Scorpions

Southern or Wood Scorpion 

Cercophonius squama

The common name ‘Southern or Wood Scorpion’ is applied to scorpions that belong to the genus Cercophonius, of which there are at least six species in Australia.

Cercophonius squama is a widespread south-eastern Australian species, found in south-eastern South Australia, Victoria, eastern NSW, the ACT and Tasmania. It is one of three species of scorpions known to occur in the greater Melbourne region. The body length, including the tail, ranges from 25–40 mm, and the body pattern is variegated, consisting of patches of different shades of brown on a lighter background.

Black Rock Scorpion

Urodacus manicatus

The Black Rock Scorpion, as its common name implies, is a dark-coloured species that is often found living under rocks, although it is just as much at home under logs. It is one of three species of scorpions that can be found in the greater Melbourne region. It is a widespread species and can be found in other parts of Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, the ACT and Queensland.

The body length of the Black Rock Scorpion can be up to 55 mm and is normally dark brown, often appearing to be black. It lives in a cleared area beneath rocks or logs, and has a burrow that leads from this area to the outside. This is a relatively long-lived species; females may take over two years to reach maturity and survive for a further eight years.

The Black Rock Scorpion survives on a diet of other invertebrates, such as cockroaches, beetles, millipedes, centipedes, spiders and occasionally earthworms. Cannibalism has been observed amongst scorpions. Like most scorpions, the Black Rock Scorpion is a ‘sit and wait’ predator – it sits near the mouth of its burrow and detects passing prey by monitoring the substrate vibrations caused by the movement of the prey.

The sting of the Black Rock Scorpion can cause inflammation and pain for several hours, and medical advice should be sought.

Little Marbled Scorpion

 Lychas marmoreus

The Little Marbled Scorpion is a relatively small species with a total body length (including the tail) of about 30 mm. As its common name implies, it has a dark brown marbling pattern on a light brown background. This marbling occurs over the body, legs and tail. It is widespread in southern Australia, and is one of the three known species of scorpions found in the greater Melbourne region.

It is usually found living under stones or amongst plant litter on the ground. However it is occasionally found sheltering under bark of standing trees. Little is known about the biology of this species.

The sting of the Little Marbled Scorpion can cause inflammation and pain for several hours, and medical advice should be sought.