The imperial scorpion [1] [2] ( lat. Pandinus imperator ) is a large species of scorpions from the Scorpionidae family, popular for home breeding in terrariums.
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| Pandinus imperator CL Koch , 1841 |
Content
Description
Reaches 20 cm in length and weighs up to 30 g (females up to 50). It occurs in Africa ( Ghana , Guinea , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Côte d'Ivoire , Nigeria , Togo , etc.). They live in tropical and equatorial rain forests; freely or in dug minks up to 30 cm long. Stinged rarely, relatively safe for humans (young individuals or females with a brood can sting) [3] .
The imperial scorpion is one of the most popular species of these arachnids among scorpion fans. Easy at home breeding, reproduces well in captivity. In 1995 and 1996, about 100,000 individuals were exported from West Africa [3] . To limit its removal from the wild, he, along with other species of the genus Pandinus, was listed on the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) [4] . This is a large scorpion.
Subsociality was noted: females and their offspring live together [5] . Pandinus imperator catches prey with claws, then squeezes it and consumes it, dividing it into parts. The venom of an imperial scorpion kills exclusively only large prey, which it is not able to hold with its powerful pedipalps.
Notes
- ↑ Seyfulina R. R., Kartsev V. M. Spiders of the middle strip of Russia: Atlas-determinant. - M .: Fiton +, 2011 .-- S. 569. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-93457-348-6 .
- ↑ A list of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates, the export, re-export and import of which, as well as their parts or derivatives, is regulated in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) / / Reference materials on the legal support of the activities of zoos and nurseries of the Russian Federation (Part I). Bulletin of the EARAZA Information Center . - M .: EARAZA Information Center, 2005. - P. 259. - 274 p.
- ↑ 1 2 Jan Ove Rein. Pandinus imperator (CL Koch, 1841) . The Scorpion Files . Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet. Date of treatment August 21, 2012. Archived August 27, 2012.
- ↑ UNEP-WCMC . Pandinus imperator (Koch, 1841) . UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species . Date of treatment August 21, 2012. Archived August 27, 2012.
- ↑ Mahsberg, D. (1990). Brood care and family cohesion in the tropical scorpion Pandinus imperator (Koch) (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae) . Acta Zool. Fennica, 190, pp. 267-272.
Literature
- Gaban, D. (1997). On Pandinus imperator (CL Koch) & Pandinus cavimanus (Pocock). Forum American Tarantula Soceiety, 6 (3), pp. 75-78.
- Casper, GS (1985). Prey capture and stining behavior in the Emperor Scorpion, Pandinus imperator (Koch) (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae) . J. Arachnol., 13, pp. 277-283.
- Mahsberg, D. (1990). Brood care and family cohesion in the tropical scorpion Pandinus imperator (Koch) (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae) . Acta Zool. Fennica, 190, pp. 267-272.
- Rolf, J. (1998). Pandinus imperator. Erfahrungen. Skorpions News, 3, pp. 109-110.