Androctonus australis

Androctonus australis
	Androctonus australis
Systematics
Class :	Arachnids (arachnida)
Order :	Scorpions (Scorpiones)
Superfamily :	Buthoidea
Family :	Buthidae
Genre :	Androctonus
Type :	Androctonus australis
Scientific name
	Androctonus australis
	Linnaeus , 1758

Androctonus australis is a scorpion species from the family of Buthidae . The species is distributed over large parts of North Africa and South Asia. A. australis is one of the most poisonous scorpions and causes several deaths every year. The toxin ( LD ₅₀ value from 0.32 to 6 mg / kg; tested in mice) is as similar strong as that of Leiurus quinquestriatus (LD₅₀ value of 0.25-0.33 mg / kg) or the death adder ( LD₅₀ value 0.4 mg / kg). In the event of a sting, cardiac (cardiovascular symptoms due to the release of large amounts of catecholamines ) and central nervous (confusion and seizures) symptoms are to be expected, whereby the symptoms of intoxicationshould be similar tothose of strychnine poisoning.

etymology

Androctonus australis : old gr. ἀνδρός, genitive from ἀνήρ (aner) = 'man', κτείνω (kteino) = 'kill' (derived and Latinized to -ctonus ), Latin australis 'southern'; the name therefore means "southern man killer".

Appearance

With a total length of up to 100 mm, A. australis is one of the large species of the genus Androctonus . Overall, the animals are straw to ocher yellow. The prosoma has clear keels and is also strongly granulated. The sternites of the mesosoma are pale yellow. The tergites of the very strong and thick tail ( metasoma ) are strongly widened towards the rear, tergites 1 to 4 are yellowish, the ventral keels are brownish. Tergite 5 is darker. The poisonous bladder is blackish, the base of the poison sting is reddish, the tip of the sting is brownish. The legs are pale yellow, the pedipalps ocher yellow. The bases of the scissor hands ( Chela mani ) are rounded, the fingers quite long. The cutting edges of both fingers have 12 to 14 rows of teeth. The comb organ ( Pecten ) has 22-26 teeth in the female and 30-36 teeth in the male.

Distribution, habitat and way of life

The distribution area is Saharo-Indian. It covers large parts of North Africa from Mauritania to Somalia as well as the Arabian Peninsula , Pakistan and India .

A. australis inhabits arid habitats such as semi-deserts and deserts and stays in sand, earth or under stones and also in walls during the day; it is therefore regularly found in populated areas. The species is considered to be very aggressive. A. australis is one of the most poisonous scorpions and causes several deaths every year.

swell

literature

R. Stockmann & E. Ythier: Scorpions of the World. NAP Editions 2010, ISBN 978-2-913688-11-7 : pp. 352-353

Web links

Jan Ove Rein (Ed.): The Scorpion Files - Androctonus australis. ( Online , accessed January 31, 2011)

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Tom van der Valk, Arie van der Meijden: Toxicity of scorpion venom in chick embryo and mealworm assay depending on the use of the soluble fraction versus the whole venom . In: Toxicon . tape 88 , September 2014, p. 38–43 , doi : 10.1016 / j.toxicon.2014.06.007 ( elsevier.com [accessed April 15, 2020]).
↑ How dangerous is a snakebite actually? Retrieved April 15, 2020 .
↑ Komposch, C .: Scorpions and scorpion poisons from a biological and human medical perspective (Arachnida, Scorpiones). In: Aspöck, H. (Ed.): Sick through arthropods . tape 30 . Denisia, S. 279-317 ( researchgate.net ).

[:0-1] Tom van der Valk, Arie van der Meijden: Toxicity of scorpion venom in chick embryo and mealworm assay depending on the use of the soluble fraction versus the whole venom . In: Toxicon . tape 88 , September 2014, p. 38–43 , doi : 10.1016 / j.toxicon.2014.06.007 ( elsevier.com [accessed April 15, 2020]).

[2] How dangerous is a snakebite actually? Retrieved April 15, 2020 .

[3] Komposch, C .: Scorpions and scorpion poisons from a biological and human medical perspective (Arachnida, Scorpiones). In: Aspöck, H. (Ed.): Sick through arthropods . tape 30 . Denisia, S. 279-317 ( researchgate.net ).