Scorpion diversity and distribution: Past and present patterns

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to bring general information on the order Scorpiones. The content is in majority addressed to nonspecialists whose research embraces scorpions. Aspects covered include scorpion classification, diversity, and general patterns of distribution, applied both to fossil and extant faunas. Since a global consensus in relation to classification and/or patterns of distribution does not exist among modern experts, a rather broader perspective is proposed here, but several approaches remain open for discussion.