Giant Scourge Scorpion
| Giant Scourge Scorpion | ||||||||||
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Giant flagellum scorpion ( Mastigoproctus giganteus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Mastigoproctus giganteus | ||||||||||
| ( Lucas , 1835) |
The giant scourge scorpion ( Mastigoproctus giganteus ) is a species from the order of the scourge scorpions , which belongs to the arachnids . It's not poisonous.
Appearance
It is 15 centimeters long, of which about 8 centimeters are accounted for by the long, thin, stem-shaped tail appendage. The abdomen (opisthosoma) is segmented and ends in a long, flagellated tail appendage (flagellum). The pedipalps are designed like scissors. The foremost pair of legs is provided with many sensory cells and is used as a tactile organ for orientation and for tracking down prey. Only the back three pairs of legs are used for locomotion.
habitat
This species is found in Mexico and the southern United States . It lives in damp soil and retreats into its burrow when it is dry.
Way of life
The giant scourge scorpion is nocturnal. It feeds on insects , millipedes , worms and spiders . Larger specimens of this species even prey on frogs . He kills his prey by crushing it or biting it with the thorn-bearing jaw probes. Then the prey is cut up and taken to the hiding place. This is then sucked out. When threatened, it secretes a stinking fluid containing acetic acid from a gland near the anus . He injects this up to 30 centimeters away from him. Its predators include smaller vertebrates such as raccoons , coatis , skunks , armadillos, and other predators . Life expectancy is approx. 7 years.
Reproduction
The female keeps 20–35 eggs in a pouch under her abdomen. The young stay with the female for the first few days. After the first molt, they look for damp spots or dig into the ground.
Taxonomy
The first description was in 1835 by Hippolyte Lucas under the name " Thelyphonus giganteus ". In 1894 Pocock placed the species in the genus Mastigoproctus and in 1902 differentiated a total of 3 subspecies :
- Mastigoproctus giganteus giganteus (Lucas, 1835)
- Mastigoproctus giganteus mexicanus Butler, 1872
- Mastigoproctus giganteus scabrosus Pocock, 1902
This classification has existed for more than a hundred years. A comprehensive revision by Barrales-Alcalá and co-authors will not take place until 2018 in which the complex of the 3 subspecies of Mastigoproctus giganteus is broken down into a total of 7 individual species:
- Mastigoproctus giganteus (Lucas, 1835)
- Mastigoproctus floridanus Lönnberg, 1897
- Mastigoproctus mexicanus Butler, 1872
- Mastigoproctus scabrosus Pocock, 1902
- Mastigoproctus cinteotl Barrales-Alcalá, Francke & Prendini, 2018
- Mastigoproctus tohono Barrales-Alcalá, Francke & Prendini, 2018
- Mastigoproctus vandevenderi Barrales-Alcalá, Francke & Prendini, 2018
literature
- Jiří Felix (ed.), Alena Čepická: America's fauna in color. Translated from the Czech by Jaroslav Konšal. Karl Müller Verlag, Erlangen 1989, pp. 255-256.
- Wilhelm owner (ed.), Erna Mohr: Encyclopedia of the animals. Volume 1, Weltbild, Augsburg 1991, ISBN 978-3-89350-360-5 , pp. 50-51.
- David Burnie: Fascination with the Wildlife. Neuer Honos Verlag, Cologne 2000, ISBN 978-3829904780 , p. 36 (German translation from English).
Individual evidence
- ^ H. Lucas: Sur une monographie du genre Thelyphone. In: Magasin de Zoologie , Vol. 5, Class VIII, Plates 8-10, 1835. (digitized version)
- ^ RI Pocock: Notes on the Thelyphonidae contained in the collection of the British Museum. In: Annals and Magazine of Natural History , Series 6, Vol. 14, pp. 120-134, 1894. (digitized version )
- ^ RI Pocock: Arachnida: Scorpiones, Pedipalpi, and Solifugae. In: FD Godman & O. Salvin (eds.): Biologia Centrali-Americana , Vol. 3, pp. 1-71, London, 1902.
- ↑ D. Barrales-Alcalá, OF Francke, L. Prendini: Systematic Revision of the Giant Vinegaroons of the Mastigoproctus giganteus Complex (Thelyphonida: Thelyphonidae) of North America. In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History , No. 418, 62 pp., 2018. (available)
