Fat-tailed scorpion
Arabian fat-tailed scorpion, Androctonus crassicauda
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Arachnida Order: Scorpiones Family: Buthidae Genus: Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828
Species
13 species, see article. Black scorpion (Androctonus crassicauda) Photo: Per-Anders Olsson (used with permission) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Classes Arachnida- spiders, scorpions, etc. ... For other uses, see Arachnid (disambiguation). ... Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ... Genera Ananteris Androctonus Centruroides Leiurus Odonturus Parabuthus … Buthidae is a family of scorpions. ... Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg. ...

Fattail scorpion or fat-tailed scorpion is the common name given to scorpions of the genus Androctonus, which is one of the most dangerous groups of scorpion species in the world. They are found throughout the semi-arid and arid regions of the Middle-East and Africa. They are a moderate sized scorpion, attaining lengths of 10 cm (just under 4 in). Their name is derived from their distinctly fat metasoma, or tail. Their venom contains powerful neurotoxins and is especially potent. Stings from Androctonus species are known to cause several human deaths each year. The German pharmaceutical company Twyford manufactures an antivenin for treatment of Androctonus and two closely related genera, Buthus, and Leiurus, envenomations.^[1] Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... The traditional Middle East and the G8s Greater Middle East Political & transportation map of the traditional Middle East today The Middle East is a historical and political region of Africa-Eurasia with no clear definition. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells – neurons – usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. ... Antivenin (or antivenom, or antivenene) is a biological product used in the treatment of venomous bites or stings. ...

Geographic range

Androctonus is widespread in the Middle East and North Africa. Countries where Androctonus species live include: Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, South Eastern Africa. A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...

Etymology

A rough English translation of the name Androctonus is "man-killer", from the Greek andros (άνδρος), meaning "man" and kteinein (κτείνειν), meaning "kill". Crassicauda means fat-tailed, from the Latin crassus meaning "thick" or "fat" and cauda, meaning "tail". Androctonus crassicauda is wide-spread throughout the middle east and its name means "fat-tailed man-killer". Similarly, the Latin word for South is australis, from which Androctonus australis, "southern man-killer", derives. For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ...

Taxonomy

Androctonus bicolor: note the very slim pedipalps compared to A.crassicauda

Taxonomic reclassification is ongoing, sources tend to disagree on the number of species. Male European garden spider with swollen pedipalps Pedipalps are a pair of feelers on a spiders face. ...

• Androctonus amoreuxi (Audouin, 1826)
• Androctonus australis (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Androctonus baluchicus (Pocock, 1900)
• Androctonus bicolor (Ehrenberg, 1828)
• Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807)
• Androctonus dekeyseri (Lourenço, 2005)
• Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897)
• Androctonus gonneti (Vachon, 1948)
• Androctonus hoggarensis (Pallary, 1929)
• Androctonus liouvillei (Pallary, 1924)
• Androctonus maelfaiti (Lourenço, 2005)
• Androctonus mauritanicus (Pocock, 1902)
• Androctonus sergenti (Vachon, 1948)

Jean Victoire Audouin (April 27, 1797 - November 9, 1841) was a French naturalist, entomologist and ornithologist. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Reginald Innes Pocock sucks!!! Partial bibliography Reginald I. Pocock (1902) Reginald Innes Pocock (1902) Reginald Innes Pocock (1900) The Fauna of British India (including Ceylon and Burma). ... Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg. ... Guillaume-Antoine Olivier (1756 - 1814) was a French entomologist. ...

In Captivity

Despite the inherent risks with keeping such a dangerously venomous species in captivity, Androctonus scorpions are frequently found in the exotic animal trade - A. amoreuxi and A. australis being the most commonly available. As with any dangerous scorpion, a potential Androctonus keeper should think very carefully before acquiring one because a sting may have serious consequences which extend beyond the immediate risks of injury or death. For example, there can be an expensive bill for emergency medical care that the owner's health insurance may not entirely cover. There is also potential legal liability if someone other than the owner is stung and negligence can be proved. Depending on the jurisdiction in which the keeper lives, some form of licence or insurance policy may be required in order to possess a dangerous scorpion. In some jurisdictions, possession of a dangerous scorpion is illegal. Extra precautions must be taken to ensure that the scorpion cannot escape. Clearly, Androctonus scorpions should never be handled under any circumstances. Its main diet in captivity consists of cockroaches, grasshoppers, or crickets. Scorpions will generally try to kill and eat anything which moves and is smaller than themselves. In order to simulate the desert environment, the enclosure used to keep the scorpion in must be kept at a temperature of between 26 and 30 degrees celsius.fat tailed scorpians hide in the mud or bushes the are also quite aggresive sometimes The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of insurance that pays for medical expenses. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that regulates governmental sanctions (such as imprisonment and/or fines) as retaliation for crimes against the social order. ... Negligence is a legal concept usually used to achieve compensation for injuries (not accidents). ... For the insects of the Order Blattodea, see Cockroach For the Australian 1980s/90s pop band, see The Cockroaches For the Necro EP, see Cockroaches (Necro EP) Category: ... Families Acrididae Charilaidae Dericorythidae Eumastacidae Euschmidtiidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pamphagidae Pneumoridae Pyrgacrididae Pyrgomorphidae Romaleidae Tanaoceridae Tetrigidae Thericleidae Tridactylidae Tristiridae The Caelifera are a family of herbivorous insects of the order Orthoptera, commonly called grasshoppers in English. ... A tree cricket sitting on a leaf. ... For other uses, see Celsius (disambiguation). ...

References

• The Scorpion Files: Buthidae

• Photo of Androctonus habitat in Kuwait
• Treatment of Androctonus stings #1
• Treatment of Androctonus stings #2
• Treatment of Androctonus stings #3