO PRENDINI
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
Vol. 2008 • No. 316
December 2008
Vol. 2008 • No. 316
December 2008
Arachnida
book lungs
fine structure
lamella
morphology
phylogeny
Scorpiones