Arizona ??Desert Hairy Scorpion - Hadrurus arizonensis

[pandinus]

That is really impressive. If you don't mind, I have another question for you (I could probably spend a bunch of time researching but your an awesome resource and this is a scorpion forum!).

Your description seems to imply (if I'm understanding correctly) that the scorpion is synthesizing the toxins as they are being injected. I always assumed (oh assumptions) that the venom was sythesized a little bit more passively and that it got stored in the stinger, waiting to be used. The idea of a scorpion synthesizing a dose of venom in the moments before using it seems extra impressive to me!

Or am I wrong and the scorpion has several "storage" sacks in its stinger and it squeezes out a particular blend of ready made toxins?

i'll need to do a little bit of brushing up to answer this positively, but if my memory is correct then it is all syntesized before hand and stored in the venom glands, and when injection time comes the solutions are mixed, like for example how semen in mamals is comprised of several different body fluids which are stored in the body but are stored separately and mix right before release.


John

 

[Aztek]

And just for a fun fact... the Venom comes out of two sides of the acuelus, not the tip.

 

[pandinus]

alright i'm taking this directly from Biology of scorpions page 54-56

Each [venom]gland is enclosed in a basement membrane within which is a single layer of connective tissue; between the connective tissue and lumen is a single layer of glandular secretory epithelium (halse et al. 1980).... They[Mazurkiewicz and Bertke 1972, Halse et. al. 1980] also noted many membrane-bound vesicles within the lumen; these vesicles segregate morphologically different secretion products, which probably mix and rupture upon injection. Mazurkiewicz and Bertke interpreted these different morphologies of secretory products to be discrete entities, not stages of synthesis, because they are found in the secretory epithelium, the lumen, and the expressed venom.

John

 

[T.ass-mephisto]

speaking of fun facts. there are certain species of scorpions which can "spray" their venom. my questions here are two part, who many species can do this? and has anybody seen this happen? i bet it would be a sight to see.

 

[Aztek]

speaking of fun facts. there are certain species of scorpions which can "spray" their venom. my questions here are two part, who many species can do this? and has anybody seen this happen? i bet it would be a sight to see.

Parabuthus Transvaalicus is the only one that I know for sure.

Other Parabuthus specie are said to do it.

I seen it fill a bubble of venom at the tip of its aculeus

Some guy taped the metasoma of a P.Trans and concluded that it does squirt, not flick.

It's actually kind of uncommon.
But many people have witnessed it.

 

[pandinus]

the most famous cases are a few members of the genus parabuthus, but also to a lesser extent the genus Hadrurus has been documented to spray venom so it does occur, but only seems to extremely rarely as i have never met a soul who has witnessed it.



John

 

[T.ass-mephisto]

the most famous cases are a few members of the genus parabuthus, but also to a lesser extent the genus Hadrurus has been documented to spray venom so it does occur, but only seems to extremely rarely as i have never met a soul who has witnessed it.



John

i take it that this is a very last ditch defense effort, best saved for larger predators. similar to the lizards that squirt blood from their eyes. i find it very fascinating.