Found a scorp

No reason for anyone to remember but I posted a thread in which I hoped to find another scorp after seeing one in the wild a year or two ago. Well finally caught one. Funny thing is is that is was in the exact same burned log I saw the original. I came across it and after digging around some and removing a few squares of wood(by now this log was pretty well gone back to the soil) and lo and behold this little guy popped up. He was perfectly motionless so I simply picked him up and dropped him in the cup I had. Funny thing is that I didn't see him move at all until on the way home I put the cup in my bag with clothes etc. and somehow along the way the cup tipped. So at home I shook at everything till I saw him crawling off...

Anyway...I'm thinking either Psuedouroctonus mordax or P. ivei...anyone. Also, guy or girl here?

The location you collected it would be of help. For all I know your in Australia.

dtknow,

I can't tell much of the morphostructural characteristics from the photo so, from memory - examine the first 2 segments of the metasoma. If both are wider than long this indicates Pseudouroctonus iviei. If only the first metasoma segment is as broad as or slightly broader than long, this indicates Uroctonus mordax.
Also, if you examine the ventral surface of metasona segment V, and there is a "Y-shaped" carina (rows of granules), this is distinctive of U. mordax. In U. mordax, the vesicle of the telson is broader that met seg V; in Ps. iviei the vesicle is narrower than met seg V. Can't recall other characteristics at the moment but the above should put you on the right path?
If I recall, Ps. iviei is found in the northern California counties of Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Trinity, Shasta, Plumas, Yuba, Sierra, Contra Costa, Placer, and Eldorado counties (there may be more counties in which, this species is present but I'm doing this from memory and there will be some margin of error in distribution!).
U. mordax shares that distribution in several of the counties listed above including: Eldorado, Mendocino, Napa, Shasta, Sonoma, Trinity, etc. It has quite a wide distribution in Cali (almost to Baja California Norte)! LOL

Good luck,
Luc

dtknow,

If you're in Australia and you collected either species that's one helluva range extension for both! LOL

This one was collected in Sonoma County. I will take a look over this scorp and see.

dt,

The very first character to examine is the ventral surface of metasoma segment V for the "Y-shaped" carina (rows of granules). If this is present, you have Uroctonus mordax.

Hate to ask this...but where is metasoma segment V? Is it the first segment off
the abdomen or the one right infront of the "stinger"?

Also, no bites on sexing? Anyone kept these guys before?

Another photo just because.

For insight into scorpion anatomy. Look to the sticky that says scorpion anatomy on it.

DT,

Metasoma segments are numbered from the segment closest to the body (mesosoma) met seg I to the segment just in front of the "stinger" (telson = vesicle + aculeus) met seg V. The "stinger" segment (not a true metasomal segment) is called the telson and is composed of the vesicle (bulb) that contains the venom gland(s) and the hypodermic process called the aculeus (the actual stinger).
Instead of examining the carinae (rows of granules) on the vertical surface ofr met seg V, simply look at the first 3 segments of the metasoma (met segs I-III): if met segs I & II are wider than long and met seg III is approximately as wide as long then, you have Pseudouroctonus iviei. Good luck!

Luc