Opisthacanthus capensis

Opisthacanthus capensis
Opisthacanthus capensis by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Scorpiones
Family:	Hormuridae
Genus:	Opisthacanthus
Species:	O. capensis
Binomial name
Opisthacanthus capensis Thorell, 1876
Synonyms
Opisthacanthus validus var. capensis Thorell, 1876 Opisthacanthus browni Hewitt, 1925 Opisthacanthus obscurus Kraepelin, 1911

Opisthacanthus capensis is a Cape Province and Zimbabwean species of scorpion with robust chelae, dark brown to black in colour, turning green when under cover for some time. Opisthacanthus scorpions are arboreal and ground-dwelling, and found mainly in moist habitats in dense vegetation, pine plantations and forests, and hiding under bark and rocks.

Its venom contains powerful neurotoxins and cytotoxins, including mucopolysaccharides, hyaluronidases, phospholipases, serotonins, histamines, enzyme inhibitors, and proteins such as neurotoxic peptides. The venom from O. capensis is largely composed of melittin which stimulates the release of the enzyme phospholipase A2 causing inflammation and pain. Phospholipase A2 cleaves the SN-2 acyl chain, releasing arachidonic acid.

This species features in the diets of the bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotis (Canidae), the yellow mongoose Cynictis penicillata, the small grey mongoose Galerella pulverulenta, and the water mongoose Atilax paludinosus (Viverridae).

External links

• Media related to Opisthacanthus capensis at Wikimedia Commons
• A New Species of Opisthacanthus
• iSpot gallery