Early this year, I bought three healthy 3rd instar Lychas mucronatus from Andrew. I managed to meet him in person for this transaction while he was in town and he let me handpick from the batch: very much appreciated. Information on their distribution stipulates their range to be widespread across South East Asia, from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and some Indonesian islands though they are considerably hard to find in the wild (never as matter of fact). This is my first experience with a species which has been in my “Most-Wanted” List for as long as I can remember.
This species should be handled with care as members of its family and genus is known to have venom ranging to medium to highly toxic in potency and variable depending on patient/victim. Though not considered particularly important medically, Murcoporin, a chemical extract from the venom of this particular species has been recently successfully synthesized into a drug which functions as an anti-bacterial agent in catatonic patients.
These scorpions are mainly arboreal with generalist tendencies bordering on opportunistic burrower. Though many sources maintain the keeping of this species to be dry, it’s common name (Chinese Swimming Scorpion), suggest it to be more mesic than many might believe. Adults can be kept communally provided there is sufficient food and hiding spaces.
Cannibalism is rare, even when held up in large squirming buckets for sale at the Chinese fresh food market. Young and Sub-adults however, are known to be cannibalised during molts and therefore are advised to be housed individually for now until they reach maturity which is happened to mine recently..
Gender can be plainly distinguished in mature specimens through sexual dimorphism of male chela which, like in Rhopalurus, do not meet all the way when fully closed. This time, I struck big: 1 male and 2 females, ready for communal living and breeding. Initially I put them up in this kritter which was rather small, short and really bad for taking pictures.
I decided that a more permanent upgrade was required with an arboreal setup allowing for stark contrast in environmental conditions. Since my knowledge of their natural history and habitat was nil, behavioural observation conducted in this enclosure will better help me establish their preferential parameters for their ideal setup. The laborious deliberations of this task are sequentially documented
Notes: When kept in a more mesic setup, L. mucronatus are less inclined to burrow and adopt a more arboreal tendenc. A strong dietary preference for small German cockroaches has been noted. Even when adult, they are behave rather shyly with crickets and are virtually impervious to mealworm.
No actual mating has been witnessed and no spermatophore has been found. Nonetheless, the two ladies look stunningly voluptuous. Gestation for this species is documented at 3 monthes...Fingers crossed, only time will tell.
Cheers
