Scorpions of the Genus Tityus in Captivity: Care, Breeding and Life History
Page 3 of 4 | text by Oliver St John, photos by Alexander Tietz
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Tityus trinitatis Pocock, 1897
Tityus
trinitatis is an attractive scorpion that varies from brown to pinkish-red
with mesosoma and legs that are mottled with white spots. The legs are sometimes
lighter (yellowish). Slightly larger than T. serrulatus at around
55 mm [2.2 in] when adult, this species occurs naturally in the Caribbean,
primarily in Trinidad and Tobago. T. trinitatis is a dangerously
venomous scorpion that accounts for several human deaths each year, but
its venom is much less potent then T. serrulatus with a reported
LD50 of 2.0 mg/kg (sc, Habermehl, 1981). This species is actually extremely
docile, preferring to remain completely still when molested while relying
on its cryptic colouration for concealment. This species is semi-arboreal
but spends most of its time on the ground, occasionally climbing. Moulting always seems to occur in a vertical position. Males of this species can be identified by their noticeably longer metasoma and slightly more elongated chela in comparison to the females. Both sexes seem to have 18-19 pectinal teeth. This species can be mated readily; males and females will quickly initiate the "promenade a deux" [mating dance]. They are not easily disturbed while mating and, therefore, are relatively easy to observe. Mating seems to be extremely quick, lasting as little as 20-30 minutes. The gestation period in captivity is about 4-5 months and females produce litters of 5-15 scorplings. Both males and females seem to reach maturity in the 6th instar (males occasionally take one less moult to reach sexual maturity), and require 10-11 months to reach adulthood.
Tityus paraensis Kraepelin, 1896
Of
all the Tityus species available to the hobbyist, T. paraensis
is perhaps the most spectacular. Males have extremely elongated pedipalps
that nearly as long as their bodies. This species is a dark brown to black
colour. It is one of the largest members of the genus with captive-bred
specimens reaching 65-75 mm [2.6-3 in] in length. It has a large natural
range, occurring in Brazil, Guyana and especially French Guiana (Lourenço,
et al., 2000), where it tends to be very common. T. paraensis is
responsible for several human envenomations each year. It is a mildly venomous
species with a reported LD50 of 12.14 mg/kg (ip, Nishikawa, et al., 1994)
However, it reportedly caused one death in French Guiana (Hommel, et al.,
1999) and should be treated with respect. It is a very docile species that
rarely reacts defensively. In captivity, adults can be safely housed together
and even subadults an be tolerant of each other without occurrences of cannibalism.
This is a timid and secretive species that rests vertically during the day
and is only active well after dark. It is is shy about mating in captivity
and easily disturbed. Complete darkness is needed to initiate the mating
process and even then they will break off the process readily, The mating
process seems to take a long time and may last 12 hours or more. Males are
easily identified by their elongated chela and pedipalps; females have shorter
more bulbous chela. These sexually dimorphic characters are only easily
visible after the last moult. The gestation period of this species is 3-4
months, after which females give birth to 15-25 scorplings (Lourenço,
et al., 2000). In captivity, both males and females take between 9-10 months
to mature and generally reach adulthood in the 6th instar, although an additional
moult may occur to reach sexual maturity. This species probably has a lifespan
of 4-5 years in captivity.
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