Giant Forest Scorpion - Heterometrus spinifer

Heterometrus spinifer - Giant Forest Scorpion

Heterometrus spinifer is a scorpion of the family Scorpionidae found in Malaysia and southern Thailand. It reaches a size of 100 to 135 mm and is predominantly black, although the claws and venomous stinger may be reddish-brown. Juvenile scorpions are reddish-brown in color with a yellow sting. The scorpions have smooth surfaces with keels that form a net pattern. They also have thorn-like bumps on the patellae of their pedipalps. Their distribution is limited to Malaysia and southern Thailand. The first description was made in 1828 by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg. The meaning of the name "spinifer" refers to the thorny bump on the patellae. The scorpion has been assigned to various genera, but in 2004 its assignment to the genus Heterometrus was confirmed.