''Tityus bahiensis'' is a medically important scorpion endemic to South America.

Description and behavior

It usually reaches 6 cm in length. Its cephalothorax and tergites are dark, with reddish brown above, light legs with black spots, pedipalp is usually light brown, with a dark brown on the part of the tibia, the post-abdomen is pale brown, but often reddish-brown. its telson is reddish, the tips of the pincers and the stinger are brown or black, which is a way of identifying the species. the immature, are often reddish. ''Tityus bahiensis'' is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

scorpion, and not aggressive; they generally avoid humans, but if threatened will defend themselves.

Diet in captivity

It feeds on cockroaches, mealworms, crickets,

spiders Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species dive ...

and insect larvae.

Range and habitat

The species occurs in Brazil (Minas Gerais, Goias, Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Parana), Argentina and Paraguay. The species is very common in agricultural areas.

Reproduction

Mating can occur at any time of the year, but usually in November to April; the gestation time varies from 2 to 12 months, giving birth to between 2 and 25 offspring.

Venom

It is primarily responsible for envenomation cases in rural areas, and is often cited as the second most toxic of its kind, behind only '' T. serrulatus''. Its neurotoxic venom causes symptoms such as severe pain, edema, sweating, lethargy, tachycardia, pulmonary edema, dyspnea, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal complications, nausea, vomiting and changes in blood pressure. The LD50 for its venom is 0.5 mg/kg. The most prevalent toxin found in the venom of ''T. bahiensis'' is Tb1, accounting for 10% of the entire soluble venom content.

References

bahiensis Scorpions of South America {{scorpion-stub