[HOW TO] "Common words" in the Hobby

Aculeus - the sting itself

Birth-basket - the stance sometimes taken by female scorpions while giving birth

Book lungs - a scorpion's respiratory organs, visible as four pairs of white patches on the underside of the scorpion.

Burrow/Burrower - scorpion species that spends time in a hole underground (many of which thus become "pet holes")

Cannibalize - to eat another scorp...usually same species

Carapace - the top of a scorpion's "head"; this is also where a scorpion's eyes are located

CB- Captive breed

CF- Captive farmed

CH- Captive hatched hatchings from a gravid wild collected female

Chelae - pinchers

Chelicerae - the miniature pinchers coming out of a scorpion's mouth that it uses to manipulate and eat prey

Crix/Crickets - the most used feeder especially by newbies. Crickets make noise and are usually really smelly despite the fact that they are the most used feeder most hobbyist would say they are NOT the BEST feeder.

Darkside - unofficial word for scorpion-keeping hobby (lightside - tarantula keeping)

Desert-dry

Diggers/Semi Burrowers - not to be confused with burrowing scorpions. These scorps are usually found under rocks and dig under flat pieces of debris for hides. Most of these scorpions only make temporary burrows in the wild.

Embryo - an unborn baby scorpion. Usually seen through the sides of the expecting mother.

Family - the usual major subdivision of an order or suborder in the classification of plants, animals, fungi, etc., usually consisting of several genera.

Fruitflies - small flies usually used to feed small or baby scorpions. Come in different varieties and species but the most popular is the FLIGHTLESS fruitfly.

Gravid - pregnant

Genital operculum - the structure between the pectines; essential to mating and birthing

Genus - the usual major subdivision of a family or subfamily in the classification of organisms, usually consisting of more than one species

Gestation - the period of time between a female mating and giving birth.

Hybrid - A crossbreed. The offspring of two different species

Instar - the time between molts. Newborn scorpions are 1st instars, after their first molt but before their second they are 2nd instars.

LD50 - Lethal Dose for 50 percent of subjects (usually mice)

LD50 Level- toxicity of scorp venom

LTC- Long term captive- in captivity for 3 months +

Mealworms - the larva of various beetles of the genus Tenebrio that infest flour and other grain products. They burrow so it makes them difficult to feed and are also very fatty.

Mesic - adapted to moderately moist habitat, as opposed to xeric.

Mesosoma - a scorpion's main "body" between the "head" and the "tail."

Metasoma - a scorpion's "tail"

Mites - little arachnids that sometimes live on and around scorpions. If you can see them and they run, they're good. If they're almost too small to see and congregate in large numbers WITHOUT moving, they're bad.

Molt - the removal of the old exoskeleton as an immature scorp grows and let the new, larger one underneath harden. Most scorpions molt four to six times throughout their lives, and quit when they reach maturity. "Molt" can also refer to the exoskeleton itself.

Parthenogenesis: form of asexual reproduction, ie no male needed for breeding. (found in some Hottentotta and Tityus species, among others)

Partuition - the act of giving birth

Pectines - feather-like sensory organ underneath a scorpion; often used in sexing

Pedipalp - the "arm" that ends in a pincher

Pet hole - a burrowing species that rarely ventures from said burrow

Pinheads - early instar crickets, sometimes used as prey for small scorpions

Pleural membrane - soft cuticle layer on the mesosoma, in between the tergites and sternites. Visually obvious when tergites and sternites are stretched when a scorpion is either had a very big meal or is gravid.

Power-feed - refers to the act of offering a feeder(e.g. a cricket/ roach) to a scorpion at the shortest possible interval (e.g. one feeder after another) untill the scorpion is full. Some keepers does this to juvenile/ sub-adult scorpions so that the scorpion may have shorter molting intervals and thus, able to attain adulthood at a faster rate.

Pop - informal term for partuition

Prosoma - a scorpion's "head," bearing the chelicerae, pedipalps, and legs

Roaches - another common feeder that comes in different varieties and species. Some fly or climb glass and others don't. They are easier to breed than crickets and produce a less offensive smell if any. The BEST feeder to use if you'd like to breed your own food.

Species - the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species. HYBRID is an exception

Spermatophore - stick-like structure containing sperm cells that male scorps anchor to a solid surface during courtship

Spiracle - opening from the underside of the body leading into the booklungs.

Sternites - the armored plates on a scorpion's underside

Subaculear Prong - a small projection just before the base of the stinger in some species (looks like a mini-stinger)

Sub-Species - a subdivision of a species: as a category in biological classification that ranks immediately below a species and designates a population of a particular geographical region genetically distinguishable from other such populations of the same species and capable of interbreeding successfully with them where its range overlaps theirs

Telson - the segment just after the metasoma, bearing the sting

Tergites - the armored plates on a scorpion's back

Tropical - medium to high humidity

Vesicle - the bulbous portion of a scorpion's telson (i.e., everything but the aculeus), containing the venom glands and associated muscles

WC- Wild collected

Xeric - adapted to dry conditions / moisture-deficient habitats (as opposed to mesic).

What does the numbers in front of the scorpion name means - 1.3.0 Pandinus imperator

0.0.0

First digit= Number of males
Second digit= Number of females
Third digit= Number of unknown sexes

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For example, if someone states that he has 1.3.0 Pandinus imperator, it simply means that he has

1 Male Pandinus imperator . 3 Females Pandinus imperator . 0 unsexed Pandinus imperator

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New words added...need be alpahbetized....MODS?

Again new words added. Someone with time on their hands please alphabetize

Parthenogenesis added.

New words added. Green ones are new and need to alphabatized.