Tityus, A MAJOR CAUSE OF ENVENOMING IN NORTHEASTERN VENEZUELA.
M. Quiroga
, P. Parrilla-Alvarez, L. De Sousa
Laboratorio de Alacranología, Escuela de Medicina, UDO Bolívar. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, UDO, Anzoátegui, Venezuela.
The scorpions of the family Buthidae are widely distributed throughout the world and comprise several genera of great medical importance. In the tropics, and especially in our region, the genus Tityus has several species, almost all of them already inventoried and described by Professor Manuel González-Sponga. However, at the moment there are still some species causing envenoming in the north of the Anzoátegui State which are under study. A species which causes serious and lethal envenoming found in the north of the Monaguas State was named Tityus caripitensis (Quiroga, 1988). This species typically occurs in the towns of Caripito and Bolívar. It is distributed in the area within 10° 10N, 9° 00S, 63° 10W and 62° 00E in tropical dry and humid pre-mountainous forest and found during the winter (rainy season in the tropics) in microhabitats consisting of tree bark and decomposing trunks. During the dry season (summer in the tropics), it is easily found in the armpits of some palm trees, although it is also found in areas of copra production, in the nests "lavanderos" birds, and in damp sites. This species invades residences and hides in bed linen and peoples s clothes making stings in humans more frequent. Specimens of Tityus caripitensis have been brought to the laboratory, and successfully kept in captivity using artificial and natural (certain arthropods) foods. We have observed up to 27 larvae of a pregnant female, which were helped by the mother to climb on her back, where their external cuticle sphacelated after 8-10 days and took on the aspect of a white muslin, giving rise to a first-stadium nymph. Twenty-four to forty-eight hours later, the offspring began to move and abandon their mothers back in search of food.
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
16 Apr 1999 -
Date of issue
1999
