Common names:
No common name. All Euscorpius were previously placed in the family Chactidae.

Distribution:
Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia), Asia (Georgia, Turkey, Yemen (introduced), Europe (Albania, Croatia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Monaco, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland, Yugoslavia).

Habitat:
This species is found in warm habitats, and is quite common in ruins, in buildings, under house-hold furnishings, in crvices of walls etc. It can also be found in grass hills, under stones etc. In the Eastern Mediterranean are it can be found in mountain forests.

Venom:
Few medical data available, but data from Italy suggest local effects only. Mildly venomous. Harmless scorpion, which rarely will use its stinger.

Selected litterature:
Lankester, E.R. (1883). Notes on some habits of the scorpion Androctonus funestus, Ehr., and Euscorpius italicus, Roes. J. Linn. Soc. London (Zool.), vol. 16, pp. 455-462.
Angermann, H. (1957). Über Verhalten, Spermatophorenbildung und Sinnesphysiologie von Euscorpius italicus und verwandten Arten. Z. Tierpsych., vol. 14, pp. 276-302.
Torregiani, F. & C. La Cavera (1990). Puntura di scorpione (Euscorpius, sp.) in Italia e rassegna dello scorpionismo [Scorpion sting (Euscorpius, sp.) in Italy and scorpionism review.] Minerva Medica, vol. 81 (suppl. 2), pp. 137-145.
Crucitti, P. (1993). Distribution and diversity of Italian scorpions. REDIA, vol. LXXVI (2), pp. 281-300.

On the Internet:
Online identification key for Euscorpius
European scorpions (Dr. Benjamin Gantenbein).

General:
This species is the largest of the Euscorpius, with adult length up to 50 mm. The color of the body is dark brown and with yellow-brown legs and sting (telson). It is a typical fossorial scorpion with large, strong pedipalps, a stout body, short legs and a short, thin tail (metasoma). See the Euscorpius identification key for more details.

I'm not aware of any reserach being done on this species.

This species is kept in captivity (especially in Europe), but not as common as should be espected from a "native" scorpion. Few commersial suppliers deliver this species (and other Euscorpius).

Euscorpius italicus photo by Jan Ove Rein (C)