Heterometrus swammerdami

Heterometrus swammerdami
	A giant forest scorpion from the Western Ghats in Karnataka, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Scorpiones
Family:	Scorpionidae
Genus:	Heterometrus
Species:	H. swammerdami
Binomial name
	Heterometrus swammerdami; Simon, 1872
Synonyms
	Heterometrus (Gigantometrus) swammerdami Tikader & Bastawade, 1983; Heterometrus (Gigantometrus) swammerdami titanicus Couzijn, 1981;

Heterometrus swammerdami, commonly called the giant forest scorpion, is a scorpion belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It is native to India and Sri Lanka.^[1] It is the world's largest scorpion species with 23 cm (9 in) in length,^[2] and weigh as much as 56 g (2.0 oz).

Description[]

Body uniformly reddish brown to reddish black in color. Juveniles are typically reddish with a yellow telson. There are 16 to 20 pectinal teeth. Chela strongly lobiform. Manus completely covered by large rounded granulae, but without true carinae. Pedipalp patella lacks a pronounced internal tubercle. Carapace with a smooth disc in which the margins and posterior portion are granulate. Telson bulbous, and the vesicle longer than aculeus.^[3]

The neurosecretions of the species are largely identified.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Ecology[]

Its venom is not usually lethal to humans because it has arguably evolved to kill its prey by crushing it with its pincers and not by venom. This giant forest scorpion has often been seen around tropical rainforests and other types of moderately warm climates.

Specimens are collected from inside degraded or semi-degraded termite mounds, tree holes and in abandoned rat or crab holes in the bunds of agricultural fields. Males are usually active during the summer season from April to July. Solitary individuals come out of their dens during that period.^[8]

References[]

^ "Diversity and Identification Key to the Species of Scorpions (Scorpiones: Arachnida) from Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka" (PDF). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2013; 1 (5):70-77. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
^ Manny Rubio (2000). "Commonly Available Scorpions". Scorpions: Everything About Purchase, Care, Feeding, and Housing. Barron's. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0-7641-1224-9. The Guinness Book of Records claims [...] Heterometrus swammerdami, to be the largest scorpion in the world [9 inches (23 cm)].
^ Charles University; Kovařík, František; Lowe, Graeme; Monell Chemical Senses Center; Ranawana, Kithsiri B.; University of Peradeniya; Hoferek, David; Jayarathne, V. A. Sanjeewa; University of Peradeniya (2016). "Scorpions of Sri Lanka (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Chaerilidae, Scorpionidae) with description of four new species of the genera Charmus Karsch, 1879 and Reddyanus Vachon, 1972, stat. n". Euscorpius. pp. 1–133. doi:10.18590/euscorpius.2016.vol2016.iss220.1. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
^ Habibulla, Mohammad (1970). "Neurosecretion in the scorpion Heterometrus swammerdami". Journal of Morphology. pp. 1–15. doi:10.1002/jmor.1051310102. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
^ "Neurosecretion in the brain of a scorpion Heterometrus swammerdami—a histochemical study". General and Comparative Endocrinology. 1971-10-01. pp. 253–255. doi:10.1016/0016-6480(71)90133-X. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
^ HABIBULLA, MOHAMMAD (1961-12-01). "Secretory Structures associated with the Neurosecretory System of the Immature Scorpion, Heterometrus swammerdami". Journal of Cell Science. pp. 475–479. doi:10.1242/jcs.s3-102.60.475. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
^ Rao, Kandula Pampapathi; Habibulla, Mohammad (1973-04-01). "Correlation between neurosecretion and some physiological functions of the scorpionHeterometrus swammerdami". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences - Section B. pp. 148–155. doi:10.1007/BF03045590. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
^ "Mating behavior and structural aspects of spermatophore of two Indian scorpion species of the genus Heterometrus(Scorpiones: Scorpionidae)". Rec. zool. Surv. India: Vol. 120(4)/455–460, 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

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[1] "Diversity and Identification Key to the Species of Scorpions (Scorpiones: Arachnida) from Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka" (PDF). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2013; 1 (5):70-77. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

[2] Manny Rubio (2000). "Commonly Available Scorpions". Scorpions: Everything About Purchase, Care, Feeding, and Housing. Barron's. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0-7641-1224-9. The Guinness Book of Records claims [...] Heterometrus swammerdami, to be the largest scorpion in the world [9 inches (23 cm)].

[3] Charles University; Kovařík, František; Lowe, Graeme; Monell Chemical Senses Center; Ranawana, Kithsiri B.; University of Peradeniya; Hoferek, David; Jayarathne, V. A. Sanjeewa; University of Peradeniya (2016). "Scorpions of Sri Lanka (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Chaerilidae, Scorpionidae) with description of four new species of the genera Charmus Karsch, 1879 and Reddyanus Vachon, 1972, stat. n". Euscorpius. pp. 1–133. doi:10.18590/euscorpius.2016.vol2016.iss220.1. Retrieved 2021-08-29.

[4] Habibulla, Mohammad (1970). "Neurosecretion in the scorpion Heterometrus swammerdami". Journal of Morphology. pp. 1–15. doi:10.1002/jmor.1051310102. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

[5] "Neurosecretion in the brain of a scorpion Heterometrus swammerdami—a histochemical study". General and Comparative Endocrinology. 1971-10-01. pp. 253–255. doi:10.1016/0016-6480(71)90133-X. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

[6] HABIBULLA, MOHAMMAD (1961-12-01). "Secretory Structures associated with the Neurosecretory System of the Immature Scorpion, Heterometrus swammerdami". Journal of Cell Science. pp. 475–479. doi:10.1242/jcs.s3-102.60.475. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

[7] Rao, Kandula Pampapathi; Habibulla, Mohammad (1973-04-01). "Correlation between neurosecretion and some physiological functions of the scorpionHeterometrus swammerdami". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences - Section B. pp. 148–155. doi:10.1007/BF03045590. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

[8] "Mating behavior and structural aspects of spermatophore of two Indian scorpion species of the genus Heterometrus(Scorpiones: Scorpionidae)". Rec. zool. Surv. India: Vol. 120(4)/455–460, 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

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