Family: Euscorpiidae Subgenus:Tetratrichobothrius Species:Euscorpius flavicaudis Common name: European yellow tailed
scorpion Distribution: West of Europe (Italy,
France, Spain), North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia). Introduced in Great
Britain (South South-East of England) and South America (Uruguay) Habitat: Temperate zones in
humid areas Venom: Not considered
medical important. It is Harmless for healthy humans
General
Euscorpius
flavicaudis
is one of the largest members of the genus, and it can reach lengths of
3.3/4.5 cm (1.3/1.7 inch). This species is a
small/medium-small scorpion, with a blackish/black-brownish body and
with a yellow/yellowish-beige telson and legs. The chela manus can be
brown/reddish. The Patella of pedipalp has an internal tubercle. It is a typical
harmless scorpion with large and strong pedipalps, a stout body and a
thin "tail" (metasoma). This scorpion is
found most of all in tyrrhenian regions, in humid areas as forests,
fields, woodshed, under stones and can also be found in old houses, in
cracks and crevices in walls and ruins etc.
How to differentiate
the E. flavicaudis from others Euscorpius spp
To start getting
a valid ID of these scorpions, you look at the telson and leg colour.
If the telson and legs are darkish/brownish, it is likely to be E. Italicus. If they are bright or
yellowish, then you look at body's colour. If it is reddish/brown , it
is likely to be "E.
carpathicus complex"
(E.
tergestinus, E. sicanus etc.). If it is
blackish/brown dark with yellowish/beige legs and telson, it is likely Euscorpius flavicaudis. But the most
accurate method to determine the species is looking at the
trichobothria ventrally on the chela manus and/or the trichobothria
ventrally on the patella: Euscorpius
flavicaudis
usually has 5 (sometimes 6) trichobothria ventrally on the chela manus
just before the movable fingers, and it usually has 13 (sometimes
10/13) trichobotria ventrally on the patella. Euscorpius italicus has at least 7
trichobothria ventrally on the chela manus just before the movable
fingers. "ex Euscorpius carpathicus
complex"
has 4 trichobothria ventrally on the chela manus just before the
movable fingers. To differentiate E. flavicaudis from subgenus Alpiscorpius, you look at the telson
and leg colour, at the size (Alpiscorpius doesn’t
overstep 3.8 cm (1.5 inches)) and above all the areas of discovery.
Euscorpius flavicaudis has 5 trichobothria ventrally
To distinguish
the sex the following factors can be taken into consideration: The
line of the
body; the male is more slender than female. The size of
pedipalpi; the male has larger claws and strong and aven have most
pronounced teeth on the chela manus. The size of the
telson; it's larger in males.
The length of the pectines; the male has longer pectines, with a larger
number of teeth than the female. The male has from 9 to 11 teeth that
overstep the first strnite, whilst the female has 7-9.
short pectines with 8/8
teeth is a female
longer pectines with
10/10 teeth is a male
Childbirth
Gestation period
should be 10/14 months, according to the quantity of food available and
the climate. The mother-to-be
will look for a hidden and humid place to give birth directly to the
living scorpling, from a few to about thirty scorplings white, soft and
swollen. The mother will
be placed raised forelegs, to facilitate the release of children, then
they will climb on the back of their mother, where they will remain
until the first molt (approximately six days). After that, the
scorplings will start to wander in the surrounding areas but remaining
around the hole all together for a few days. The scorplings should be
separeted to avoid cannibalism. The young
scorpions will reach the adulthood after one or two years from birth,
In this time it may happen from time to time that we see the scorpion
"swollen" and it stops eating. It hides itself for a lot of time,
probably the next time it shows itself it will be more larger. The moment of
molt (ecdysis) and of the post-molt are the most delicate and
dangerous, because they are helpless, unable to defend themselves and
the exoskeleton isn't still hard.
Reduced: 62% of original size [ 1024 x
751 ] - Click to view full image
female gravid
time of childbirth
cannibalism
first molt
second molt
third molt
juvenil
Keeping in captivity
The Euscorpius flavicaudis are solitary, they
aren't communal scorpions. The only contact
with others Euscorpius
flavicaudis (besides
from attacking them) they are for the opposite sex only for the time
required for mating. I have seen acts of cannibalism. As all Euscorpius sp , this is an easy
scorpion to keep, It is suitable for a beginner. The container
should be15x20 cm (6x8 inch) for one scorpion, 25x25 cm (10x10 inch)
for two scorpions. Give them a layer of peat at least about 5 cm (2
inch). I kept these
scorpions at temperatures around 30°C (86°F) at daytime
and around 22°C (68°F) at night in the summer and
around 15/13°C (59/55.5°F) in winter, but in nature
they live at higher and lower temperatures, even below 0°
(32°F). The humidity
should be around 70/85%. Provide high ventilation to prevent mildews. Like all
scorpions, the Euscorpius
flavicaudis accept
crickets, mealworms, cockroaches and also Oniscidea and others
Aracnidae etc. Give them food
once per week and remove the prey if they not eaten after 2/3 days. To
remove left-overs, forbear attract mites. The Euscorpius scorpions are timide and
feel easily annoyed, especially when they eat, and they could leave the
prey . These scorpions
do use their sting enough to capture prey, specially if the prey is
strong.
Often this
scorpion genus is underestimated because it is small. But I think it is
very charming and even though it is a small scorpion it can give the
same emotions of large scorpions and even more!
Alltextandimagesareowned bythe authorof the websiteandno onecancopyoruse themevenifa smallpartwithout permission
Reduced: 62% of original size [ 1024 x
751 ] - Click to view full image
