Reports of Hyrbrids..

[Mr. Mordax]

Just ignoring scorpions for a moment here, has this ever been done successfully with any invert species . . . ?

I know of and have seen first-hand the offspring of an attempt at tarantula hybridization (same genus, different species).

Well there ya go.

 

[SpaceHawk]

People have hybridized fish, birds, plants, reptiles, amphib's and mammal's so I bet there would be certain specie's of inverts that would hybridize as well, though the mass majority would just ignore or eat each other for sure.

I really thought that if I started this thread I'd be bombarded with a bunch of
"I've crossed this to that..." all over the place, but nope. I am really interested in finding out which species are compatible enough for hybrizations though.

 

[SpaceHawk]

You all better just stick with breeding the same species. It can be difficult enough to breed alot of these species to their own kind. You all wanting to create hybrids could possibly screw up the gene pools that some of us have been working hard to get established in the hobby, that is if you were successful at doing this in the first place. Bottom line, if you have no experience breeding scorps, why not just breed the pure species? That alone will keep you busy, believe me.

I forgot to ask, what specie's are you referring to that you have been working hard at in establishing their gene pool here? If you could give detailed count I'd be curious to see what you are working on,

thanks
Chris

 

[Xaranx]

Second, NOBODY does handle a hot scorp ever

I wouldn't count on that. There's always someone who just has to do it, or will get lazy over time and get less and less careful, I know I have but I don't have anything too hot yet.

 

[SpaceHawk]

oh yeah, I think I remember seeing an ad from Exotic Pets on Kingsnake showing him hold an A. Bicolor...

 

[Vfox]

I wouldn't count on that. There's always someone who just has to do it, or will get lazy over time and get less and less careful, I know I have but I don't have anything too hot yet.

Not to mention those yahoos on YouTube.

 

[Brian S]

I forgot to ask, what specie's are you referring to that you have been working hard at in establishing their gene pool here? If you could give detailed count I'd be curious to see what you are working on,

thanks
Chris

Basically anything I can get my hands on. Which spp are you talking about? Androctonus? I can tell you that breeding Andros isnt as easy as breeding these little bark scorpions. I have been successful only once and that was A bicolor

 

[SpaceHawk]

I have produced all 3 of the Androc's specie's I have for the last 2 years. 3 years ago I had a bunch of already gravid females come in, which didn't count. I have them set up in my reptile room where the whole room is temp and humidty regulated. Every season that I cycle my snakes I cycle the scorp's and it works great, even with A. Bicolor. I house them seperate all year long until I drop the temp's, then I introduce them here and there until spring. How are you doing it? If you are just throwing them together at random times without cycling them then I can see how you wouldn't be successful in getting them paired up. Feed the crap out of the female and put the male in her enclosure after you've cycled them.

What are you talking about though, "little bark scorpions"...when did I mention any bark scorp's? You said creating hybrids would screw up the gene pool that some of you have been trying to establish here in the hobby,
so I am wodering which one's you are currently and actively breeding that could be messed up by creating a cross? Tityus?

 

[H. cyaneus]

Sorry for bringing up an old post, but I got free time and I like to talk bout this cross breeding stuff time to time.

Too lazy to look up the actual papers from The Biology of Scorpions by Polis, but if anyone wants them I can get them.

There is 7 reports done by scorpilogists of different species starting the mating dance, 4 of which from different genera. Only 2 was an actual spermatophore dropped, between a Euscorpius and Androctonus pair. In the Androctonus pair (A. australis male x A. maurectanicus female) there was 42 hybrid young produced.

BUT, A. austalis and A. maurectanicus do NOT meet in the wild at any given time, their distrubition does not over lap. So while it HAS happened, it won't happen in the wild.

Scorpions also just "know" that even if they did hyrbidize in the wild, that it would not be sucessful. i.e. matrality, serility, or decreased fitness of hybrid offspring. This is Postzygotic barriers.

And prezygotic barriers are things about the mating itself/where the scorpion comes from. i.e. speices specifc pheromones, anatomical characteristics, courtship behavior, and differences in seasonal phenology range and habitat.

So you can do it in capitivty, but it will never happen in their natural habitat. And if it doesn't happen naturally, I don't see the point of making happen in captivity.

And spacehawk, I think Brian means if you make a B. jacksoni/B.gigas hybrid it will eventually breed again and soon there will be as many hybrids as pure B.jacksoni and B. gigas. So if you *do* hyrbidize, at least don't sell the young and don't breed them again. If you cross breed it should be only for a scintific stand point, and even at that I do not agree with it 100%.

Mike

 

[Mr. Mordax]

Nicely put -- especially interesting to know that it's possible.