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Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs[1] and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping pedipalps and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger. Scorpions range in size from 9 mm / 0.3 in. (Typhlochactas mitchelli) to 23 cm / 9 in. (Heterometrus swammerdami).[2]
Scorpions
Temporal range: 435 –0 Ma
PreꞒꞒOSDCPTJKPgN
Early Silurian – present
Scorpion Photograph By Shantanu Kuveskar.jpg
Hottentotta tamulus from Mangaon, Maharashtra, India
Scientific classificatione
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Chelicerata
Class:
Arachnida
Order:
Scorpiones
C. L. Koch, 1837
Families
Bothriuridae
Buthidae
Caraboctonidae
Chactidae
Chaerilidae
Euscorpiidae
Hemiscorpiidae
Iuridae
Microcharmidae
Pseudochactidae
Scorpionidae
Superstitioniidae
Vaejovidae
The evolutionary history of scorpions goes back to the Silurian period 435 million years ago. They have adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions, and they can now be found on all continents except Antarctica. There are about 1,750 described species,[3] with 13 extant (living) families recognised to date. Their taxonomy is being revised in the light of genomic studies.
All scorpions have a venomous sting, but the vast majority of the species do not represent a serious threat to humans, and in most cases, healthy adults do not need any medical treatment after being stung.[4] Only about 25 species are known to have venom capable of killing a human.[5] In some parts of the world with highly venomous species, human fatalities regularly occur, primarily in areas with limited access to medical treatment.[4]
Contents
Etymology
The word "scorpion" is thought to have originated in Middle English between 1175 and 1225 AD from Old French scorpion,[6] or from Italian scorpione, both derived from the Latin scorpius,[7] which is the romanization of the Greek word σκορπίος – skorpíos.[8]
Geographical distribution
Scorpions are found on all major land masses except Antarctica and New Zealand. Scorpions did not occur naturally in Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, and some of the islands in Oceania, but now have been accidentally introduced in some of these places by human trade and commerce.[9] The greatest diversity of scorpions in the Northern Hemisphere is to be found in regions between the latitudes 23 and 38°N. Above these latitudes, the diversity decreases with the northernmost natural occurrence of scorpions being the northern scorpion Paruroctonus boreus at Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada 50°N.[10] Five colonies of scorpions (Euscorpius flavicaudis) have established themselves in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in the United Kingdom.[11] This small population has been resident since the 1860s, having probably arrived with imported fruit from Africa. This scorpion species is small and completely harmless to humans. At just over 51°N, this marks the northernmost limit where scorpions live in the wild.[12][13]