Euscorpius italicus European Scorpion Arachnida

Description

Origin : Italy (Lombardia)

Euscorpius italicus cm 3.6-4.8 European Scorpion Arachnida.
Famiglia: Euscorpiidae.
Common name: The Italian Scorpion.

Euscorpius italicus (Herbst, 1800), is a scorpion of the Euscorpiidae family distributed in Europe (Italy, Switzerland, France, Balkans, Turkey, Greece) and in North Africa. The habitat is mainly represented by old walls, stony ground and woodsheds, where it finds refuge in holes, ravines and cracks. However, it is also found in grassy fields and under stones in mountainous areas.
This scorpion species can be found in homes located in wooded areas. This scorpion rarely stings and, having a very low dose of venom, the sting in humans only causes intense and transient pain, similar to that caused by wasp and bee stings.
With a length that can reach 50 mm, the Italian scorpion is the largest of the genus Euscorpius. It has two very large and robust pedipalps (claws) and a rather thin tail that ends with the sting. The color is mainly black, with the legs and the telson of a lighter color, usually reddish.
Like the other Euscorpius it leads a solitary life and most of the encounters with other specimens of the same species occur for reproductive reasons. Reproduction occurs in spring and summer and the young can be born even a year after mating. The female gives birth to up to thirty young already formed that immediately settle on the back of the mother, where they will remain until the first moult. Often in the post-partum period the female does not feed, to avoid cannibalism towards the offspring. The Italian scorpion is often confused with other Euscorpius such as Euscorpius flavicaudis from which it can be distinguished by the internal shape of the pedipalps.