''Gigantometrus swammerdami'', commonly called the giant forest scorpion, is a

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...

belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It is native to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is the world's largest

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

with 23 cm (9 in) in length, and weigh as much as .

Description

The body is a uniform reddish brown to reddish black color. Juveniles are typically reddish with a yellow telson. There are 16 to 20 pectinal teeth. Chela strongly lobiform. Manus completely covered by large rounded granulae, but without true carinae. Pedipalp patella lacks a pronounced internal tubercle. Carapace with a smooth disc in which the margins and posterior portion are granulate. Telson bulbous, and the vesicle longer than aculeus. The neurosecretions of the species are largely identified.

Ecology

Its

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

is not usually lethal to humans because it has arguably evolved to kill its prey by crushing it with its pincers and not by

. This giant forest scorpion has often been seen around tropical rainforests and other types of moderately warm climates. Specimens are collected from inside degraded or semi-degraded termite mounds, tree holes and in abandoned rat or crab holes in the bunds of agricultural fields. Males are usually active during the summer season from April to July. Solitary individuals come out of their dens during that period.

References

Scorpionidae Animals described in 1872 Arachnids of Asia {{Scorpion-stub