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This sting report was written by Rick C. West and is posted here with his permission.
I have been stung on the index finger by a mature female Centruroides limpidus. The images of this specimen are on Jan Ove Rein's Scorpion File gallery.
Admin note: A link to this site can be found in the links section.
Stupidly, I picked the specimen up by the sting so it couldn't sting me. As I eased it into a bottle, it twisted the tail and telson into my finger. The sting was initially painful, then slowly my arm became numb like it had been injected with dental freezing - Novocain. Even stupider (such a word?), I was alone in the mountains and had to walk 20 minutes back to my jeep. I had to drive 1 hour back to Puerto Vallarta with one functional arm.
Next the pit of my arm began to ache at the same time my throat/tongue was swelling a little. I had a very strong taste of metal in my mouth. I was told at a local Mexican pharmacy to merely take an antihistamine. I was more afraid of telling my wife
what had happened!
Over the next 12 hours, I my body twitched with muscles spasms - face, arms, legs, torso, etc. My breathing was fine
but my throat was slightly swollen and always felt dry. Over the next two weeks, the feeling came back to my arm and eventually my finger... that's about when I told my wife what really happened.
Needless to say, I don't pick certain genera of scorpions up by the tail anymore and it's NEVER wise to go off alone into the mountains where there are venomous creatures and dangers about.
Rick C. West
I have been stung on the index finger by a mature female Centruroides limpidus. The images of this specimen are on Jan Ove Rein's Scorpion File gallery.
Admin note: A link to this site can be found in the links section.
Stupidly, I picked the specimen up by the sting so it couldn't sting me. As I eased it into a bottle, it twisted the tail and telson into my finger. The sting was initially painful, then slowly my arm became numb like it had been injected with dental freezing - Novocain. Even stupider (such a word?), I was alone in the mountains and had to walk 20 minutes back to my jeep. I had to drive 1 hour back to Puerto Vallarta with one functional arm.
Next the pit of my arm began to ache at the same time my throat/tongue was swelling a little. I had a very strong taste of metal in my mouth. I was told at a local Mexican pharmacy to merely take an antihistamine. I was more afraid of telling my wife
what had happened!
Over the next 12 hours, I my body twitched with muscles spasms - face, arms, legs, torso, etc. My breathing was fine
but my throat was slightly swollen and always felt dry. Over the next two weeks, the feeling came back to my arm and eventually my finger... that's about when I told my wife what really happened.
Needless to say, I don't pick certain genera of scorpions up by the tail anymore and it's NEVER wise to go off alone into the mountains where there are venomous creatures and dangers about.
Rick C. West