In 2026, Prendini published a monograph that contains a revision of scorpion taxa of the world. This revision includes changes at family, genus, species levels for Southern African scorpions. As with the scientific process, some of these changes will be contested by other scientists, while others will be adopted verbatim. No doubt that these changes will take time to filter through popular media.

This page focuses upon those changes that affect Southern African scorpions. Download this detailed monologue using the link below.

Name changes involve lumping 2 species into a insole species, elevating subspecies to full species. There are three main changes for Southern African scorpions.

• All African species of Opistacanthus have been moved into Cheloctonus.
  
  
• Uropelctes formosus basuticus is now Uroplectes basuticus. Distribution Lesotho.
• Uropelctes formosus spenceri is now Uroplectes spenceri. Distribution Eastern Cape, South Africa.
• Uroplectes formosus maculates is now Uroplectes maculates. Distribution central Natal, South Africa.
• Uroplectes carinatus australis is now Uroplectes australis. Distribution Riebeek West, Western Cape, South Africa.
  
  
• Hadogenes troglodytes crassicaudatus is now Hadogenes crassicaudatus. Distribution Serowe, Botswana.
• Hadogenes troglodytes dentatus is now Hadogenes dentatus. Distribution Vliesenport, Rustenburg, South Africa.
• Hadogenes troglodytes letabensis is now Hadogenes letabensis. Distribution Letaba camp, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
• Hadogenes troglodytes matoppoanus is now Hadogenes matoppoanus. Distribution Hillside, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. 
• Hadogenes trichiurus caffer is now Hadogenes caffer. Distribution Keilands, South Africa.
• Hadogenes trichiurus graciloides is now Hadogenes graciloides. Distribution Cradock, Rooispruit near Rosmead, Deelfontein, South Africa.
• Hadogenes trichiurus pallidus is now Hadogenes pallidus. Distribution Blaukrantz and Tugela Rivers, Natal, South Africa.
• Hadogenes trichiurus whitei is now Hadogenes whitei. Distribution Grahamstown, Albany district, South Africa.
• Hadogenes parvus is now H. whitei.
• Hadogenes werneri is now Hormurus paucidens.

Acknowledgements to Dr Ian Engelbretch for decoding the name changes and updates.

The following definitions will help you understand the changes.

• Basionym - A basionym is the original name of a taxon on which a new combination (or name at new rank) is based.
• comb. nov. - New combination.or name at new rank (status novus, stat. nov.) is a new name based on a legitimate, previously published name, which is its basionym.
• Nomen dubium - a taxonomic name that cannot be assigned with certainty to any taxonomic group because the description is insufficient for identification.
• stat. nov. - a new name based on a legitimate, previously published name, which is its basionym. The basionym provides the final epithet, name, or stem of the new combination or name at new rank.
• stat. rev. - the status has been revised, updated or amended.
• syn. nov. - The species is found to be identical to another named species, and the binomen of that 2^ndspecies is older. The younger species' name is placed into the synonymy of the older species' name as a junior synonym.

Hadogenes

• Hadogenes austroafricanus Penther, 1900 [nomen dubium]
• Hadogenes caffer Hewitt, 1918, stat. nov.
• Hadogenes crassicaudatus Hewitt, 1918, stat. nov.
• Hadogenes dentatus Hewitt, 1918, stat. nov.
• Hadogenes gracilioides Hewitt, 1918, stat. nov.
• Hadogenes letabensis Werner, 1933, stat. nov.
• Hadogenes matoppoanus Hewitt, 1918, stat. nov.
• Hadogenes pallidus Pocock, 1898e, stat. rev.
• Hadogenes trichiurus parvus Hewitt, 1925 = Hadogenes whitei Purcell, 1899, syn. nov.
• Hadogenes whitei Purcell, 1899, stat. rev.
• Hadogenes trichiurus werneri Fet, 1997a = Hormurus paucidens (Werner, 1939b), syn. nov.

Opistacanthus

• Cheloctonus africanus (Simon, 1876), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus anthracinus warreni Hewitt, 1931 = Cheloctonus anthracinus Pocock, 1899f, syn. nov.
• Cheloctonus asper (Peters, 1861b), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus basutus (Lawrence, 1955), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus capensis (Thorell, 1876b), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus depressus Hewitt, 1918, stat. nov.
• Cheloctonus diremptus (Karsch, 1879b), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus jonesii sculpturatus Hewitt, 1914 = Cheloctonus jonesii Pocock, 1892, syn. nov.
• Cheloctonus laevipes (Pocock, 1893b), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus lamorali (Lourenço, 1981b), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus mossambicensis (Lourenço & Ythier, 2024), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus piscatorius (Lawrence, 1955), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus rugiceps (Pocock, 1897b), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus rugulosus (Pocock, 1896a), comb. nov.
• Cheloctonus validus (Thorell, 1876b), comb. nov.

Uroplectes