Centruroides noxius

Centruroides noxius is a species of scorpion native to Mexico.

Centruroides noxius
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Buthidae
Genus: Centruroides
Species:
C. noxius
Binomial name
Centruroides noxius
Wood, 1863

Description and behavior

This species grows from 3.5 to 5 cm in length, its body is dark in color, usually black or brown, and its legs and pedipalps are generally light, this species does not have a specific color pattern since it can be found with other colors.[1] Since most scorpions are nocturnal, they usually hide in litter and debris, or in loose barks of trees and bushes, it is mostly terrestrial, but it has also been reported to rise on rough surfaces.[2]

Distribution and habitat

This species is native to Mexico, in the states of Nayarit, but also in Jalisco and Sinaloa.[2] it is also found in other Latin American countries, such as Chile, but it is not known how it got there.[3] It is mainly found in dry arid places, areas of limited vegetation, in sandy and rocky soil and sometimes in human dwellings, it has been reported close to sea level, with 500 m elevation.[2]

Reproduction

Mating lasts about 10 minutes, with the male controlling the female with his tweezers to avoid being bitten by her, they reach sexual maturity between 8–11 months of age, reproduction is ovoviviparous, with a gestation period of 4–5 months, the female of the aluz between 30 and 60 pups. the puppies become independent at 2 or 3 weeks of age, as they can be eaten by the mother.[1]

Diet

It feeds mainly on small invertebrates, such as crickets, spiders and beetles. juveniles usually feed on micro-crickets and small flies.[1]

Venom

It is the most venomous scorpion in Mexico and one of the most dangerous in Latin America, it has highly lethal neurotoxins for mammals, which attacks the sodium and potassium channels, the venom changes the functioning of nerves and muscles, to the point of the respiratory system and the heart stop working.[1] This species has a median lethal dose of 5 micrograms for 20-gram mouse.[4] Two peptide toxins have been identified in the venom: noxiustoxin, which targets voltage-gated calcium channels and calcium-activated potassium channels,[5][6] and Cn2 toxin, which targets the mammalian voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) Nav1.6.[7]

References
  1. "Alacrán de Nayarit Información útil con Catacterísticas y Hábitat". Los 100 Animales más peligrosos del mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  2. https://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/afpmb/docs/lhd/venomous_animals_byspecies.pdf
  3. "Alacrán de Nayarit (Centruroides noxius)". NaturaLista (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  4. Santibáñez-López, Carlos E.; Francke, Oscar F.; Ureta, Carolina; Possani, Lourival D. (January 2016). "Scorpions from Mexico: From Species Diversity to Venom Complexity". Toxins. 8 (1): 2. doi:10.3390/toxins8010002.
  5. Sitges, M; Possani, Ld; Bayon, A (1 June 1986). "Noxiustoxin, a short-chain toxin from the Mexican scorpion Centruroides noxius, induces transmitter release by blocking K+ permeability". The Journal of Neuroscience. 6 (6): 1570–1574. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.06-06-01570.1986.
  6. "Kalium: Toxins Active on Potassium Channels". kaliumdb.org. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  7. Pintar, Alessandro; Possani, Lourival D.; Delepierre, Muriel (1999-03-26). "Solution structure of toxin 2 from Centruroides noxius Hoffmann, a β-scorpion neurotoxin acting on sodium channels11Edited by P. E. Wright". Journal of Molecular Biology. 287 (2): 359–367. doi:10.1006/jmbi.1999.2611. ISSN 0022-2836.
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