''Hottentotta jayakari'', the black-tailed alligatorback scorpion, is a species of

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 end ...

of the family

Buthidae The Buthidae are the largest family of scorpions, containing about 100 genera and 1339 species as of 2022. A few very large genera (''Ananteris'', ''Centruroides'', '' Compsobuthus'', or '' Tityus'') are known, but a high number of species-poor o ...

. It is geographically widespread, occupying much of the

Arabian peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Taxonomy

Much like its relatives, the scorpion was initially classified in the genus ''Buthus'' by Pocock in 1895. 13 years later, the taxon ''Hottentotta'' would be suggested as a subgenus but was then elevated to a full genus of its own in 1934. The species name refers to Dr.

Atmaram Sadashiv Jayakar Atmaram Sadashiv Grandin/Grovindin Jayakar (1844–1911), known also as Muscati, was an Indian naturalist, military physician, and colonial administrator in the British Empire. Jayakar, who was of Marathi people, Marathi Pathare Prabhu origin, ...

, an Indian military surgeon stationed in Oman who eventually gained an interest of wildlife in the region.

Description

left, Fluorescing under a blacklight Bearing the typical buthid appearance, diagnosis of this species is decided by its colour. The sting,

pedipalp Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") and ...

s and cephalothorax of the scorpion are all black. Both extremities of the scorpion form a gradient fading from black to dark yellow, on the femur and sting segments. The legs of the scorpion are a bright yellow, forming a strong contrast. Much like all scorpions, the body will fluoresce if illuminated with

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

light. Excluding the stinger, the body reaches a length of 50 mm, and up to 90 mm if it is included

Behaviour

It is reported as being shy and unlikely to sting preferring to flee. It is predatory, feeding on smaller animals which are subdued by a strong sting, as typical with scorpions in the family Buthidae. The venom has not been properly quantified, however it is assumed that it is medically significant.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1631238 Animals described in 1895 Buthidae