A bio-ecological lab semi-field study of Hemiscorpius Lepturus Scorpion(Hemiscorpiidae) of Khuzestan Province, SW Iran

Scorpion sting in Khuzestan , a western south Province of Iran, causes the psychological and mortality concerns every year. Hemiscorpius lepturus is the most venomous scorpion in the region and is responsible for 95% of all scorpion-sting related mortalities in Khuzestan Province.Despite of the aforementioned problems, lack of basic science researches in the different fields about biology of Iran scorpions is a considerable evident. Therefore, in the current bio-ecological study, H. lepturus scorpion has been investigated in terms of relocation , mobility and nest prefrences in the warm and cold season conditions using cages and artificial nests in the animal houses of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences.Hemiscorpius lepturus scorpions were also caught up from the regions of Ramhormoz and Ahvaz. Total of 785 cases regarding scorpion movements in the experimental cages, 536 cases were observed in the cold season and 249 cases in the warm season. Totally of 796 relocations of scorpions cases which were checked in the experimental cages, 545 cases were observed in the cold season and 251 cases in the warm season.Chi squared tests presented that there were significant difference between how immobility / mobility of scorpions and acceptance/reject of the artificial nests scorpions in two cold season and warm season (pvalue<0.01).So, it can be concluded that artificial breeding of the scorpion does not need to build the artificial nests and quarry stones and pieces of wood and so on can be used as shelters of the H. lepturus scorpions and the colder seasons are suggested for the begining of artificial breeding in the animsl houses.

Keywords:

Biology of scorpions , Hemiscorpius lepturus , mobility , nest preference , Khuzestan