''Androctonus crassicauda'', the Arabian fat-tailed scorpion, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of extremely dangerous

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

usually found in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

Description

''Androctonus crassicauda'' is a generalist desert species, an

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

scorpion. Adults can vary in colour from a light brown to reddish to blackish-brown, to black. They can grow to over in length.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found mainly in the

Palaearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

region, in such countries as Turkey, Iran, and other southwestern Asian nations. ''A. crassicauda'' lives in the ruins of old, neglected structures, and was considered a potential hazard for troops during the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

conflict, though it was an unaggressive species that had no reports of stings. It also occurs in margins of desert (arid, semi-arid) places and sometimes accumulated vegetation debris.

Behavior

A nocturnal scorpion, it hides in crevices and under objects during the day, and at night hunts insects and other invertebrates, or small lizards.

Venom

The venom is mainly composed of

neurotoxin Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nervous tissue, nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insult (medical), insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function ...

s, cardiotoxins, and possibly myotoxins. Victims of the sting have reported local effects (intense pain, redness and swelling). Systemic effects include heart malfunctions, remote internal bleeding, visual disturbance, and respiratory problems. The venom is very powerful and considered among the most potent among scorpions, and is known to cause human death. Deaths mostly occur with respiratory arrest, heart failure, and shock. The

LD50 In toxicology, the median lethal dose, LD50 (abbreviation for "lethal dose, 50%"), LC50 (lethal concentration, 50%) or LCt50 is a toxic unit that measures the lethal dose of a given substance. The value of LD50 for a substance is the dose requ ...

for this species is 0.08 mg/kg (IV) and 0.40 mg/kg (SC).

Antivenom

Antivenom Antivenom, also known as antivenin, venom antiserum, and antivenom immunoglobulin, is a specific treatment for envenomation. It is composed of antibodies and used to treat certain venomous bites and stings. Antivenoms are recommended only if ...

produced by this species has been used in Turkey to treat all scorpion stings since 1942.

References

Buthidae Arachnids described in 1807 Arachnids of Iran Invertebrates of the Arabian Peninsula {{scorpion-stub