Emperor scorpion
| Emperor scorpion | |
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| Species: | P. imperator
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| Binomial name | |
| Pandinus imperator (Koch, 1842)
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The emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator, is a species of scorpion native to Africa. It is one of the largest scorpions in the world and lives for 5–8 years. Its body is black, but glows under ultraviolet light. It is a popular species in the pet trade, and is protected by CITES.
Description
The emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator) is one of the largest species of scorpion in the world, with adults averaging about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length. However, some species of forest scorpions are fairly similar to the emperor scorpion in size, and one scorpion, Heterometrus swammerdami, holds the record for being the world's largest scorpion at 9 inches (23 cm) in length.[2] The life span of the emperor scorpion usually ranges from 5 to 8 years when held in captivity.[3]
The emperor scorpion has a dark body which ranges from dark blue-green through brown to black. The large pincers are blackish-red and have a granular texture. The front part of the body, or prosoma, is made up of four sections, each with a pair of legs. Behind the fourth pair of legs are comb-like structures known as pectines, which tend to be longer in males than in females. The tail, known as the metasoma, is long and curves back over the body. It ends in the large receptacle containing the venom glands and is tipped with a sharp, curved stinger. Their sting is categorized as mild (similar to a bee sting) to severe on humans depending on the species.[4] Sensory hairs cover the pincers and tail, enabling the emperor scorpion to detect prey through vibrations in the air and ground.[5]
When gravid (pregnant), the body of a female expands to expose the whitish membranes connecting the segments. The emperor scorpion fluoresces greenish-blue under ultra-violet light.[6][7]
An emperor scorpion has eight accordion-like book lungs, functioning similar to hand billows used for stoking fires. A scorpion can go dormant in high altitude climates, using only one lung to acquire necessary oxygen for survival.
The two "eyes" atop a scorpions torso are, in fact, heat sensors that can only be similarly described to an infrared thermal camera. When covered by a finger, they become almost blind and very disoriented. Just above their feeding pincers, on the edge of the half moon shapes on their top plate are 4 eyes on each side that sense colors in a radar fashion - each eye sensing a different color.
All scorpions flouresce due to a substance found in a thin layer of their shell known as the Hyaline layer. It is a mystery as to why scorpions flouresce, as the substance is unknown and not found anywhere in nature. It has never been isolated, even after attempts by biologists, but the substance is known to dissolve in alcohol by soaking a scorpion in a jar of ethyl alcohol for a few weeks. There are no known benefits or danger of this substance, and should not be drank as a precaution.
Scorpions are among the oldest living land creatures alive today, having existed for over 400 million years. Early species grew up to 1 meter (3 feet) long. Scorpion fossils are to known to flouresce under UV light, as the substance in the Hyaline layer is non-biodegrable. However, due to the delicate structure of a scorpions exoskeleton, such specimens are rare due to the specific geolocical conditions needed to preserve a scorpion for calcitration.
Pandinus Imperator is a derivative of the Greek word "Pan" meaning Terrible God of the Forest, and Imperator, Largest king/Emperor. The common translation means "Terrible Forest King", as their native habitats are rainforests and plains in central West Africa.
Scorpions are generally mild-mannered, and to someone with experience in their behaviors, can be somewhat tamed by regular holding. Their sting is usually mild to none, except on sensitive areas of the body (i.e. the inner forearm, behind the legs and buttocks). The tip of an Emperor scorpion's stinger is delicate enough that it will most likely not pierce the tougher skin on an adult's hands and fingers. Common symptoms are mild itching, redness and warmness, a slight throbbing (usually painless), and minor pain. Allergic reactions are rare, and should be treated with proper medical care. There is no direct link between allergies to scorpions and to bees and wasps, but one should be mindful of possible allergic reactions to all insect bites and/or stings. Emperor Scorpions are more apt to grasp an adversary with claws rather than use its stinger.
When mating, a male scorpion will "dance" - lunging it's body forward in pulses of three. This is usually followed by mild fighting (dominance courtship), playful stinging and entwining of tails, and pushing face-to-face in a manner that resembles kissing. A mating "stage" usually consists of a flat rock or piece of wood, or extremely hard ground. Scorpions cannot mate without a clean, smooth surface.
After courtship, a male Imperator will step onto the "stage" and release a small sac of semen from his abdomen and remove himself. After he is away the female will walk over the sac, open her genitalia and lay upon the sac, inducting the sac into the opening of her organ. The female will not uptake a sac from a contaminated or messy surface.
After live birth, a female goes into hibernation with her young. Scorplings are born solid white, except for eyes, and may take several weeks to develop their black-brown color. Mothers typically eat one or two of their weakest young, and may consume all of them if they perceive a threat from a predator (which they are quick to discern).
Habitat and distribution
The emperor scorpion is an African rainforest species.[8] It is found in a number of African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.[7]
This species inhabits both tropical forest and open savannas. The emperor scorpion burrows beneath the soil and hides beneath rocks and debris,[5] and also often burrows in termite mounds.[9]
Conservation and human impact
African Emperor scorpion venom contains a toxin called imperatoxin.[10]
P. imperator is a popular scorpion in the pet trade, which has led to such over-collecting in the wild that it is now a CITES-listed animal.[1]
References
- ^ a b UNEP-WCMC. "Pandinus imperator (Koch, 1841)". UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. Retrieved 11 June, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Manny Rubio (2000). "Commonly Available Scorpions". Scorpions: Everything About Purchase, Care, Feeding, and Housing. Barron's Educational Series. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0-7641-1224-9.
The emperor scorpion can reach an overall length of more than 8 inches (20 cm). It is erroneously claimed to be the largest living scorpion in the world. However, some species of Forest Scorpions are its equal. [...] The Guinness Book of Records claims a Forest Scorpion native to rural India, Heterometrus swammerdami, to be the largest scorpion in the world (15 inches [40 cm]).
- ^ Emperor
- ^ "Scorpion Emperor Care Sheet" (PDF). Petco. 2004. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ^ a b "Emperor Scorpion". The Animal Information Centre. March, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Emperor Scorpion". The Big Zoo. March, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Emperor scorpion media from ARKive Accessed October 20, 2011.
- ^ Rod Preston-Mafham & Ken Preston-Mafham (1993). The Encyclopedia of Land Invertebrate Behaviour. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-16137-4.
- ^ "Scorpion Systematics Research Group". American Museum of Natural History. November, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Fernando Z. Zamudio, Renaud Conde, Carolina Arévalo, Baltazar Becerril, Brian M. Martin, Hector H. Valdivia & Lourival D. Possani (1997). "The mechanism of inhibition of ryanodine receptor channels by imperatoxin I, a heterodimeric protein from the scorpion Pandinus imperator". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 272 (18): 11886–11894. doi:10.1074/jbc.272.18.11886. PMID 9115249.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
External links
Media related to Pandinus imperator at Wikimedia Commons- Emperor scorpion media from ARKive
