Gigantometrus swammerdami

Gigantometrus swammerdami, commonly called the giant forest scorpion, is a scorpion belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It is native to India.[1] It is the world's largest scorpion species with 23 cm (9 in) in length,[2] and weigh as much as 56 g (2.0 oz).

Gigantometrus swammerdami
A giant forest scorpion from the Western Ghats in Karnataka, India
A giant forest scorpion from the Western Ghats in Karnataka, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Scorpionidae
Genus: Gigantometrus
Species:
G. swammerdami
Binomial name
Gigantometrus swammerdami
(Simon, 1872)

Description

The body is a uniform reddish brown to reddish black color. Juveniles are typically reddish with a yellow telson. There are 16 to 20 pectinal teeth. Chela strongly lobiform. Manus completely covered by large rounded granulae, but without true carinae. Pedipalp patella lacks a pronounced internal tubercle. Carapace with a smooth disc in which the margins and posterior portion are granulate. Telson bulbous, and the vesicle longer than aculeus.[3]

The neurosecretions of the species are largely identified.[4][5][6][7]

Ecology

Its venom is not usually lethal to humans because it has arguably evolved to kill its prey by crushing it with its pincers and not by venom. This giant forest scorpion has often been seen around tropical rainforests and other types of moderately warm climates.

Specimens are collected from inside degraded or semi-degraded termite mounds, tree holes and in abandoned rat or crab holes in the bunds of agricultural fields. Males are usually active during the summer season from April to July. Solitary individuals come out of their dens during that period.[8]

References
  1. Lorenzo, Prendini; Loria, Stephanie (2020). "Systematic revision of the Asian forest scorpions (Heterometrinae Simon, 1879), revised suprageneric classification of Scorpionidae Latreille, 1802, and revalidation of Rugodentidae Bastawade et al., 2005". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 442 (1): 1–480. doi:10.1206/0003-0090.442.1.1. ISSN 0003-0090. OCLC 1200233533. S2CID 222348199.
  2. Manny Rubio (2000). "Commonly Available Scorpions". Scorpions: Everything About Purchase, Care, Feeding, and Housing. Barron's. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0-7641-1224-9. The Guinness Book of Records claims [...] Heterometrus swammerdami, to be the largest scorpion in the world [9 inches (23 cm)].
  3. Charles University; Kovařík, František; Lowe, Graeme; Monell Chemical Senses Center; Ranawana, Kithsiri B.; University of Peradeniya; Hoferek, David; Jayarathne, V. A. Sanjeewa; University of Peradeniya (2016). "Scorpions of Sri Lanka (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Chaerilidae, Scorpionidae) with description of four new species of the genera Charmus Karsch, 1879 and Reddyanus Vachon, 1972, stat. n". Euscorpius. 2016 (220): 1–133. doi:10.18590/euscorpius.2016.vol2016.iss220.1. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  4. Habibulla, Mohammad (1970). "Neurosecretion in the scorpion Heterometrus swammerdami". Journal of Morphology. 131 (1): 1–15. doi:10.1002/jmor.1051310102. PMID 4192902. S2CID 39533502. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  5. Habibulla, Mohammad (1971-10-01). "Neurosecretion in the brain of a scorpion Heterometrus swammerdami—a histochemical study". General and Comparative Endocrinology. 17 (2): 253–255. doi:10.1016/0016-6480(71)90133-X. PMID 4328747. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  6. HABIBULLA, MOHAMMAD (1961-12-01). "Secretory Structures associated with the Neurosecretory System of the Immature Scorpion, Heterometrus swammerdami". Journal of Cell Science (60): 475–479. doi:10.1242/jcs.s3-102.60.475. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  7. Rao, Kandula Pampapathi; Habibulla, Mohammad (1973-04-01). "Correlation between neurosecretion and some physiological functions of the scorpionHeterometrus swammerdami". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences. 77 (4): 148–155. doi:10.1007/BF03045590. S2CID 82308398. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  8. "Mating behavior and structural aspects of spermatophore of two Indian scorpion species of the genus Heterometrus(Scorpiones: Scorpionidae)". Rec. Zool. Surv. India. 120 (4): 455–460. 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-31.


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