# Androctonus mauritanicus



## Kaos (Jul 12, 2004)

Just wanted to share some pics Androctonus mauritanicus male.


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## PIter (Jul 12, 2004)

Man that one cool scorpion! I love the chela, there so slender. And the dust like mesosoma. Thanks for sharing, can you post and enclosure pic aswell? I like the soil.


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## Kaos (Jul 12, 2004)

Sorry, just changed the enclosure, took the pics when moving it. The substrate is a mix of black quartz-sand(spelling?) and peat, looks neat


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## PIter (Jul 12, 2004)

Kaos said:
			
		

> Sorry, just changed the enclosure, took the pics when moving it. The substrate is a mix of black quartz-sand(spelling?) and peat, looks neat


Sure does, where did you buy it? I'm going to redo and do a whole lot of enclosures soon


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## Kaos (Jul 12, 2004)

I bought it at a pet store, but i'm sure you can get something similar cheaper elsewhere.


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## carpe scorpio (Jul 12, 2004)

Kaos said:
			
		

> I bought it at a pet store, but i'm sure you can get something similar cheaper elsewhere.


Truly a thing of beauty, I wish I could buy those at a pet store, you are very lucky. I would point out however, that this appears to be A. bicolor rather than A. mauritanicus.


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## Wolvie56X (Jul 12, 2004)

its an A. Bicolor, the yellow, slender pedipalps isnt a characteristic of the A. Mauritanicus, its more of a mat black/dark grey color, with no other apparent colors on it

still an awesome scorp, i love my 2 Bicolors


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## pandinus (Jul 12, 2004)

i notice almost every androctonous i have ever seen is rather fat/beefy. is that the way they are built, or are they healthy eaters or what?


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## carpe scorpio (Jul 12, 2004)

pandinus said:
			
		

> i notice almost every androctonous i have ever seen is rather fat/beefy. is that the way they are built, or are they healthy eaters or what?


All of the ones I've ever had have been total pigs. They are all well built little eating machines with VERY strong tails(metasomas).


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## Mr. X (Jul 12, 2004)

Wolvie56X said:
			
		

> its an A. Bicolor, the yellow, slender pedipalps isnt a characteristic of the A. Mauritanicus, its more of a mat black/dark grey color, with no other apparent colors on it
> 
> still an awesome scorp, i love my 2 Bicolors


I agree, that's what i thought at first sight. Bicolor ROCKS anyways.  

xav


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## Kaos (Jul 13, 2004)

Hi carpe, I think you misunderstood, the scorp was not bought at a pet store  but the sand in it's enclosure was  The scorp was sendt to me from Austria. 

Does any one one have a paper that cites differences between A. mauritanicus and A. bicolor?



			
				carpe scorpio said:
			
		

> Truly a thing of beauty, I wish I could buy those at a pet store, you are very lucky. I would point out however, that this appears to be A. bicolor rather than A. mauritanicus.


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## carpe scorpio (Jul 13, 2004)

Kim, all I can say is DUH!, I wasn't paying close enough attention, sorry. I wish I had a specific paper on this, I rely heavily on the remarkable drawings contained in the book: "Scorpions of Medical Importance" by Keegan.


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## Kaos (Jul 13, 2004)

carpe scorpio said:
			
		

> Kim, all I can say is DUH!, I wasn't paying close enough attention, sorry. I wish I had a specific paper on this, I rely heavily on the remarkable drawings contained in the book: "Scorpions of Medical Importance" by Keegan.


Been looking for that book for a while. Guess i better take a new round in the web shops to see if i can find it.


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## No name (Jul 13, 2004)

carpe scorpio said:
			
		

> I would point out however, that this appears to be A. bicolor rather than A. mauritanicus.


Hi everyone,

Just would like to follow up this topic on how accurately in distinguish between Androctonus bicolor/mauritanicus. I think everyone here ,especially those who own either the 2 above Androctonus sp would really like to know which is the truely sp that they are holding. But, so far, to what I understand, we are merely guessing or repeating statements that we read, guessed from pictures(since lighting and all other factors affect a pic) or hear from unknown sources which we often speculate about.

Most of the time,I felt that we are very easily mistaken with these 2 species by dealers or pet shop owners whom we think they would know everything. But most often they are always mislabel, and the wrong message just pass on.

Therefore, not until somesone who is confident that his/her scorp is a Androctonus mauritanicus sp. This uncertainty will goes on......

This is by far, the best article in differentiating the tro,

Androctonus bicolor (C.L.Koch, 1839) 
 North Africa: (Tunesien, Morocco and Algeria).  Large kind, which can reach 8, cm of dark color uniform for the body. Of black olive at brown chocolate with sometimes the ends of the fingers of the tweezers and the last articles of the little clearer ambulatory legs. 

Androctonus mauretanicus (Pocock, 1902)  North Africa: Morocco (Atlas). Large kind, which can achieve at the most on the adult stage, 9 dark, brown color cm uniform dark at black with, the ventral side of the abdomen and the ends of the clearer ambulatory legs. 

Androctonus sergenti (Vachon, 1948)  North Africa: Morocco (anti Atlas). Large kind, which can reach 7.5, cm von Farbe goes evenly brown chocolate to brown black with sometimes abdomen under dark somewhat less, those the one little clearer tail and the ambulatory legs easily 
Best regards,


PS: If you happen to know another buthids sp name Androctonus sergenti. You will know it's not an easy task  to identify closely related sp kins just merely by photos.


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## carpe scorpio (Jul 13, 2004)

I still believe that it is A. bicolor. Perhaps after some super close-up photos of the chela fingers can be taken, we will know for sure.


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## Kaos (Jul 13, 2004)

carpe scorpio said:
			
		

> I still believe that it is A. bicolor. Perhaps after some super close-up photos of the chela fingers can be taken, we will know for sure.


I'll see what i can do.


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## Ythier (Jul 13, 2004)

Hi,
for me also it's b.bicolor or b.aeneas, not mauretanicus for sure.
Greetings,
Eric


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## Kaos (Jul 13, 2004)

Ythier said:
			
		

> Hi,
> for me also it's b.bicolor or b.aeneas, not mauretanicus for sure.
> Greetings,
> Eric


Hi Eric,
It does look very much like the Androctonus bicolor aeneas  pictured on your web site :?


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## errit (Jul 13, 2004)

I would say bicolor as well. As i look at the pincers and its head.


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## NrthCstInverts (Jul 13, 2004)

AAAHHHHHHH how i miss my Bicolor... i loved that lil guy for no other reason than he would charge full bore to the front of his tank when i came near... full of piss and viniger that one was... TIME TO GET ANOTHER ONE I THINK!!!


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## Fergrim (Jul 13, 2004)

I can't wait to get a Bicolor.. I'm so jealous..


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## carpe scorpio (Jul 13, 2004)

Fergrim said:
			
		

> I can't wait to get a Bicolor.. I'm so jealous..


Be careful, they move like no other. It has to be seen to be believed.


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## Fergrim (Jul 13, 2004)

the teleporting that everyone describes.. that's scary.  But I wouldn't get something that hot without tons of conversation with someone with experience and a lot of research.


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## NrthCstInverts (Jul 13, 2004)

It is kinda surreal  and unnatural how fast they move.... i guess teleporting is a pretty good way of describing it...lol.  they arent at all afraid of your size, or to use that stinger, at least ALL the Bicolors ive ever seen have had that same " I Hate Life" attitude.


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## carpe scorpio (Jul 13, 2004)

wildnmildpets said:
			
		

> It is kinda surreal  and unnatural how fast they move.... i guess teleporting is a pretty good way of describing it...lol.  they arent at all afraid of your size, or to use that stinger, at least ALL the Bicolors ive ever seen have had that same " I Hate Life" attitude.


Welcome to arachnoboards!, I see you have good taste in scorpions.


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## NrthCstInverts (Jul 13, 2004)

TY Carpe Scorpio!


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## Stormcrow (Jul 16, 2004)

I agree Keegan's book is full of awesome illustrations, but the book itself is very out of date. Still contains some excellent insights but species descriptions especially colorations are out of date.


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## carpe scorpio (Jul 16, 2004)

Stormcrow said:
			
		

> I agree Keegan's book is full of awesome illustrations, but the book itself is very out of date. Still contains some excellent insights but species descriptions especially colorations are out of date.


Yes, a lot of the names and families have been revised. I just can't find any better drawings for my purposes.


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## Stormcrow (Jul 16, 2004)

Yeah, I wish a publisher would have another go at a revised verion of Scorpions of Medical Importance. Everything in medical research, toxicology, and arachnology updated and useful by today's standards. With even more illustrations and deeper descriptions and sting reports.


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## fusion121 (Jul 16, 2004)

Stormcrow said:
			
		

> Yeah, I wish a publisher would have another go at a revised verion of Scorpions of Medical Importance. Everything in medical research, toxicology, and arachnology updated and useful by today's standards. With even more illustrations and deeper descriptions and sting reports.


"Scorpions of medical importance" is a good book but its relatively basic and on occasion wrong, if your looking for something with more depth, go for the "Biology of scorpions" by Polis, definitely the seminal work on scorpology and full of incredibly useful data; LD50 values, genus level keys(unfortunately not with the Fet et al. 2000 revisions), illustrations of morphological features, basic scorpion ecology. I could go on, its fantastic if you haven't read it already seriously condsider doing so.


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## carpe scorpio (Jul 16, 2004)

Stormcrow said:
			
		

> Yeah, I wish a publisher would have another go at a revised verion of Scorpions of Medical Importance. Everything in medical research, toxicology, and arachnology updated and useful by today's standards. With even more illustrations and deeper descriptions and sting reports.


If they did that, I would put in an  advance order with the publisher.


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## skinheaddave (Jul 16, 2004)

No name said:
			
		

> This is by far, the best article in differentiating the tro,


What is the citation on that?

Cheers,
Dave


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## No name (Jul 16, 2004)

skinheaddave said:
			
		

> What is the citation on that?
> 
> Cheers,
> Dave


Hi Dave,

It refers to the identification of certain Androctonus sp through their apperance( since the thread here is debating on how to identify A bicolor to A mauritanicus). At least, it from one of the more reliable source that I can find,at least at the very moment.

Regards,


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## skinheaddave (Jul 17, 2004)

I think you misunderstood.  I was looking for the citation for the article -- the author, title, journal, issue number and page numbers.  That way I can get my library's interlibrary loan department to get me a copy.

Cheers,
Dave


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