D. whitei pic

[Galapoheros]

Just messing around and took this pic, decided to post it. Shows some granulation and maybe some other features worth looking at.

 

[tabor]

Nice. I love this genus and wish I had some species of it. It just seems so out of place tucked away down there in texas, any way to get more pics, perhaps with something by it for scale?

 

[ANTHONY.T]

Superb tarse and tibia

 

[fusion121]

Very nice picture, I hadn't realised just how much these guys look like Heterometrus spp.

 

[Galapoheros]

Yeah I agree, they do kind of look like a dwarf Heterometrus, a little like a longimanus. I'll post a "scale" pic later.

 

[Galapoheros]

I think this is a pretty good scale pic. As you can see, I have several. I plan on trying to breed them since they don't seem to be very available for people in the hobby that want them ..slow growers, so I hear but that means you would have longer to look at them. They aren't rare. It's that very few people live where they do. I really haven't focused on the breeding thing yet though, but wish me luck. Also included a pic showing a superficial difference between D. lindo and D. whitei ...D. whitei the bigger one on the right. Both adults.

 

[Thaedion]

I'm jealous...

 

[Galapoheros]

Ha, well if I get babies, it might fix that. I'll tell you, the D. lindo are crazy defensive and I've had my fingers sprayed with venom by them, esp when I first catch them. The D. whitei behavior is nothing out of the ordinary, nice scorps though. Their defensive behavior is much like an Emperor that's not used to being handled and calm down pretty fast. The D. lindo wave their tails and try to pinch allot.

 

[tabor]

Man I really want some of those now WOW !!!

 

[Australis]

Looks good...
Heterometrus longimanus mesic morph ?

Would really love to have some of those

 

[kahoy]

ive already heard them before, but never minded to have some...

now im sure...

pics helps a lot...

 

[froggyman]

where are they native to?

 

[Nikos]

where were you man when I badly needed a female of that species....

 

[Galapoheros]

Dang! How do you sex this species? I've got 9 adults and one baby. I'm getting a pectin count of 18 to 20. I've put each together but I'm not seeing any diff in behavior that might help me sex them. I'm starting to feel like I have a bunch of males but, ....what are the odds? Anybody have info on sexing these? Froggman, ..from far w tx along the Rio G.

 

[tabor]

Dang! How do you sex this species? I've got 9 adults and one baby. I'm getting a pectin count of 18 to 20. I've put each together but I'm not seeing any diff in behavior that might help me sex them. I'm starting to feel like I have a bunch of males but, ....what are the odds? Anybody have info on sexing these? Froggman, ..from far w tx along the Rio G.

A few things to keep in mind, since these are WC:

1) Adult males are more likely to be out and about, in search of a mate, so maybe you caught more of them since the females were all turtled up in their burrows.
2) Males have a MUCH higher mortality rate in the wild than the females do, for the reasons listed above. Therefore, mature females likely out number mature males in the wild.
3) Pectine tooth count is not always the definitive sexing solution. I will brush up on my Diplocentrus info tonight and see if I can find anything to help you.

So basically, i dont know which is more likely: catching all males, catching all females, or an unreliable sexing method.

 

[Galapoheros]

I was on that same train of thought. The aphonopelma Ts out there, well the males roaming around ...I wondered if the same thing was going on with these scorps. I didn't mention this, but most of them act like males, comparing chela span ..but there were a few that immediately ran away upon contact. I was thinking maybe those that ran away are more likely to be females. But I don't really know for sure. I'm looking for definite sexual dimorphism here if there is any. But I don't know what to look for. I only saw one do the shakin thing so, they are making it hard for me.

 

[tabor]

I can't find any specific info on sexing them. The overall shape of the pectines and "pectinal structure" can differ between sexes. Have you tried throwing them all in a communal tank yet?

 

[redhourglass]

Hi.

The father of Diplocentrus taxonomy is Oscar Francke. Following his great publication of Diplos in Oaxaca is an partial insert regarding sexual dimorphism and characters. For a complete reading check up on the whole article at JOA. Francke, O.F. 1977. Scorpions of the Genus Diplocentrus from Oaxaca, Mexico (Scorpionida, Diplocentridae). J. Arachnol.4 :145-200.

B. Characters reflecting sexual dimorphism.
The pectinal tooth count provides a significant diagnostic character for scorpions in general. Diplocentrus spp. males tend to have higher counts than
females, even though the ranges of these parameters overlap in most species.
C. Characters reflecting sexual dimorphism and allometricity.
The morphology of the pedipalp chela is a character particularly valuable
among adult males, where a marked degree of evolutionary divergence has
taken place. In spite of the fact that the morphology of the chela can vary
considerably between adults and immatures, as well as between adult males
and adult females, the pattern assumed by the trichobothria on the chela
remains fairly constant. Throughout the text I have adopted Vachon's terminology(1974) to designate the relative positions of these mechanoreceptor organs.

Todd, if you need further info I'll check into the following articles on file.
Stahnke H.L. 1967. Diplocentrus bigbendensis, a new species of scorpion. Entomol. News 78(7):173-9.
Stahnke, H.L. 1976. A redescription of Diplocentrus whitei (Scorpionida) Entomol. News, 87(1&2):49-56.
Stockwell S.A. 1986. The scorpions of Texas (Arachnida, Scorpiones) [MSc thesis]. Lubbock (TX): Texas Tech University. 193 p.
Based on my experience with Diplocentrus in the field c/o whitei you'll always find males about during the night hours and females more tucked away in the creosote roots, under rocks/boulders etc. With UV light detection the females chela at the burrow entrance then suddenly disappear deep into the burrow due to vibrations/light. I will tell you though that Diplocentrus only get better going further south into Mexico ! D. whitei is only a reflection of the great diversity and size found in regions of Mexico LOL ...

Also, tabor I've kept D. whitei communal but I'd advice against it, scorpions in general outside of the new world buthids.

Take Care,

Sinc. Chad

 

[Galapoheros]

Hey, thanks Chad! I was hoping you'd pop in. Truthfully, I couldn't remember your username. I had been thinking sexual dimorphism would be reflected in the chela like in D. lindo that you had pointed out in an older thread. But since they all look the same, I was starting to wonder. Looks like I have a bunch of males. I have one baby. I still need to take closer look. Thanks.