Large-clawed scorpion, Israeli gold scorpion, Zerachia scorpion
Scorpio maurus is a species of North African and Middle Eastern scorpion, also known as the large-clawed scorpion or Israeli gold scorpion and lesser known as Zerachia scorpion.
This is a small/medium-sized scorpion 3 inches (76 mm) from the family Scorpionidae. It has brown back and golden claws. There are many sub-species of this scorpion, 19 of which were described by Fet et al.
The venom of Scorpio maurus contains a high variety of toxins including proteases, phospholipases, protease inhibitors and potassium channel toxins δ-KTx. Although its venom contains a weak neurotoxin called maurotoxin, S. maurus is not a dangerous scorpion for humans. There are no records of fatalities.
Found in very deep burrows in deserts and occasionally sparse woodland. Its habit of creating very deep burrows (up to 1 metre deep) means that in captivity this scorpion is often happiest with higher humidity: sand that is deep will be moist, thereby creating a comparatively humid burrow.
