help ID me

[hemingway]

Hi there folks. Ok, I'm fairly new to scorps, my experience at this point being restricted to a few different heterometrius and pandinus species. Well, I found an interesting specimen at a pet store when I went to visit my brother this weekend. They had little idea what it might be, but said it came with a shipment of emperors. They had tentatively identified it as in the Opistophthalmus genus. I know pics aren't the best way to ID a scorp, but I was hoping you might have some thoughts. Here's what I know...

-She's pushing 2" total length, and is quite chubby (pregnant?)
-She'd been kept on dry peat substrate with (gasp) water crystals, so was dehydrated (I've fixed that)
-She's pretty aggressive, but with the claws, not the stinger

I'm assuming if she's an opisto. of some sort, a relatively dry setup with deep substrate for burrowing will be in order. Ok, here's the best pic I could do in my mom's basement before I got in trouble.

Thanks.

Kris

 

[ANTHONY.T]

Heterometrus fulvipes or xanthopus no ???

 

[brandontmyers]

I don't think so, the two you mentioned are in India and Pakistan this however is most likely a Opistophthalmus spp

 

[skinheaddave]

Looks like a Hemiscorpionidae to me. More specifically, the part of the Hemiscorpionidae family that used to be contained in Liochelidae. Clearly it is not Hadogenes since it does not have prominent/numorous trichobothria on the pedipalps. That leaves Iomachus, Cheloctonus and Opisthacanthus as the prime suspects. To me it looks most like Opisthacanthus, but you would really have to get a look at the tarsal segments and potentially the denticles to be sure.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[hemingway]

O. asper?

Thanks so much for the detail of your insight, Dave. As I've been perusing image galleries today, I was increasingly leaning toward Opisthacanthus just based on superficial resemblance. Specifically O. asper. Does anybody know where I might find an ID key for O. asper, or is there something specific I should look for or an angle of photograph I could take that might help?

Thanks.

Kris

 

[skinheaddave]

Depends on what sort of zoom you can get with your camera, magnifying glass etc. The thing you want to determine is whether there are spines on the ventral aspect of the tarsal segments. So stick it in a ziplock bag, press out a good deal of air and then flip it over. Look on the bottom of the feet and see if there are stiff spines or just setae. Not the easiest thing to do -- I've done it with smaller specimens but with the aid of a microscope. If you can get a good shot then feel free to post it here.

Cheers,
Dave