# Parabuthus schlechteri (Namibia)



## Ice Cold Milk (Feb 6, 2007)

Hey all, just picked up a couple different species from a friend who came back from Namibia.  
The first pics are of P. schlechteri, i'd assume that they've been positively identified (The guy really knows his stuff), but he did have a hard time ID'ing the 2nd species.  One specimen is currently being sent off to our local expert for ID, but in the meantime, any guesses?  
Both are Namibian.  
The unidentified species is smaller than the schlechteri, and we had 2 other specimens of it, both the same size.  

As you'll notice, they are not in an optimal environment for keeping...I took pics before I rehoused them.  So no need to tell me that I can't keep them like they are being kept!  However, I would welcome any suggestions as to how I should keep them.  
I plan on using a sand-velt (sandy topsoil, we get it here locally) type setup with dried wood and a few rocks.
oh and I'm using a $1 just for you guys!
-=ICM=-











other species:


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## Urizen (Feb 6, 2007)

That is Parabuthus Villosus for sure


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## cacoseraph (Feb 6, 2007)

love those legs

i guess i am a sucker for a good constrast


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## Bigboy (Feb 6, 2007)

Whatever the second species is I really like it, is it an immature Androctonus sp??.  How did your friend come to aquire a collectors permit in Namibia?


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## Arachnophilist (Feb 6, 2007)

yeah the second one definately looks lika an Andro to me.. no hairs on its tail like a Parabuthus.


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## Bigboy (Feb 6, 2007)

A.sergenti?  Sigh, after doing some more searching I'm thoroughly stumped.  My next guess would be a hogg, but neither match up completely with the picture.


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## Galapoheros (Feb 6, 2007)

Strange that they might be worried about permits for scorps when, from what I here in the news, they need to spend more time and money on resolving some poverty and civil war type issues in Africa.  There is a good reason for permits though, usually.  Awesome scorps and thanks for the $1.  That really helps with estimating the size.  Yea, the contrast on that scorp is cool!  I've often thought about moving to S. Africa, and allot of other places... Australia, New Zealand...  Allot of interesting stuff in Australia and pretty isolated from all the political junk.


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## fusion121 (Feb 6, 2007)

The second one is probably not a Parabuthus sp. due to the lack of general granulation/hairs and the stridulatory region. It does look like an Androctonus sp. (though whether it is one is another question), however there are no Androctonus reported from Namibia. It could possibly be from one of the more obscure Buthidae families.


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## ParabuthusKing (Feb 6, 2007)

Awesome scorpions.. I think I started drooling looking at the P. schlechteri .... I am very into the Parabuthus genus and would love to see all species bred in captivity ..best of luck with them, they are beautiful


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## Bigboy (Feb 6, 2007)

fusion121 said:


> The second one is probably not a Parabuthus sp. due to the lack of general granulation/hairs and the stridulatory region. It does look like an Androctonus sp. (though whether it is one is another question), however there are no Androctonus reported from Namibia. It could possibly be from one of the more obscure Buthidae families.


Yea, I tried to find references of Androctonus in Namibia but couldn't find any.  I'm not too sure though how well studied and catalogued scorpions and other such obscure fauna are documented in that particular country.  What genus do you think it might be?  Definitly buthidae, I love mystery bugs!


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## quiz (Feb 6, 2007)

Mr. Ice,
that is one beautiful Parabuthus :worship: .


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## Bigboy (Feb 6, 2007)

Hmm, you know the more I look the more I think parabuthus might just be a possibility.


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## JSN (Feb 6, 2007)

sweet specimens and pics...your a lucky guy...


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## tarsier (Feb 6, 2007)

beautiful scorpions.  

i really like the P. schlechteri.


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## Hannes (Feb 7, 2007)

Cool scorps. my favorite species...! My guess on the second one is P.granulatus. The most venomous in South Africa.


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## Hannes (Feb 7, 2007)

The 1st one is definitely P.villosus, the biggest Buthidae in the world, grows up to 180mm and are found in three colour forms.


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## Ice Cold Milk (Feb 7, 2007)

P. villosus for the first pics?  *shrug*...
These specimens _are_ quite huge.  so perhaps they are villosus.  

As for how they were collected, I'm under the impression that collector's permits are not needed, but as for how they ended up here in South Africa...I don't ask, they don't tell.  



The larger specimens were sexed for me as male and female...the females don't look gravid but could indeed be.  It's a bit late in the season though for them to be giving birth...maybe next year.


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## Hannes (Feb 7, 2007)

I don't think its to late, i've got a gravid P.transvaalicus and to gravid H.trilineatus scorps that are due in the next 2 weeks.


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## Alakdan (Feb 7, 2007)

Whoa!  I want one.:drool:   That's a very good looking scorp.  You're lucky to have one in your collection.


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## Michiel (Feb 7, 2007)

there are indeed no Androctonus species in SA, but these are two Parabuthus sp and not all parabuthus have hirsute metasoma's.....
There are around 30 Parabuthus sp....it is probably a less well known Parabuthus. 
Please be carefull with these species guys, they are very venomous.


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## fusion121 (Feb 7, 2007)

Michiel said:


> there are indeed no Androctonus species in SA, but these are two Parabuthus sp and not all parabuthus have hirsute metasoma's.....


The specimen also lacks the dorsal stridulatory region (as far as I can see from those pictures). The only Parabuthus sp. that lacks this is P. distridor whose range also does not extend to Namibia.

If you could take high detailed shots of the pedipalps, chela and metasoma you might be more lucky with an ID.


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## Hannes (Feb 7, 2007)

I'm sure the 2nd one is P.granulatus which is very common in that area(also found in diferent colour forms)


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## Hannes (Feb 7, 2007)

Here is a nice pic of P.granulatus.
http://www.ub.ntnu.no/scorpion-files/p_granulatus4.jpg


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## Kugellager (Feb 7, 2007)

You guys should talk to Johnathan Leeming if you don't already know of him.  He is your local (SA) scorpion expert and should be able to positively ID the scorpions you have...Get his book too (The Scorpions of Southern Africa)...excellent book.

http://www.scorpions.co.za/

Here is the AB review thread on his book.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=13604

John
];')


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## Ice Cold Milk (Feb 7, 2007)

Ya i think he might be the guy the one specimen is being sent to (Jonathan Leeming). Aside from that, Urizen says his friend's friend's father's ex-college-roommate's son is J. Leeming...so we'll see about gettin in touch with him that way. And ya, am getting his book delivered to me tomorrow!  When i recieved these, it was Leeming's book that was used to originally identify the first specimen...wondering now that we were wrong!

Am working on posting some better upclose pics as per Fusion121's advice...
won't be long.

-=ICM=-


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## Ice Cold Milk (Feb 7, 2007)

Ok, now i've taken a look at one of mine that was marked P. schlechteri adult female, and it looks nothing like the other female.  The other female has hair on the metatarsus and is brown/yellow contrast in colors.  

This female is 10-11cm, just as large as the yellow colored parabuthus.  
Could it be the same species as the smaller ones I have that were not ID'ed?

Ok and as per Fusion121's advice, i've taken upclose pics of different areas of the scorps.  
So as to conserve bandwidth, i won't post them here.
Instead visit http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v350/Ice_Cold_Milk/Scorpions/parabuthus%20ID/
the ones marked p_spec1_namibia are the small ones that i posted in my first post (app. 7cm length)
the ones marked p_spec2_namibia is of the large female that i'm speaking of at the beginning of this post (10-11cm length)
the ones marked p_spec3_namibia are obviously those big yellow and brown ones (11-12cm length)
I find myself terribly enthralled and entertained with figuring this out!  thanks guys!
-=ICM=-


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## errit (Feb 7, 2007)

Hannes said:


> Cool scorps. my favorite species...! My guess on the second one is P.granulatus. The most venomous in South Africa.


I definitly agree on that. 
my guess would strongly be P. Granulatus
they are awesome!


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## Ice Cold Milk (Feb 7, 2007)

Do you think that my scorps listed as p_spec1 and p_spec2 in my photobucket are the same species?  

...huge size difference, slight color difference...
but are more similar to each other than they are to the yellow/brown ones.


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## fusion121 (Feb 7, 2007)

With the more detailed pictures you can clearly see the stridulatory region on all 3 of the specimens so they must all be Parabuthus 

If you want a species level ID use this:
http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v32_n1/arac-032-01-0109.pdf

Otherwise its just going to be down to picture comparison which tends to result in iffy IDs


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## Bigboy (Feb 7, 2007)

What sways you to granulatus and not gracilis?


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## Urizen (Feb 7, 2007)

I'm meeting up with Johnathan, next week ;p he's giving a talk at morningside. 

spec 3 (in your photobucket) looks highly like P.Schlechteri. 

Spec 2, looks alot like P.Granulatus, except the colouring. 

spec 1 has colouring to make me think P.Granulatus.

<EDIT> I'm no expert, maybe you have got hold of aliens. Just don't get stung!  either way I reck it's gonna be eina!

Can I come over tommorow and have a gawk?


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## Hannes (Feb 8, 2007)

Ice Cold Milk said:


> Do you think that my scorps listed as p_spec1 and p_spec2 in my photobucket are the same species?
> 
> ...huge size difference, slight color difference...
> but are more similar to each other than they are to the yellow/brown ones.


I'm pretty sure they are the same and both look like females, they're very common in the northern cape all the way up to Alldays allong the Namibian border. The other one must be P.villosus....I've been wanting one since the day I started collecting scorpions. They are found in 3 diferent colour forms along the orange river and very common in Augrabies Falls National Park. Just I never had the chance to go and get me some....here's some pics of two different colour forms - note the carapace and hairy tail compared to yours..!
http://www.ub.ntnu.no/scorpion-files/p_villosus.jpg
http://www.ub.ntnu.no/scorpion-files/p_villosus_black2.jpg


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## Hannes (Feb 8, 2007)

Ice Cold Milk said:


> Ya i think he might be the guy the one specimen is being sent to (Jonathan Leeming). Aside from that, Urizen says his friend's friend's father's ex-college-roommate's son is J. Leeming...so we'll see about gettin in touch with him that way. And ya, am getting his book delivered to me tomorrow!  When i recieved these, it was Leeming's book that was used to originally identify the first specimen...wondering now that we were wrong!
> 
> Am working on posting some better upclose pics as per Fusion121's advice...
> won't be long.
> ...


You won't be disappointed with buying his book, it's helped me a lot especially when I just started ID'ing scorps. Just remember his book only features the most common scorps!! I have caught a few that was not featured in his book. Another thing to remember is that there is only one pic of each scorp in the book and you do not know what age they are and also your scorps could have been caught in a different area and could look allot different than the one in the book.


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