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Fattail scorpion

Not to be confused with thick-tailed scorpion (Parabuthus).

Fattail scorpion or fat-tailed scorpion is the common name given to scorpions of the genus Androctonus, one of the most dangerous groups of scorpion species worldwide.[1] The genus was first described in 1828 by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg.[2]

Fattail scorpion
Androctonus crassicauda, one of the fat-tailed scorpions.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Buthidae
Genus: Androctonus
Ehrenberg, 1828
Diversity
Over 40 species

Members of this genus are found throughout Northern Africa, the Middle East and eastwards to Northeastern India, more commonly in semi-arid and arid regions.[1][3]

They are moderate sized scorpions, some attaining lengths of 10 cm (just under 4 inches).[4] Their common name is derived from their distinctly fat metasoma, or tail, while the scientific name for the genus originates from Greek to mean "man killer".[5] Their venom contains powerful neurotoxins, and their sting can have a potent negative effects on domestic animals and people - even causing several human deaths each year.[1]. This has led several pharmaceutical companies to manufacture an antivenom for treatment of Androctonus envenomations.[6]

Ecology

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The fat-tailed scorpion is nocturnal and hides in crevices during the day, which may also limit dehydration.[7] Ongoing threats to the scorpions is though habitat loss by human development of their habitat. [8]

Geographic range

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Androctonus is widespread in North and West Africa, the Middle East and eastwards to the Hindukush region. Countries where Androctonus occur include (from East to West): Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, (Mali?), Burkina Faso, Togo, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Cameroon, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Egypt, (Sudan?), Ethiopia, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, (Armenia?), Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India.

Biogeographic subgroups

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An overview of the diversity in Saudi Arabia was given in Alqahtani & Badry, 2021[9]

Taxonomy

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Androctonus bicolor: The Black fat-tailed scorpion, which has especially slim pedipalps compared to Androctonus crassicauda

The following checklist corresponds to The Scorpion Files (As of August 2025),[10] counties and geographic ranges are adapted from Ythier 2021, and Ythier & Lourenço, 2022.[11][12][13]

Genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828:

Etymology

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An English translation of the name Androctonus is "man-killer", from the Ancient Greek anḗr, andrós (ἀνήρ, ἀνδρός), meaning "man" and kteínein (κτείνειν), meaning "to kill". The species name crassicauda loosely translates as "fat-tailed", from the Latin crassus meaning "fat" and cauda, meaning "tail", hence Androctonus crassicauda is "fat-tailed man-killer". Similarly, Androctonus australis has the species name australis from the Latin word for South, therefore "southern man-killer".

In captivity

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Androctonus australis in a terrarium with Saharan sand

Despite the risks of keeping such a dangerously venomous species in captivity, Androctonus scorpions are frequently found in the exotic animal trade,[where?] A. amoreuxi and A. australis being the most commonly available. The fat-tailed scorpion's main diet when in captivity consists of cockroaches, grasshoppers, and crickets. However, the fat-tailed scorpion is able to go months without consuming food. Scorpions will generally try to kill and eat anything which moves and is smaller than themselves.[14] Fat-tail scorpions kill their prey by first crushing them with their pincers and then injecting them with venom from their stingers.[15] Once the prey has been stung, it causes paralysis and allows the scorpion to consume it with ease.[16] Interestingly, the fat-tail scorpion can only ingest liquids.[17] To simulate the desert environment, the enclosure used to keep the scorpion in must be kept at a temperature of between 26 and 30 degrees Celsius (79–86 °F)[citation needed].

References

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  1. ^ a b c Brent E. Hendrixson (2006). "Buthid scorpions of Saudi Arabia, with notes on other families (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Liochelidae, Scorpionidae)". Fauna of Arabia. 21: 33–120. ISSN 1660-2889. Wikidata Q135840250.
  2. ^ Ehrenberg, Christian Gottfried (1828–1831), "Animalia evertebrata exclusis insectis", in Hemprich, F.W.; Ehrenberg, C.G. (eds.), Symbolae Physicae, seu Icones et descriptiones corporum naturalium novorum aut minus cognitorum [etc], vol. IV, Berlin: Officina Academica, p. unnumbered
  3. ^ "Androctonus". iNaturalist. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Arabian fat-tailed scorpion videos, photos and facts - Androctonus crassicauda | Arkive". Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  5. ^ "Dictionary of Scientific Scorpion Names" (PDF).
  6. ^ Bernstein, Jeffrey N. (2007), "Antidotes in Depth, Antivenom (Scorpion and Spider)", The Clinical Basis of Medical Toxicology, Goldfrank’s Manual of Toxicologic Emergencies (PDF), USA: The McGraw-Hill Companies, p. 1623–1628
  7. ^ "Black Fat-tailed Scorpion". www.ead.gov.ae. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  8. ^ "Black Fat-tailed Scorpion". www.ead.gov.ae. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  9. ^ Abdulaziz R. Alqahtani; Ahmed Badry (2021). "A contribution to the scorpion fauna of Saudi Arabia, with an identification key (Arachnida: Scorpiones)". King Saud University Journal: Science. 33: 1–13. doi:10.1016/J.JKSUS.2021.101396. ISSN 1018-3647. Wikidata Q135840660.
  10. ^ The Scorpion Files : Jan Ove Rein, Trondheim, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
  11. ^ a b Éric Ythier (2021). "A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the Sahelian wooded steppes of Burkina Faso (Scorpiones: Buthidae)" (PDF). Faunitaxys. 9 (31): 1–7. doi:10.57800/FAUNITAXYS-9(31). ISSN 2269-6016. Wikidata Q109898876.
  12. ^ Éric Ythier; Wilson R. Lourenço (2022). "A new species of Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from Western Sahara (Scorpiones: Buthidae)". Serket. 18 (3): 239–251. Wikidata Q135677075.
  13. ^ "Androctonus". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Striped Bark Scorpion". Branson's Wild World. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  15. ^ "Black Fat-tailed Scorpion". www.ead.gov.ae. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  16. ^ "Black Fat-tailed Scorpion". www.ead.gov.ae. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  17. ^ "Black Fat-tailed Scorpion". www.ead.gov.ae. Retrieved 2023-04-21.

Further reading

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