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Start by getting to know the scorpions in your area, get your eye in and you'll be able to expand your scorpion identification skills into other areas of southern Africa.
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Although formal scorpion identification can be a bit of a dark art and fairly technical, there are a number of clues that make it easier for the layperson to narrow down the identity of a specimen. With practice, you should find you’re able to identify the scorpions in your area with ease.

Scorpions can be identified using the following features:

• Location and habitat.
• Behaviour.
• Size.
• Colour.
• Physical features.

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Location and Habitat

In many cases only a few scorpion species occur in a given area, so the locator maps provided in this book will help you to narrow down the field of possibilities. The majority of scorpions also have strict habitat requirements, occurring only in suitable habitat within their range.

For example, Parabuthus raudus favours Kalahari sand, while Opistacanthus leavipes shelters in rock crevices in the southern lowveld. So take note of the physical and environmental conditions that prevail where the specimen is found. This includes factors such as rainfall, altitude, rock type, the texture and hardness of the substrate, and the vegetation growing there.
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Behaviour

Those scorpions whose venom is too weak to deter predators often employ other tactics to defend themselves, such as defensive displays, stridulation, venom spraying and retreating.

For example, when threatened, Parabuthus spp. stridulate by scraping their sting on the first two or three tail segments; by contrast, Uroplectes spp. run away with the tail held straight out. Taking note of such behaviours can be a useful aid to identification as well as providing insight into the state of the animal. To avoid being stung, always take note of – and heed – the primary defences a scorpion employs.
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Size

A scorpion’s length is measured from the front of its carapace to the last segment of its tail, just before the sting. Many scorpions are small in size (from 18mm), to 210mm in size. Note that the juvenile of a larger species may be mistaken for the adult of a smaller species. For example, juvenile Parabuthus spp. can be hard to distinguish from adult Uroplectes spp., which are generally small scorpions.
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Colour

The coloration of diurnal animals plays an obvious role, whereas that of largely nocturnal creatures, such as scorpions, is less important. Nevertheless, many species do display characteristic coloration, so it is worthwhile noting any distinctive colours and patterns, bearing in mind that while colour may be constant in some species, especially those with restricted distributions, in those with a wide distribution, coloration may vary from place to place.
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Physical Features

Features of the exoskeleton that are relevant to identification include the:

• Position of the eyes.
• Presence or absence of granulations on the pincers and carapace.
• Shape and texture of the tail segments.
• Shape of the pincers and sting.

So, for example, it is fairly straightforward to identify Parabuthus granulatus, as this species has a noticeably small sting. Likewise Opistophthalmus gigas is easily identified by the unique granulations on its carapace. In some cases, however, identification may require closer inspection of the exoskeleton using a jeweller’s loupe or microscope.

The shape of the pincers and sting can be a useful aid in differentiating between different genera.
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Start by getting to know the scorpions in your area, get your eye in and you'll be able to expand your scorpion identification skills into other areas of southern Africa.
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