Parabuthus transvaalicus

Parabuthus transvaalicus is a rather large scorpion from the dry savannahs and deserts of Southern Africa. The females in particular can grow to about 5 inches in length! The metasoma (tail) is quite large and thick thus earning this species the common name of Black Thick Tailed Scorpion. This species is sporadically available as wild caught imports, however learning to culture this species in captivity is important as captive breeding programs are the future of the Scorpion Hobby. One should never take for granted that this species will always be available as wild caught imports. The Tarantula Hobby is a shining example of this as many species are only available as captive bred stock. With this in mind, one should always assume that the same can happen with many of the scorpion species we now enjoy. I have sucessfully bred this species together with a friend (arachboy) -abner

Venom
This species is known to have moderately toxic venom. With an LD 50 of 4.25 (1) this species is considered by most to be medically significant not as much for the strength but for the quantity it can deliver. To top it off this species is also known to possess the ability to spray venom at an annoyance. I personally have never witnessed this scorpion spray venom but several fellow Scorpion Hobbyists have reported witnessing this. Needless to say, this species deserves a good deal of respect and should only be kept by those with some experience in keeping scorpions that will exercise caution when working with them.

Husbandry
Parabuthus transvaalicus is native to the dry areas of Southern Africa. With this in mind, the captive conditions should be kept warm and dry. They seem to thrive with temperatures between 80F-87F. If kept too cool and moist this species can get a fungal infection known as mycosis which will eventually kill the scorpion.
Housing the adults is actually quite simple. Kritter Keepers or 5-10 gallon tanks can be used with screen type tops which allow for good ventilation. I prefer to use about 3 inches of dry peat, sand or a mixture of both. A hide can be a piece of wood, propped up flat stone or just about anything that the scorpion can hide under. They are quite content with digging shallow scrapes underneath solid objects and therefore deep substrate is really not needed. About once a month the hobbyist can offer water in 2 Liter soda bottle cap. I will occasionally let the water dish overflow and even lightly spray the enclosure to simulate a light rain. One should be extremely careful when doing this because if the moisture does not evaporate fully within about 6-10 hours mycosis can develop! The extra ventilation by screened tops allow will allow the moisture to completely dry out within a few hours as long as the temperature is warm. I usually spray no more than once every month or two.
Occasionally adults can be kept together if fed very well however this species has been know to be cannibalistic so unless the hobbyist has several specimens they should be kept separate except for introducing breeding pairs.

Breeding
This species is relatively easy to breed when the husbandry is correct. Normally the male will initiate the courtship by clasping the female by her chelae. They will do the typical “dance” which usually lasts for about 15 minutes. Keep in mind it is important to know the sex of your scorpions before trying to breed them for obvious reasons. Adults are easy to sex as the males are built thin yet have bulbous chelae where as the females are much more robust with thinner chelar. The males bulbous chela will not develop until the last molt so in order to sex out juveniles one must look at the underneath side of the scorpion. Underneath is a “comb like appendage called a pectine. At the base of the pectine, if a long lobe is observed the specimen is a female.

Note: I have spoken with several Invertebrate hobbyists that have had some problems with getting this species to give birth to healthy live young. They report that they often drop yellowish colored eggs or undeveloped young. The people that have reported this are experienced tarantula breeders and going on what I know from tarantula hobbyists, the temperatures are usually kept in the 70sF which leads me to believe is the problem. My experiences with most scorpion species shows that they are much healthier when kept at warmer temperatures.


Conclusion
Parabuthus transvaalicus is an interesting and hardy captive to keep as long as the husbandry requirements are met and the hobbyist will exercise caution when working with this species. I hope that those who read this article will be inspired to keep and breed this species in the future. I have said many times that captive breeding is the future of the Invertebrate Hobby and all hobbyists should freely share their experiences with various species

Did You know that at an earLy 5 mos. after a succesfuL mating with a friends male p. trans- my 8i giant sized female gave birth @ exactly at the time of my beerday. . . may 6, 2010. . .what a blessing. . . then my other p. trans moulted a while ago now she's a certified 7th instar.

my friend's p.trans produce double clutch. nangyari na ba sa inyo to? FYI i did saw it happen..

c4rock wrote:

my friend's p.trans produce double clutch. nangyari na ba sa inyo to? FYI i did saw it happen..

hindi p pero sa bicolor nangyari na.

MJKC wrote:

Parabuthus transvaalicus is a rather large scorpion from the dry savannahs and deserts of Southern Africa. The females in particular can grow to about 5 inches in length! The metasoma (tail) is quite large and thick thus earning this species the common name of Black Thick Tailed Scorpion. This species is sporadically available as wild caught imports, however learning to culture this species in captivity is important as captive breeding programs are the future of the Scorpion Hobby. One should never take for granted that this species will always be available as wild caught imports. The Tarantula Hobby is a shining example of this as many species are only available as captive bred stock. With this in mind, one should always assume that the same can happen with many of the scorpion species we now enjoy. I have sucessfully bred this species together with a friend (arachboy) -abner

Venom
This species is known to have moderately toxic venom. With an LD 50 of 4.25 (1) this species is considered by most to be medically significant not as much for the strength but for the quantity it can deliver. To top it off this species is also known to possess the ability to spray venom at an annoyance. I personally have never witnessed this scorpion spray venom but several fellow Scorpion Hobbyists have reported witnessing this. Needless to say, this species deserves a good deal of respect and should only be kept by those with some experience in keeping scorpions that will exercise caution when working with them.

Husbandry
Parabuthus transvaalicus is native to the dry areas of Southern Africa. With this in mind, the captive conditions should be kept warm and dry. They seem to thrive with temperatures between 80F-87F. If kept too cool and moist this species can get a fungal infection known as mycosis which will eventually kill the scorpion.
Housing the adults is actually quite simple. Kritter Keepers or 5-10 gallon tanks can be used with screen type tops which allow for good ventilation. I prefer to use about 3 inches of dry peat, sand or a mixture of both. A hide can be a piece of wood, propped up flat stone or just about anything that the scorpion can hide under. They are quite content with digging shallow scrapes underneath solid objects and therefore deep substrate is really not needed. About once a month the hobbyist can offer water in 2 Liter soda bottle cap. I will occasionally let the water dish overflow and even lightly spray the enclosure to simulate a light rain. One should be extremely careful when doing this because if the moisture does not evaporate fully within about 6-10 hours mycosis can develop! The extra ventilation by screened tops allow will allow the moisture to completely dry out within a few hours as long as the temperature is warm. I usually spray no more than once every month or two.
Occasionally adults can be kept together if fed very well however this species has been know to be cannibalistic so unless the hobbyist has several specimens they should be kept separate except for introducing breeding pairs.

Breeding
This species is relatively easy to breed when the husbandry is correct. Normally the male will initiate the courtship by clasping the female by her chelae. They will do the typical “dance” which usually lasts for about 15 minutes. Keep in mind it is important to know the sex of your scorpions before trying to breed them for obvious reasons. Adults are easy to sex as the males are built thin yet have bulbous chelae where as the females are much more robust with thinner chelar. The males bulbous chela will not develop until the last molt so in order to sex out juveniles one must look at the underneath side of the scorpion. Underneath is a “comb like appendage called a pectine. At the base of the pectine, if a long lobe is observed the specimen is a female.

Note: I have spoken with several Invertebrate hobbyists that have had some problems with getting this species to give birth to healthy live young. They report that they often drop yellowish colored eggs or undeveloped young. The people that have reported this are experienced tarantula breeders and going on what I know from tarantula hobbyists, the temperatures are usually kept in the 70sF which leads me to believe is the problem. My experiences with most scorpion species shows that they are much healthier when kept at warmer temperatures.


Conclusion
Parabuthus transvaalicus is an interesting and hardy captive to keep as long as the husbandry requirements are met and the hobbyist will exercise caution when working with this species. I hope that those who read this article will be inspired to keep and breed this species in the future. I have said many times that captive breeding is the future of the Invertebrate Hobby and all hobbyists should freely share their experiences with various species

Did You know that at an earLy 5 mos. after a succesfuL mating with a friends male p. trans- my 8i giant sized female gave birth @ exactly at the time of my beerday. . . may 6, 2010. . .what a blessing. . . then my other p. trans moulted a while ago now she's a certified 7th instar.

Hi sir MJKC,

nice informative write up
i have to totally agree. Parabuthus Transvaalicus scorpion is indeed a rewarding prize piece scorpion to keep and breed .
They are very much more active as compared to other desert specimens. they eat like no body business and molt fast under right conditions.

keep the informations coming mate

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

c4rock wrote:

my friend's p.trans produce double clutch. nangyari na ba sa inyo to? FYI i did saw it happen..

masasabi kong totoo ang double clutch fist pop ng p trans ko 86 pieces, ndi ko pa iminate pero now heavily gravid na naman sya

i agree........

BradPitbull wrote:

c4rock wrote:

my friend's p.trans produce double clutch. nangyari na ba sa inyo to? FYI i did saw it happen..

masasabi kong totoo ang double clutch fist pop ng p trans ko 86 pieces, ndi ko pa iminate pero now heavily gravid na naman sya

wow! dami sir ah. may paadopt kb nian?hehe.

astig tlaga ang ptrans.. mga guys nkita nyo n b n nagspit ng venom ung ptrans, ska sa wild saan nila ginagmit ung pagspit ng venom, sa mga predators b nila o gnagmit din nila un sa prey?

babymajo wrote:

astig tlaga ang ptrans.. mga guys nkita nyo n b n nagspit ng venom ung ptrans, ska sa wild saan nila ginagmit ung pagspit ng venom, sa mga predators b nila o gnagmit din nila un sa prey?

eto ptrans venom spray.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

BradPitbull wrote:

c4rock wrote:

my friend's p.trans produce double clutch. nangyari na ba sa inyo to? FYI i did saw it happen..

masasabi kong totoo ang double clutch fist pop ng p trans ko 86 pieces, ndi ko pa iminate pero now heavily gravid na naman sya

sir medyo matagal n ung topic......pro tanong ko lng pano nyo po nalaman n gravid uli kung ndi n mate? considering kelangan mated cya bago mag gravid uli???nwei kung gravid n nag pop n po b????thanks!!!!!!

acemastermind wrote:

babymajo wrote:

astig tlaga ang ptrans.. mga guys nkita nyo n b n nagspit ng venom ung ptrans, ska sa wild saan nila ginagmit ung pagspit ng venom, sa mga predators b nila o gnagmit din nila un sa prey?

eto ptrans venom spray.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

provoke ung spray sir ndi natural....... para san kaya talaga un????? meron bang pag inaasar lng mag spray parang sa cobra? aun pangkontara talaga s predator nla un.....