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Parabuthus transvaalicus

Contents 1 Parabuthus transvaalicus 2 Distribution 3 Type 4 Temperatures 5 Humidity 6 Feeding 7 Temperament 8 Substrate 9 Breeding 10 Sexing 11 Venom 12 Molting Pictures 13 Other Pictures 14 External Links

Parabuthus transvaalicus (common names include black spitting thicktail scorpion, South African fattail scorpion, South African giant fat tail and South African spitting scorpion) is one of the largest scorpions in the family Buthidae.

It is the most venomous scorpions in the south of Africa and is therefore dangerous to allergic persons and children. The spitting scorpion has relatively small pincers using instead its ability to spray venom over 1 metre as its main defense.

This species of scorpion grows to a length of 12 cm (5 inches) and they are commonly seen in black and brown or chocolate-brown. This species is a desert/scrubland scorpion and is found in Botswana, South Africa ,Sar , Zimbabwe and Mozambique under logs and stones. Wikipedia:Parabuthus transvaalicus

Distribution

Botswana Climate: Semi-arid; warm winters and hot summers Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Mozambique Climate: tropical to subtropical Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west

South Africa Climate: mostly Semi-arid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Zimbabwe Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Type

Temperatures

Humidity

Feeding

Temperament

between 80-85F

Substrate

Breeding

This species is relatively easy to breed when the husbandry is correct. Normally the male will initiate the courtship by clasping the female by her chelae. They will do the typical "dance" which usually lasts for about 15 minutes. Keep in mind it is important to know the sex of your scorpions before trying to breed them for obvious reasons. Adults are easy to sex as the males are built thin yet have bulbous chelae where as the females are much more robust with thinner chelar. The males bulbous chela will not develop until the last molt so in order to sex out juveniles one must look at the undeath side of the scorpion. Underneath is a "comb like appendage called a pectine. At the base of the pectine, if a long lobe is observed the specimen is a female.

The first female I mated had a long gestation of almost 11 months while the second female had a shorter gestation of 7 months with temperature kept around 83-85F. They both give birth within two weeks of each other during the month of August wich leads me to believe they postponed until the hottest month of the year. Interestingly, I had my male living with both females for several months with no problems. After they give birth I removed the male until the young had dispersed and were separated. I then reintroduced the male which mated with the females but after mating the females showed no tolerance to the males and I had to remove him from both enclosures for fear he might end up being another meal of the females.

The first female give birth to 67 young while the second female give birth to 52. Note: I have spoken with several Invertebrate hobbyists that have had some problems with getting this species to give birth to healthy live young. They report that they often drop yellowish colored eggs or undeveloped young. The people that have reported this are experienced tarantula breeders and going on what I know from tarantula hobbyists, the temperatures are usually kept in the 70sF which leads me to believe is the problem. My experiences with most scorpion species shows that they are much healthier when kept at warmer temperatures.

Sexing

Mating Couple

Female pectine

Adult Male Chela

Adult Female Chela

Venom

This species is known to have moderately toxic venom. With an LD 50 of 4.25 (1) this species is considered by most to be medically significant not as much for the strength but for the quanity it can deliver. To top it off this species is also known to possess the ability to spray venom at an annoyance. I personally have never witnessed this scorpion spray venom but several fellow Scorpion Hobbyists have reported witnessing this. Needless to say, this species deserves a good deal of respect and should only be kept by those with some experience in keeping scorpions that will exercise caution when working with them.

Molting Pictures

Other Pictures

External Links

Parabuthus transvaalicus CareSheet