This is a specific care sheet for ”Liocheles australasiae”s (Liocheles australasiae), for more in this genus see Category:Liocheles.

Liocheles australasiae is found in the rainforests of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia, and also Malaysia and Japan.

Description

Liocheles waigiensis have very elongated, flattened bodies and powerful pedipalps. The body shape is adapted to living in rock crevices and beneath bark on fallen, rotting logs. Males are identified by their claw features: a “tooth” on the moveable finger and a corresponding notch on the fixed finger just up from the finger joint. Metasomas on both male and female are very thin with a characteristic yellow/orange vesicle although this colouration is viable for other Liocheles species. Species may reach 6 cm (carapace to sting) with the male mesasoma slightly shorter and quite narrower than the females.

Habitat

Liocheles australasiae can be found occupying spaces under rocks, logs, down in any cracks in the earth where the humidity is high and it can tolerate quite wet conditions. Being a scorpion that has evolved to occupy cracks in rocks and other tight places has resulted in the scorpion becoming quite dorso-ventrally flattened, which means they somewhat mimic a crab with similar rapid sideways movements. They have been found inside logs that are buried in mud; they love wet conditions and are therefore very tolerant to potential fungal problems in captivity. Habitat appears to be variable as long as typical rainfall is above 550mm and temperatures above 15°C. Some recent information seems to suggest that they are more prevalent in higher rainfall areas (1000mm). Most common habitats are rock crevices, between rocks and the soil in shallow scrapes or rock crevices covered in rotting leaf matter but they may also be found beneath bark on fallen rotting logs and under rotting, solidifying leaf matter – usually on rock surfaces. Their flattened body shape is ideal for these locations.

Venom

This species has mild venom according to people contacted. It will rarely sting, and usually defends itself by using their powerful claws. Claws are used for defence and can be very painful if you get caught by them.

Breeding

Expect a gestation period of 12-18 months, depending on ambient temperature during this period of time, higher temperatures will give rise to a quicker gestation. 18-26 live born young will emerge over a few hours and gradually clamber onto the mother’s back. There is no embryonic sac with this species as they display the more recent evolutionary form of embryonic development known as kaitoikogenic (at home) development. As first instars they will remain on mothers back for a number of weeks before shedding the membranous exoskeleton and become second instars after which they will gradually leave the mother to disperse.

When scorpions first shed their skins they are vulnerable to predators and physical damage until the new skin hardens and turns brown/black. Juvenile Liocheles waigiensis are generally lighter in colour than their older cohorts. Captive birth is quite common but it would appear that in these cases, most females are gravid when caught. Males are rarer than females so most of those kept in captivity are females. Survival rate appears to be highly variable. Most people report minimal if any cannibalism. A number of people have reported young staying close to, and inter-reacting with the mother for up to two months. However correct humidity (high) and temperatures of 20-30°C (68-86°F) are also of upmost importance. Failure to keep the humidity high and temperatures correct will result in incomplete molting to 2nd instar. Moult to 2nd Instar is approx 28 days. It will be your choice to remove any young scorpions or leave them in the big tank. If you wish to move them to a similar system away from the adults, then you will need to remove the gravid female before she gives birth or while the young are still on her back as once they disperse you’ll never find them all without completely destroying the tanks habitat. You can either choose to keep each young scorpion in a separate small sealed container or set up another false bottom tank to keep some or all of them in.

breeding: they are known to have up to 15 – 25 babies but they can have a minimum of 10 and a max of 50 which is not very common but can happen

Ailments

Scorpions are generally quite hardy and adaptable if they are provided with the correct environment. A few signs that may indicate that your pet is not acting or feeling normal are a loss of appetite, acting listless or sluggish, having an overly swollen stomach, and missing or deformed limbs. Another problem can be an infestation of mites.

Molting

One of the most common reasons for the death in scorpions is the moult. The scorpion has a tough outer covering, a cuticle, that forms a rigid exoskeleton. All scorpions must shed their old exoskeleton and secrete a new one in order to grow, this is called the moult. Scorpions will moult from 6 to 10 times during their lifetime. This moulting process takes a lot of energy and they are very vulnerable for a couple of days after the moult until their new skin hardens. For about 24 hours prior to moulting it is not unusual for a scorpion to get quite sluggish. A difficult moult can result in lost or deformed limbs, or death. This is thought to be related to humidity levels. There can be either too much humidity or too little, depending on the species. In captivity a lot of immature scorpions die during the moultingprocess.

Other problems

Though many scorpions can go for long periods of time without eating, overfeeding can cause an overly swollen stomach as well as the loss of appetite, and even death. The stomach can be slightly swollen from regular eating, and this is not a problem. Another problem can be an infestation of mites. Uneaten food can attract mites, which are very dangerous and stressful to scorpions. Be sure to remove old food.