Little Androctonus to Identify

Hey

I know it is a "young" scorpion and so it can be a problem to correctly identify the species, but in your opinion is it an Androctonus Mauritanicus or an Androctonus Bicolor?

Thanks in advance

From the pictures, it seems to me that this scorpling exhibits a solid matte black look.
More likely Androctonus Mauritanicus
Btw you're right bro, its much easier to identify adults. Lets see what the peeps here think.

I'm with GS on this one. The exo is solidly matte black, and the fingers look that lovely red-orange that screams mauritanicus!

But doesn't A. bicolor typically have legs that end in lighter coloration, as displayed by this specimen?

That's true. Maybe it's just really dusty.

Thanks to all, let's see how it grows!

As for its legs and its fingers, they end in lighter coloration, that is what made me think of a Bicolor.

Absolutely. How big is it? Judging by the metasoma it's still got a few moults to go.

You know, now that I look at it a bit closer it looks sort of like a Hottentotta judaicus. Are you positive that's it's Androctonus?

Its a bicolor 90% sure on this guys.

A. Mauritanicus is 100% black

edit: street might be right on the judaicus though. The tail is not really androlike, or it is idd still very very young. That being said, Bicolors get their black coloration very later, so it should be i4 at least..
On the other hand it has got the 4th row of carinea (or whatever it is called) so almost sure it is a Bicolor.

That's what I was thinking with the tail. It's very black, but the tail is still quite slender. Sorry about the mauritanicus and color mix up...

I think its an androctonus but i'm not 100% sure. If i had to, i would say its a bicolor more than a mauritanicus but maybe its too young to be sure... !

The "Fat tail" for androc should be more significant from 4-5th instars onwards.
I leaning towards Androc for this specimen and I might be wrong for A.Mauritanicus
Hope you'll be active in ASF to post up her "growing up" journey.

I'm not very "confident" with instars but ... let me think
It has molted once at my place and now i think it's going to molt again.

If they are 1 instar when they are born, i think it was at its second or third instar when i got it...

woah, so if its an androctonus it has come the time to show that to me with this molt!

am i right?

Third at least triplet.. I might even say 4th.
Second instars look like yellow blobs :-)

And yes you should see the tail fattening by next moult. I'm pretty positive it is a Bicolor regular morph.
If it doesnt fatten it is a Judaicus as Street said before

Thanks a lot!

Andiamooo!

What do you think about it now?

From a perspective with that picture now it is most likely mauritanicus or crassicauda. Wait until it gets adult to see if the pincers get heavier. If they do, its crassicauda.

thank you so much
Why don't you think it can be a bicolor? what makes you think that?

Triplet wrote:

thank you so much
Why don't you think it can be a bicolor? what makes you think that?

Probably the square tail and color/size of the chelae. I wouldn't put money on either or just yet though, it does seem really really dusty.

Thanks a lot

Chrome wrote:

Triplet wrote:

thank you so much
Why don't you think it can be a bicolor? what makes you think that?

Probably the square tail and color/size of the chelae. I wouldn't put money on either or just yet though, it does seem really really dusty.

jup