Help Identifying Scorpion!

[buggnoot]

I could really use some help identifying this species. My partner recently bought two of these little guys and we're having a hard time pinpointing the exact species. They were labeled as "South American Fat Tail Scorpion Buthidae sp."

The seller said they were almost fully grown. I don't have an exact length, but their bodies are around 1" from head to base of the tail. They have thick, smooth claws similar to an Asian Forest, but have an elongated telson.

Any help would be wonderful. Thanks!

 

[Tangled]

Did you get them from S&S in Houston or at a reptile show? They've been stocking on that they're importing as an undescribed Buthidae sp. They look really cool but I passed on them because of the lack of ID.

 

[darkness975]

Treat Buthidae spp. with caution. Many are medically significant.

Seems irresponsible to sell Scorpions to people without a proper ID.

 

[Dry Desert]

Treat Buthidae spp. with caution. Many are medically significant.

Seems irresponsible to sell Scorpions to people without a proper ID.

I think most inverts are sold without proper I.D. because from the catchers to the dealers to the retailers no-one has a clue what it is, and is sold under " that's what it possibly is " basis

 

[Dry Desert]

I could really use some help identifying this species. My partner recently bought two of these little guys and we're having a hard time pinpointing the exact species. They were labeled as "South American Fat Tail Scorpion Buthidae sp."

The seller said they were almost fully grown. I don't have an exact length, but their bodies are around 1" from head to base of the tail. They have thick, smooth claws similar to an Asian Forest, but have an elongated telson.

Any help would be wonderful. Thanks!
View attachment 300436 View attachment 300438

Judging by the size of the Chela I don't think they are from the Buthidae family, they are probably one of the smaller species from Chile, again going by the size of the claws I don't think they are overly venomous.

 

[buggnoot]

Admittedly, it wasn't the wisest move to get these scorps without a 100% ID. Until we know what they are for sure, we're treating them as if they're a one-sting-kill. We were aware that they were likely pretty potent, so we are being extremely cautious.

Assuming they are in fact from South America, the two of us independently deduced that they were likely a species from Ecuador after looking through LOTS of scorpion pics. I don't have the suspected species name on hand at the moment though.

They look a lot like miniature Emperors or AFSs. And judging by the fact that Ecuador gets 110" of rain a year, we're assuming a humid environment is best. Judging by their appearance, their chela do look large enough that they might not be extremely venomous and their tails aren't as thick as many of the Fat Tails I was seeing in my search (To be safe, we're still treating them as extremely venomous.).

During the transfer to a new enclosure (breeder said he was keeping them communal with no issues), we found out they are both males. They don't seem particularly aggressive, especially around each other. Although after some maneuvering with tongs to get a good look at his underside, one did try to sting the tongs once (maybe, not 100% if he went for a sting). I'm not sure if going for the sting first instead of a pinch means they pack a powerful sting or not.

So far these mystery guys are super interesting and will be treated with extreme caution. If we had known that they were going to be so hard to identify, we would have gone with something else.
Don't be dumb. Always get an ID first. Lesson learned.

(These were from S&S Exotics at NARBC Arlington.)
I'll be posting the species that I think they might be later when I get a chance.

 

[buggnoot]

The scorpion I've found that most closely resembles the two we have is Teuthraustes atramentarius.

 

[Mordax8393]

100% Not buthidae, but still treat it with caution. The sting shouldn't be bad but its best not to take chances. If it is truly from South America, it looks like a Chactas sp. or a Teuthraustes sp. Neither are that potent. However, the elongated telson is characteristic of Chaerilus, a south Asian genus. They are common in the scorpion trade. The guy who you bought this one from might have just sold you some inexpensive Chaerilus sp. scorpions as a Buthid to charge you more money...

 

[Dry Desert]

Admittedly, it wasn't the wisest move to get these scorps without a 100% ID. Until we know what they are for sure, we're treating them as if they're a one-sting-kill. We were aware that they were likely pretty potent, so we are being extremely cautious.

Assuming they are in fact from South America, the two of us independently deduced that they were likely a species from Ecuador after looking through LOTS of scorpion pics. I don't have the suspected species name on hand at the moment though.

They look a lot like miniature Emperors or AFSs. And judging by the fact that Ecuador gets 110" of rain a year, we're assuming a humid environment is best. Judging by their appearance, their chela do look large enough that they might not be extremely venomous and their tails aren't as thick as many of the Fat Tails I was seeing in my search (To be safe, we're still treating them as extremely venomous.).

During the transfer to a new enclosure (breeder said he was keeping them communal with no issues), we found out they are both males. They don't seem particularly aggressive, especially around each other. Although after some maneuvering with tongs to get a good look at his underside, one did try to sting the tongs once (maybe, not 100% if he went for a sting). I'm not sure if going for the sting first instead of a pinch means they pack a powerful sting or not.

So far these mystery guys are super interesting and will be treated with extreme caution. If we had known that they were going to be so hard to identify, we would have gone with something else.
Don't be dumb. Always get an ID first. Lesson learned.

(These were from S&S Exotics at NARBC Arlington.)
I'll be posting the species that I think they might be later when I get a chance.

Regarding husbandry - Black and SHINEY usually means Tropical Rainforest.

 

[Dry Desert]

The scorpion I've found that most closely resembles the two we have is Teuthraustes atramentarius.

Carried out some checking and yes it seems like they are T. atramentarius, a small Ecuadorial scorpion with the female measuring 48.9mm, obviously the two males you have will be slightly smaller - with no medical importance venom wise.

 

[buggnoot]

Carried out some checking and yes it seems like they are T. atramentarius, a small Ecuadorial scorpion with the female measuring 48.9mm, obviously the two males you have will be slightly smaller - with no medical importance venom wise.

Thanks for the second opinion! I called the shop yesterday to tell them what they most likely were and that they were mislabeled.