Lesser Brown Scorpion

Description:

Isometrus maculatus (De Geer, 1778) This scorpion was spotted by workers in my wife's rice mill and I was called to go there. When I arrived, it was in a grain hopper and would have been killed instantly if the machinery had been started. So I captured it in a plastic jar and brought it home to release in our backyard. Having had some difficulty with scorpion photos in the past, I decide to place it on a white sheet of paper to try and ensure an acceptable result. Having taken a few pictures, I released it in an area where scorpions are sometimes seen. I was glad that I had taken some pictures on the light background, because the moment that it walked off the paper onto the sandy soil, it became almost invisible. As can be seen, the pictures on a white paper background are good enough to show something of the scorpion, whereas the photos taken on the ground are next to useless, other that to demonstrate the effectiveness of the scorpion's camouflage.

Habitat:

The place where this scorpion was spotted was not its natural habitat (see above). Perhaps I should say that the place was not a safe habitat. So I brought it to my backyard where there are some shady, damp places with plenty of crevices and hiding places and I am confident it will be safer there.

Notes:

Some other Scorpion spottings - https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/34... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/18... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/20... https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/12...