Centruroides edwardsii

Centruroides edwardsii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Buthidae
Genus: Centruroides
Species:
C. edwardsii
Binomial name
Centruroides edwardsii
(Gervais, 1843)[1]
Synonyms
  • Scorpio (Atreus) edwardsii Gervais, 1843
  • Scorpio (Atreus) degeerii Gervais, 1844
  • Tityus ducalis C.L. Koch, 1844
  • Centrurus gambiensis Karsch, 1873
  • Centruroides margaritatus septentrionalis Hoffmann, 1932
  • Rhopalurus danieli Prado et Rios-Patiño, 1940
  • Centruroides danieli Mello-Leitã, 1945
  • Centruroides gracilis Flórez, 1990

Centruroides edwardsii is a species of scorpion in the genus Centruroides found from Mexico to Colombia.[1]

Description

Centruroides edwardsii is a relatively large species of scorpion, with adults reaching between 6.0 cm and 10.5 cm in length.[1][2] Most of the body and the pedipalps are reddish brown while the legs are yellow.[1] Males are larger than females.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Centruroides edwardsii occurs throughout Central America from northwestern Mexico to central Colombia.[1] It is found in diverse habitats, including tropical dry forest, desert, and rainforest, and occurs from sea-level to 1,728 metres (5,669 ft).[2] C. edwardsii does well in human-modified landscapes and is frequently encountered in urban environments and human dwellings.[2][3] Introduced populations occur in Cuba and Senegal.[1]

Ecology

Scorpions in the genus Centruroides primarily prey upon insects, but C. edwardsii has occasionally been documenting consuming small vertebrates including the snake Tantilla armillata and anole lizards.[4][3]

Venom

The venom of C. edwardsii has hemolytic activity and has been demonstrated to cause paralysis in both arthropods and small vertebrates.[3][5] Due to its frequent co-occurrence with humans, C. edwardsii frequently stings people in some regions. It's venom may be dangerous to children under 15.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 de Armas, Luis; Teruel, Rolando; Kovařík, František (2011-11-16). "On Centruroides margaritatus (Gervais, 1841) and closely related species (Scorpiones: Buthidae)". Euscorpius. 2011 (132): 1–16. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Estrada Gómez, Sebastian; Saldarriaga, Mónica María; Cubides Cubillos, Sergio; Cupitra Vergara, Nelson Ivan (8 July 2014). "Distribution of Centruroides edwardsii CENTRUROIDES EDWARDSII (GERVAIS, 1843) in the Aantioquia Province, Colombia". Acta Biológica Colombiana. 20 (1): 207–215. Bibcode:2014AcBC...20..207E. doi:10.15446/abc.v20n1.42832.
  3. 1 2 3 Díaz, Cecilia; Rivera, Jennifer; Lomonte, Bruno; Bonilla, Fabián; Diego-García, Elia; Camacho, Erika; Tytgat, Jan; Sasa, Mahmood (5 December 2019). "Venom characterization of the bark scorpion Centruroides edwardsii (Gervais 1843): Composition, biochemical activities and in vivo toxicity for potential prey". Toxicon. 171: 7–19. Bibcode:2019Txcn..171....7D. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.09.021. hdl:10669/80393. PMID 31585140.
  4. ↑ Acosta-Chaves, Víctor; Villalobos-Chaves, David (June 2015). "Tantilla armillata. Predation by a Central American Bark Scorpion (Centruroides edwardsii)". Mesoamerican Herpetology. 2 (2): 202–203. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  5. ↑ Estrada-Gómez, Sebastián; Cupitra, Nelson; Arango, Walter; Muñoz, Leidy (14 July 2014). "Intraspecific Variation of Centruroides Edwardsii Venom from Two Regions of Colombia". Toxins. 6 (7): 2082–2096. doi:10.3390/toxins6072082. PMC 4113743. PMID 25025710.