Liocheles ID

[D3N2]

I caught another scorpion amongst some rotting palm fronds. It looks like it belongs to the genus Liocheles, is there a way to pinpoint what species it is? I want to say L. australasiae, but I'm not sure. I am located in Sarawak, Malaysia, if that helps any. It is around 2.5 cm (~1"). I'd also like to hear about what sex it may be and maturity (instar?)? Thanks!

Here are pictures:

 

[Michiel]

Yep, it is L.australasiae....parthenogenetic most probably,so female..L.waigiensis is much larger and reproduces sexually..

Sent from my GT-I9001

 

[D3N2]

Yep, it is L.australasiae....parthenogenetic most probably,so female..L.waigiensis is much larger and reproduces sexually..

Sent from my GT-I9001

Thanks for the ID. Just wondering, besides size, what differences are there between L. australasiae and L. waigiensis? How about with other Liocheles species out there? Is there a key?

 

[Michiel]

Yes, there is,

I took the liberty of feeding Google the word Liocheles for you :biggrin::

http://kovarex.com/scorpio/pdf/2000-Liocheles-Hormiops.pdf

 

[D3N2]

Thanks for the link, very interesting! I had to look up a bunch of words, like 'trichobothria'. I didn't know the number of setae and their placement was so crucial in taxonomic classification of Liocheles, I guess if I really wanted to identify members of this genus, I will need very strong magnification and maybe dead or immobilized specimen..

I actually did a search on google, but gave up when the top hits were threads in forums or care sheets. Next time I won't give up so easily.

 

[Hornets inverts]

Beautiful specimen mate and deff australasiae. Your so lucky to be ably to find them locally, very hard species to obtain over here, not all that rare in the wild just the small size means they are often ignored.

 

[Kaiser Scorpion]

Yes, it is L. australasiae, among the smallest in the genus.
I have an example of the biggest species of the genus: L. karschii from Papua New Guinea. It is 71 mm long with impressive pedipalps.

 

[Hornets inverts]

yea i have kept both australasiae and karschii, karschii are an impressive scorp

 

[D3N2]

Thanks for all the replies and comments!

I actually already have a couple captive-bred L. australasiae. What I really want are L. waigiensis and/or that Liocheles from Australia that are found in drier conditions (forgot the name)..

 

[D3N2]

This is kind of relevant to the thread, and didn't want to start a new one.

At what instar does L. australasiae mature? Can you tell by just looking at it if it is mature already, or do you have to know its molt history?

 

[Hendersoniana]

Maturity for most, if not all scorpions should be at 7i, but some do molt to 8i, this im not sure. Unless liocheles are like emps and hets where their telson changes to a reddish brown colour, i think the only way of telling if its an adult is through measuring the size, looking at molt history or, if your liocheles gives birth parthenogenically, it would mean that its fully matured.

 

[D3N2]

Thanks Hendersoniana! That really has helped a lot. I need this information mostly for my record keeping. I know that I won't know exactly what it's maturity level is, but I want to be on the right track.

 

[richoman3]

beautiful species, would love one day.
the way to sex liocheles sp. is that males have a 'notch' in their claw

 

[D3N2]

Thanks! I found two more the other day. One, I'm guessing, is an adult female, the other a juvenile.

 

[Michiel]

Maturity for most, if not all scorpions should be at 7i, but some do molt to 8i, this im not sure. Unless liocheles are like emps and hets where their telson changes to a reddish brown colour, i think the only way of telling if its an adult is through measuring the size, looking at molt history or, if your liocheles gives birth parthenogenically, it would mean that its fully matured.

Your first statement is incorrect. You should be carefull making such generalizations. Scorpions, especially Buthids, don't have a numerus fixus for the molts before adulthood. Males of Tityus magnimanus become mature at instar 5. So do B.jacksoni males. Some Diplocentrids take 10-11 molts...

 

[richoman3]

all aussie species mature at 6th instar

 

[D3N2]

Your first statement is incorrect. You should be carefull making such generalizations. Scorpions, especially Buthids, don't have a numerus fixus for the molts before adulthood. Males of Tityus magnimanus become mature at instar 5. So do B.jacksoni males. Some Diplocentrids take 10-11 molts...

Interesting.. So, still 7 molts for Liocheles, or not? I have searched the boards and google multiple times, using various combinations of the words: liocheles, maturity, mature, molts, instar, adult, as well as checked caresheets of L. australiasiae and L. waigiensis, but have found nothing on this.

Also, Michiel, to further the topic, off the top of your head, could you please post a rough guideline of how many molts it takes for different scorpions to reach maturity? Even just down to genus or family level? i.e. 7 for Scorpionidae, 5-7 for Buthidae, etc. Or if not, is there a list somewhere? Or is it just random depending on the species?

Thanks!


EDIT: Thanks for that richoman3. I believe L. australiasiae is found in Australia, which means it matures at 6 instar too?

 

[Hendersoniana]

Your first statement is incorrect. You should be carefull making such generalizations. Scorpions, especially Buthids, don't have a numerus fixus for the molts before adulthood. Males of Tityus magnimanus become mature at instar 5. So do B.jacksoni males. Some Diplocentrids take 10-11 molts...

I didnt know about that, sorry D3N2 for the wrong info .

 

[Hornets inverts]

all aussie species mature at 6th instar

wrong there nickie boy lol. I've never paid much attention to buthid moults but males of U. manicatus and as far as i'm aware, U. elongatus, mature at 5i. Not sure on the lio's, i believe its 6 but i'll double check, i have a paper that i believe has that info

 

[D3N2]

I didnt know about that, sorry D3N2 for the wrong info .

It's quite alright, at least there's a discussion.

wrong there nickie boy lol. I've never paid much attention to buthid moults but males of U. manicatus and as far as i'm aware, U. elongatus, mature at 5i. Not sure on the lio's, i believe its 6 but i'll double check, i have a paper that i believe has that info

Thanks Hornets inverts!