Looking into Heterometrus spp.

ChrisTy

Arachnoaddict
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
47
Alright, several things...

Heterometrus is a great genus to start with. All of the species are burrowers, however some semi-arboreal behavior has been observed in H. longimanus. Care for all Heterometrus species is pretty much the same: 4-6 inches of moist substrate suitable for burrowing, a large water dish, and a few pieces of bark to hide under. Most species are communal, though some more than others. Temperaments vary from species to species, as well as between individuals. Some are quite docile, while others are very defensive. They usually have a good feeding response, however they sometimes will fast for a few months at a time. At night they will often come out of their burrows and wander their enclosures.

Regarding H. madraspatensis, this species is fairly uncommon in the US. It is one of the smaller Heterometrus species, and usually doesn't get much larger than four inches in length. (Keep in mind that scorpions are measured from the anterior margin of the carapace to the tip of the telson, and that the pedipalps are not included in the measurement.)

As for H. spinifer...

The truth is that almost nobody has real H. spinifer. 99% of scorpions sold as H. spinifer are actually either H. petersii or H. laoticus. Simply because a breeder claims that he's breeding and selling a particular species, doesn't make mean that the specimens are correctly identified. ;)

H. petersii and H. laoticus have dark telsons, rounder chela, and dorsal keels on the 5th metasomal segment that consist of relatively minute granules, while H. spinifer usually have telsons that are lighter than their metasomas (usually red in adults), narrower chela, and dorsal keels on the 5th metasomal segment that consist of relatively large, pointed granules. H. petersii and H. laoticus can be distinguished from each other in that H. petersii has granulation on the carapace and tergites while H. laoticus is totally devoid of any granulation, and H. petersii shows sexual dimorphism in that males have an enlarged tooth on the movable finger of the chela.

Moving on from Heterometrus, if you want a smaller species, I agree that Centruroides gracilis is a good species to keep. These are arboreal, and thus should have pieces of vertically oriented bark in their enclosure. Keep the substrate semi-moist, with a small water dish in the corner. C. gracilis is quite a quick species, and is a master escape artist, so make sure that you have a secure lid. Plastic "kritter keepers," for example, are totally unsuitable for anything but adult specimens. Juveniles will easily squeeze through the ventilation slots in the lid.

As for "Hoffmannius spinigerus"...

First off, Hoffmannius is no longer a valid genus. The species is now called Paravaejovis spinigerus. This is a rather small species, that usually constructs burrows, or scrapes under rocks and other surface objects. A mix of excavator clay, coco fiber, and sand works well for this species. Do not make the substrate excessively sandy.
Thank you for this great information! I think I have a great starting point for a new found obsession. You guys have been fantastic. Thanks again to everyone for the input.
 

RTTB

Arachnoprince
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
1,771
H. spinigerus or whatever nomenclature one uses is a fun species to keep.
 

ChrisTy

Arachnoaddict
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
47
Define "fun". Like fun because they are active and have great feeding response or fun because they are feisty and keep you on your toes?
 

RTTB

Arachnoprince
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Dec 4, 2016
Messages
1,771
Feisty active great eaters and they do have a lot of attitude for a lil scorpion.
 

RTTB

Arachnoprince
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
1,771
One of mine does the greedy 2 fisted eater pose with one in his mouth and one in hand.
 

Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
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Jul 4, 2005
Messages
8,982
Yeah I haven't seen real H. spinifer in the stores around here for years, only petersii and laoticus. Spinifer also has a much more polished shine compared to petersii and laoticus. Somebody from Asia told me true spinifer is protected where he is from there in Asia but may be only locally protected where he is, I don't know. Collin, have you heard anything about that?
 

Collin Clary

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
490
Yeah I haven't seen real H. spinifer in the stores around here for years, only petersii and laoticus. Spinifer also has a much more polished shine compared to petersii and laoticus. Somebody from Asia told me true spinifer is protected where he is from there in Asia but may be only locally protected where he is, I don't know. Collin, have you heard anything about that?
I haven't heard anything, but that does seem plausible. Though it is native to several different countries, so perhaps it's something else. Maybe the populations have decreased, or perhaps we're simply importing animals collected from different areas.
 

ChrisTy

Arachnoaddict
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
47
Just for an update I finally got my first scorpion! It is amazing! I ended up getting an Asian forest scorpion???? Don't know the exact species, was just sold as Forest scorpion and the guy who actually knows about them wasn't in the day I bought it. Anyways here is a pic DSCN0021.JPG i was able to snap
 

Collin Clary

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Jul 3, 2011
Messages
490
Just for an update I finally got my first scorpion! It is amazing! I ended up getting an Asian forest scorpion???? Don't know the exact species, was just sold as Forest scorpion and the guy who actually knows about them wasn't in the day I bought it. Anyways here is a pic View attachment 233200 i was able to snap
Welcome to the addiction!

If you can get clear pictures of the carapace, chela, 5th metasomal segment, and pectines I can ID it for you.
 

ChrisTy

Arachnoaddict
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
47
Awesome thank you! The T addiction had me for the past year now so its about that time to start a new addiction! haha I can tell I am going to be just as bad with scorpions! If I can find a clear container to put this little one into I will definitely post some good pics for an identification.
 

Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
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Jul 4, 2005
Messages
8,982
My hunch is that it's going to turn out to be H. petersii. I feel these are common in their range due to how available they are. I don't remember how I came across an ad that sold canned scorpion for sale, for consumption. I was curious, so I ordered one can of it to see what was going on there. A couple of weeks later it showed up in my mailbox, your typical tuna can. I took it to the can opener and there was a dried body in there, claws, ....it was petersii, so, they have to be common there. OK I can hear the next question. I nibbled on it a bit but that was it, I don't get it, there seemed to be nothing there really. It was like going to KFC and saying, "I'll take 10 chicken beaks, thanks."
 

MetallicArachnid

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
51
Heterometrus spp are definitely a good place to start, I give them enough damp substrate to burrow and they either do or don't depending on the particular specimen. As far as temperament they are very defensive but don't often sting, however they do pinch and in my opinion that is worse than a sting from these guys, Heterometrus get large so take that into account when setting up an enclosure.
 

MetallicArachnid

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
51
Alright, several things...

Heterometrus is a great genus to start with. All of the species are burrowers, however some semi-arboreal behavior has been observed in H. longimanus. Care for all Heterometrus species is pretty much the same: 4-6 inches of moist substrate suitable for burrowing, a large water dish, and a few pieces of bark to hide under. Most species are communal, though some more than others. Temperaments vary from species to species, as well as between individuals. Some are quite docile, while others are very defensive. They usually have a good feeding response, however they sometimes will fast for a few months at a time. At night they will often come out of their burrows and wander their enclosures.

Regarding H. madraspatensis, this species is fairly uncommon in the US. It is one of the smaller Heterometrus species, and usually doesn't get much larger than four inches in length. (Keep in mind that scorpions are measured from the anterior margin of the carapace to the tip of the telson, and that the pedipalps are not included in the measurement.)

As for H. spinifer...

The truth is that almost nobody has real H. spinifer. 99% of scorpions sold as H. spinifer are actually either H. petersii or H. laoticus. Simply because a breeder claims that he's breeding and selling a particular species, doesn't make mean that the specimens are correctly identified. ;)
H. petersii and H. laoticus have dark telsons, rounder chela, and dorsal keels on the 5th metasomal segment that consist of relatively minute granules, while H. spinifer usually have telsons that are lighter than their metasomas (usually red in adults), narrower chela, and dorsal keels on the 5th metasomal segment that consist of relatively large, pointed granules. H. petersii and H. laoticus can be distinguished from each other in that H. petersii has granulation on the carapace and tergites while H. laoticus is totally devoid of any granulation, and H. petersii shows sexual dimorphism in that males have an enlarged tooth on the movable finger of the chela.

Moving on from Heterometrus, if you want a smaller species, I agree that Centruroides gracilis is a good species to keep. These are arboreal, and thus should have pieces of vertically oriented bark in their enclosure. Keep the substrate semi-moist, with a small water dish in the corner. C. gracilis is quite a quick species, and is a master escape artist, so make sure that you have a secure lid. Plastic "kritter keepers," for example, are totally unsuitable for anything but adult specimens. Juveniles will easily squeeze through the ventilation slots in the lid.

As for "Hoffmannius spinigerus"...

First off, Hoffmannius is no longer a valid genus. The species is now called Paravaejovis spinigerus. This is a rather small species, that usually constructs burrows, or scrapes under rocks and other surface objects. A mix of excavator clay, coco fiber, and sand works well for this species. Do not make the substrate excessively sandy.
Not sure you can have too much sand for Paravaejovis spinigerus, have you seen where they live? Loose sandy soil isn't uncommon for them.
 

BobBarley

Arachnoprince
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
1,486
So as we're bumping this thread...

Heterometrus is a great genus to start with. All of the species are burrowers, however some semi-arboreal behavior has been observed in H. longimanus. Care for all Heterometrus species is pretty much the same: 4-6 inches of moist substrate suitable for burrowing, a large water dish, and a few pieces of bark to hide under. Most species are communal, though some more than others. Temperaments vary from species to species, as well as between individuals. Some are quite docile, while others are very defensive. They usually have a good feeding response, however they sometimes will fast for a few months at a time. At night they will often come out of their burrows and wander their enclosures.
How common is longimanus in the hobby, and what differentiates it from petersii and laoticus?
 

ChrisTy

Arachnoaddict
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
47
So far I have been super impressed with this species! It has dug a burrow, but is also out and about a bit as well. Always with claws up in the air ready to go. Got to feed for the first time the other day and what a site to watch. I haven't seen a lot of defensiveness from this one. It is stubborn and stands its ground refusing to move when I tried to rehouse, but never snapped or tried to sting. Now that it is settled it is a happy camper just doing its scorpion things.
 

brolloks

Arachnobaron
Joined
Apr 6, 2016
Messages
348
@ChrisTy if you are still looking for smaller specimens, take a look at Uroplectes. They are super underrated, but personally I think they are really rewarding to keep. They have some of the most amazing colours of all the scorpion species.

They are part of the Buthidae family, but not considered "dangerous" as some of the other species in the family.
 

ChrisTy

Arachnoaddict
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
47
@ChrisTy if you are still looking for smaller specimens, take a look at Uroplectes. They are super underrated, but personally I think they are really rewarding to keep. They have some of the most amazing colours of all the scorpion species.

They are part of the Buthidae family, but not considered "dangerous" as some of the other species in the family.
Thank you. I will look into those as well.
 

Collin Clary

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
490
Not sure you can have too much sand for Paravaejovis spinigerus, have you seen where they live? Loose sandy soil isn't uncommon for them.
While P. spinigerus is found in almost every habitat within its range (the Sonoran desert and associated grasslands, pine-juniper forests, and chaparrall), it is not found in sand dunes and is uncommon in loose, excessively sandy soils.


How common is longimanus in the hobby, and what differentiates it from petersii and laoticus?
H. longimanus is fairly rare in the hobby outside of their natural range.

H. petersii and H. laoticus have dark telsons, rounder chela, and dorsal keels on the 5th metasomal segment that consist of relatively minute granules, while H. spinifer and H. longimanus usually have telsons that are lighter than their metasomas (usually red in adults, and various shades of yellow/orange as juveniles), narrower chela, and dorsal keels on the 5th metasomal segment that consist of relatively large, pointed granules.

H. petersii
and H. laoticus can be distinguished from each other in that H. petersii has granulation on the carapace and tergites while H. laoticus is totally devoid of any granulation, and H. petersii shows sexual dimorphism in that males have an enlarged tooth on the movable finger of the chela. Both species have a pectine tooth count of 15-19 in both sexes.

H. spinifer and H. longimanus can be distinguished from each other in that H. spinifer has a pectine tooth count of 15-19 in both sexes, while H. longimanus has a pectine tooth count of 12-18 in both sexes. Sexual dimorphism in proportions of pedipalps in H. spinifer is not noticable, with chela slightly lobiform and a length to width ratio of 2.4-2.6 in both sexes. In H. longimanus on the other hand, the chela, patella, and femur of the pedipalps in males are narrower and more elongate than in females. Chela not lobiform in male, slightly lobiform in female. Length to width ratio of chela 3.3-4.4 in males, roughly 2.4 in females.

Females of H. spinifer and H. longimanus are nearly indistinguishable from each other. Some small differences are that in H. spinifer the manus has smooth carinae forming irregular reticulations, while the manus of H. longimanus is sparsely tuberculate, and that while both species usually have the carapace with disc smooth and margins granulate, sometimes in H. longimanus the entire surface is granulate.
 
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