Scorpion Length

When I get a new scorp I like to try to get a general idea of it's instar, at least whether it appears mature or still molting. I look at info regarding typical adult length to get a clue. Estimating overall length is easier said than done! One question, when a referance states that a certain scorp is say 5 to 6 cm, that obviously is when the tail is straighted out. Does the length usually also mean when the pinchers are outstretched? I.E., this would be the longest possible overall length with the tail and pichers stretched out straight.

Scorpion length is always measured from the prosoma to the aculeus.

DolbyR wrote:

Scorpion length is always measured from the prosoma to the aculeus.

+1

Thanks that clears it up. I wish there was a reference that gave the "body" length (cephalothorax + mesoma) for adult scorps. That would be a lot easier to estimate for a live scorp.

Just remember many sites are wrong when it comes to scorp sizes.

Yes I think your are correct but if you look at the average of several hopefully it would give one some idea of size at maturity. Maybe one should not put too much importance on size though.

It's like asking how tall are men and women. Sure there's probably an average number out there but as individuals I bet few of us hit the average dead on.

Yes you are probably right. I wonder how much maximum length is effected by a difference in feeding and temp conditions when they are growing?

That seems like the kind of thing you should study yourself. Get some local scorpions and get them mated. Split the brood into as many groups as you want and try raising them with different temperatures and different feeding intervals and see which ones produce the largest offspring. They should be from the same brood to take different genetics out of the mix.

Since you seem so curious about it I volunteer you to head up our study.

That's not a bad idea. My C. vit just had babies. Currently they have dismounted from mom's back and are loose in a large Critter Keeper with several stacks of cork bark in the cage. They are so small that they hide in the cracks of the cork bark. It will probably be a while until they get large enough that they can't hide in the numerous cracks.

My main interest in all of this is just to get a rough clue about maturity of a newly acquired scorp. For example if you get a certain scorp that you estimate to be 2.5 cm in length and most data show a mature specimen to be 5 to 6 cm, one might infer that it is a younger instar and still molting. Does this sound correct?

I'm fairly new to this hobby and really love the various desert scorps. I'm concerned about getting the (seemingly) delicate ballance of enclosure moisture/hydration correct. If one has too little moisture the smaller instars have molting problems and if one has too much moisture they get mycosis. Also, I gather that an adult desert scorp requires less enclosure moisture than younger instars.

I recently lost a Buthacus leptochelys (Egyptian Green). I did a post mortem exam on him with a magnifying glass and did not see any sign of mycosis. I think he was a younger instar and I believe I kept him TOO dry and he died either from dehydration and/or he could not molt. Everything I read about this species mentioned how prone they are to mycosis and I believe I overshot.

So to make a long story short, when I get a new scorp (especially a desert species) I think I need to make an estimate as to its maturity and adjust the enclosure moisture accordingly. Does this sound correct? Thanks for your input!