CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How many species of scorpions are there?

How many species of scorpions are there?

Scorpions belong to the phylum Arthropoda, class Arachricla, order Scorpionida. There are about 800 species of scorpions in the world, and there are more than 10 species of scorpions in my country. The East Asian scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch), also known as Martens's scorpion, is commonly used as medicine. It belongs to the family Buthidae of the order Scorpionidae. The East Asian scorpion has the largest number and the widest distribution. It is distributed in more than 10 provinces in my country, among which Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Liaoning and other provinces are more distributed. Scorpions are also widely distributed in desert areas such as the Sahara Desert. The adult scorpion is 5 to 6 cm long, and its body can be divided into the cephalothorax, anterior abdomen and posterior abdomen. The cephalothorax and anterior abdomen are combined into a flat and long oval shape. The posterior abdomen (which can be called the tail) consists of six segments, which are clearly segmented, slender and can curl upward and to the left and right. There is a hook-shaped stinger at the end of the tail segment. There are two to five pairs of lateral eyes on each side of the front dorsal edge of the cephalothorax, and a pair of median eyes in the center. The cephalothorax also has six pairs of appendages (legs). The first symmetrical claws are relatively short and help to obtain food. The second symmetrical foot whiskers are powerful and consist of four sections. The last section is thick and is also called pincers, which are used for catching and eating. There are also four pairs of slender walking legs for walking and holding things. The whole body is shaped like a pipa, with a dark brown back and a light yellow belly. There is a mouthpart at the front end of the ventral side of the cephalothorax, and a genital pore later, which is covered with a genital operculum composed of small scales. The vertical slit between the genital operculum and the mouthparts is called the scorpion molting mouth, from which scorpions of all ages shed their skin when molting. There is a pair of pectinate plates on the ventral side of the anterior abdomen, which serve as stimulation organs during mating, and four pairs of lung pores for breathing.

Scorpions are distributed in most areas of northern China, as well as in Jiangsu, Fujian, Taiwan and other places in the south. They live in gravel on hillsides, under fallen leaves, cracks in slopes, in bark, cracks in walls, earth holes, and dark places in wastelands. They like to move around in humid places and live in dry dens. They are timid and easily startled, afraid of strong light, and hide during the day and come out at night. They like to live in groups, prefer to be quiet and not active, and often live in groups in fixed dens. They go out at night to find food, drink water, and mate. They have very poor eyesight. They feed on active small animals. They have a strong ability to withstand hunger and can survive 70 to 80 days of hunger. Scorpions are ovoviviparous animals. Females generally give birth to newborn scorpions between June and August. They can only complete one molt in the same year. They complete the second molt in the second year and enter the second age. They complete the third molt in the third year and enter the third age. The third-age scorpion reaches sexual maturity. They give birth once a year, about 30 each time. The lifespan can reach more than 10 years.

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It's a rainforest scorpion.