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KINGDOM : Animalia
PHYLUM : Arthropoda
SUBPHYLUM : Chelicerata
CLASS : Arachnida
ORDER : Scorpiones
FAMILY : Scorpionidae
SUBFAMILY : Scorpioninae
GENUS : Heterometrus
SPECIES : H. Laotitus
SYSTEMATICS OF THE THELYPHONIDA ![]() |
This species has been under the spotlight for the past several years, specifically due to the medical significance of its venom. Scientists have been studying the these venoms for years, along with those of spiders and snakes, to find medical uses for the components specific proteins or peptides found in the venoms. Identified and described by H.W.C. Couzijn in 1981, Heterometrus laoticus. Is a communal species, meaning that it tends to live in groups, digging burrows in peaty soil or under dead branches and leaf litter. For many other scorpion species, microscopic analysis needs to be done in order to tell the difference between sexes. Rather than being a lethal toxin, the giant scorpion's venom is paralytic. The venom is distilled into medicines against various kinds of microorganisms. It exhibits good results in disc diffusion assay for Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, among others. Heterometrus, whose members are also known by the collective vernacular name giant forest scorpions, is a genus of scorpions belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It is distributed widely across tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia, including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tibet and China . It is notable for containing some of the largest living species of scorpions. Scorpions are venomous, nocturnal, invertebrate (Arthropoda) arachnids and a living fossil. The scorpion genus Heterometrus belongs to the family Scorpionidae. There are 33 species of Heterometrus scorpion found throughout the world. A large example of a scorpion species known for its violent and cannibalistic tendencies. Scorpionidae as the oldest recognized scorpion family, this group once included all known scorpions. Over the years, its scope has been reduced. Currently, the family is compact and homogeneous, with nine genera and 157 species, and includes some of the world's largest and most formidable-looking scorpions. All are heavy-bodied with large, powerful pedipalps. Some members of the Asian genus Heterometrus reach lengths of 16 cm or more.
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