V/H spinigerus and V/H? confusus

I just bought two trios of Vaejovis spinigerus and confusus...and yeah i know one or both of those are possibly Hoffmanius (Hoffimanus? arg!) now instead.

They all look the same superficially...does anyone know the details i could be looking for to separate them?
i just want to make sure when i make mating attempts (assuming i have mixed genders!!) that i pair the right ones.

The most I can offer is that spinigerus has the keels on the metasoma that look like large spines (almost shaped like a shark's dorsal fin) . . . I'm not sure how common that feature is elsewhere in the genus.

thanks that's helpful! i did notice some keels like that! they are dorsally located, right? ie on the inside of the curve as it holds its tail up?
i saw them and thought...that is impressive!
will check the confufus tonight for that as well

Yes, that's exactly where the keels are located.

well i've checked all 6 scorps, all have the strongly keeled dorsal surface...
i also asked the spidershop what they went by, and was told that one has 3 stripes on the segment before the telson (or the 2nd from, it doesn't matter as you'll see), and the other 4...
and yep, they all have 3 on the first segment before and 4 on the 2nd and i think 3rd and 4th.
so yeah back to square one here hahaha

You can see the stripes pretty clearly in this picture:


And you can see that they're on more than one segment in this picture:


So if they all have three on the last segment, I'd say they're all V. spinigerus.

Just for kicks, here's a pic that demonstrates those keels:

thanks mate...well my scorps all are the same then haha
the main difference (which isn't consistent) is that some appear more glossy than others and others more "matte".
but as i say, it isn't consistent so i could say the shiny ones are spinigerus or vice versa.
well if they are all apples and no oranges...time to start sexing them!
thanks for the help, and those are great pics
the keels are impressive aren't they?

Yes, the keels are cool . . . like little shark teeth.

It's possible the gloss / matte difference is due to sex -- I know of other scorpions (considered by some to also be Vaejovids) that have that same characteristic.

Whether or not it's the case, this genus is very easy to sex by the pectines. Male's pectine teeth touch and may almost overlap across the operculum, whereas females have a distinct gap between them.

thanks again for the help mate! i will see if anything else turns up but if not, i may have 7 mateable scorpions to fill the UK market with spinigerus

yay for scorpion porn haha!

glad you got this sorted out james coz I couldn't tell any difference either

yeah it wasn't obvious was it...well should be good to go now!
wonder why the spider shop thinks they have two species...or did i just somehow end up with 3 mislabelled ones lol

hope it's not a money making thing :S

I would hope it is mislabelled

mind you the Haplopelma sp. 'vietnam' we bought from them, they later announced was longipes. And now we just found out it was mis-ID'd and is actually vonwirthi

I guess they can only label as their sources tell them. Would be a nightmare to have to double check EVERYTHING they get in! they would have to employ a taxonomist!

oh yes, doubt it's money making. think they can't always do better than go with what they are told by suppliers, and yeah you got a nice surprise!
it would seem strange to make money off this when both confusus and spinigerus are the same price...though some addicts like me find it hard to resist the extra lot with a different name lmao

update: i have checked and while keels are present on all, some do in fact have more pronounced keels. so will separate based on that, though i wonder if the less strongly keeled are immature, if that makes a difference.

Another update:
one scorp looks to not only be well fed, but full of little white globs just beneath the intersegmental membrane...
hmmm