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Scorpions of Zihuatanejo

ORDER SCORPIONES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Chelicerates (Subphylum Chelicerata)

-Arachnids (Class Arachnida)

-Scorpions (Order Scorpiones)

-Suborder Neoscorpionina

-Infraorder Orthosterni

-Parvorder Iurida

-Superfamily Vaejovoidea

-Devil Scorpions (Family Vaejovidae)

-Subfamily Syntropinae

-Genus Thorellius

-Thorellius tekuani


Thorellius tekuani is a medium-sized bark scorpion, native to southern Mexico, where it inhabits tropical and subtropical forests. It is typically yellowish to light brown It is arboreal and nocturnal, often sheltering under loose bark, in tree crevices, or among vegetation during the day and emerging at night to hunt insects and other small arthropods. Its venom is considered mild and not medically significant to humans, producing effects similar to a bee sting, while ecologically the species plays an important role as a predator regulating insect populations within forest ecosystems. Lighter coloured immature scorpions are vulnerable and reside on their mother's back for about 4 weeks until they reach their molting stage. They then shed their exoskeleton for a larger, more durable one and leave their mother after the process is complete.

Thorellius tekuani

Thorellius tekuani

Diet

  • Carnivorous, feeding primarily on crickets, cockroaches, termites, beetles, spiders, centipedes, and other small arthropods.

  • Occasionally captures other scorpions and small vertebrates, such as juvenile lizards, when the opportunity arises.

  • A nocturnal ambush predator that detects prey using highly sensitive sensory hairs on its legs before seizing it with its pincers and delivering a venomous sting.

Range

  • Endemic to southwestern Mexico, where it is known from the Pacific slope of Guerrero and adjacent areas.

  • Occurs in suitable habitats around the Zihuatanejo region.

  • The species was formerly placed in the genus Vaejovis before being transferred to the genus Thorellius during a taxonomic revision of the family Vaejovidae.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, rocky hillsides, and secondary forests.

  • Shelters beneath rocks, fallen logs, loose bark, and leaf litter, and within soil crevices during the day.

  • Emerges after dark to hunt and is most active during the warm, humid months of the rainy season.

Size

  • Total length: 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in)

  • Weight: Approximately 3–8 g

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