# Micro-habitat, of Buthus Ibericus



## P_e_a_R (Aug 8, 2007)

Hello guys!

Today I spent some time for show you and to know better the characteristic of the micro-habitat of Buthus Ibericus.
So, first I try to see the most abundant insects in the area. 
That way, I try to locate a scorpion burrow and identify the insects that are surrounding in a ray of more and less 5 meters.
So, under that stone:






I found an adult scorpion in its burrow:











That’s the surrounding area:






To begin, I measure the depth of the hole and it has at least 5cm!!!!

I start searching for insects and the most common are:
Butterflies (its hard to see in the pic. Very hard!):






That beetles:











Many many grey grasshoppers! The sizes of them vary from less than 1cm to 3+cm.

Near to the hole have also a ant colony. Those ants were big. (at least 1cm).

That insects were all I found. I’ve saw none spider in the area!

I change the local of the search and, a few meters away I’ve found under that rock:






That really cute scorpling:











So I try to search in this area for arthropods that may be a meal for a scorpion with 1.5 cm long.
I found the same variety of grasshoppers and the ants are present. 
I turn ALL rocks surrounding the ray of  3/4 meters and ALL I saw was the ants and grasshoppers!

For curiosity, that were the plants that live in the area:






















That was the landscape:






And that is the SUBSTRACT of the micro habitat of this specie. The subtract is composed by black soil and some fragmented rocks (granite rocks):












I get a conclusion of the location of the micro habitats of that specie: That micro habitats are most common near to men made walls and although close behind of huge rocks, were vegetation is scanty:






An important thing is the temperature. That was 18h30 when I arrived at the local and the temperature was around 30ºC! Next time I will care a digital thermometer with probe to measure the temp on the burrow of the scorpion.

I hope sincerely that helps in anything. I know that isn’t very scientific dates but is the best I can do!  
I will, although, to make more visits to the woods and get more dates, namely about the living animals in the area.

PS: That was rabbits in the area    :


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## tabor (Aug 8, 2007)

Wow very nice !!

What other type of wildlife do you have there?


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## P_e_a_R (Aug 8, 2007)

Wild life?
Mamals: Rabits, naughtydogs, etc
Arthopods: Grasshoppers, flyes, butterflyes, scorpions, myriapods, dragonflyes, beetles, spiders, etc
Reptils: _Timon lepidus, Podarcis Bocagei, Psammodromus hispanicus, Rhinechis scalaris, Malpolon monspessulanus_, etc


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## xsmacks (Aug 8, 2007)

Hi P_e_a_R!
Very good pictures. Wish i could also look for my pets in the woods of my homecountry. 
The thing with the thermometer is really interesting! That will give us the real temperature to raise our scorps. Go on with your research.

greetings 
xsmacks


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## brandontmyers (Aug 8, 2007)

PEAR,

What other scorpion spp are there in that area?

Brandon


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## P_e_a_R (Aug 9, 2007)

Lokal said:


> PEAR,
> 
> What other scorpion spp are there in that area?
> 
> Brandon


Hi,  

Only Buthus Ibericus is found in Portugal! It's very similar to Buhtus Occitanus and Buthus Montanus present in spain.

Buthus Occitanus dont have a basal lub in the chelae.
Buthus Montanus have diferente teeth on chelae thingers and is a little bit bigger than the other two!

Here, I only found the Buthus Ibericus. The other is only known to be present in Portugal, but maybe present the B. Montanus but in other regions!


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## hail-mike (Aug 9, 2007)

very nice pictures :clap:


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## P_e_a_R (Aug 10, 2007)

Hi brothers,

Today I get some dates about the temp of the holes!

So, to begin today the max temperature (at 13h00) was about 34ºc. On the ground its was at least 40ºc! (We have to measure not the air temperature but the soil temperature, as the scorpions lives in the soil)

I went home and I've arrived at the first hole at 19:20.  The temperature at that hour was lower, of course. So I got some dates:
>Soil temperature: 30.1ºc
>Burrow temperature: 36.2ºc
>Depth of the burrow: 57 mm

I went to the second hole. That hole is what had the scorplings a time ago. I see that scorplings get ALL out of that burrow! That wasn't more any scorpling in that hole! So i think that the scorplings stayed at the mothers burrow for 3- weeks!
In that hole the dates were (at 19h35):
>Soil temperature: 30.0ºc
>Burrow temperature: 33.1 ºc
>Depth pf the burrow: 60 mm

So, opposity that we think, the temperatures in the burrow were higher than the outside! That is because the stone that is above the burrow absorves solar heatment during all day and stay in contact with the sand, mantaining the temperatures a little bit more high! 
On the other side, I think that in the top higher temperatures during the day, the temperature inside the hole must be a little lower that outside. 
So, in conclusion, I think that the temperatures inside the hole dont vary so much that the temperatures outside the hole!

I hope that helps in anything and, together, I hope we get a valid conclusion about that!

Cheers!


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## P_e_a_R (Aug 10, 2007)

heres some pictures of the temperature inside the hole:
1st hole:











2nd hole_


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## xsmacks (Aug 10, 2007)

Wow, 36°C (96F)? Sounds tough for a little scorp. I am keeping my b. occis at 28-32° and lots of people in the local forums here think thats to much for european Buthus, temperature should never be over 28°C.  Awesome research, PeaR! Thanks for the info!


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## P_e_a_R (Aug 10, 2007)

You can post my pics on that forum to prove that! 
But remind that in the winter here the temps get unbder 5ºc!

I think that scorps have a resting phase!!


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