Household Herping

[Taipan]

I have some reservations about this being "field herping" but, since I caught "wild" specimens, I'm putting it here. Anyway, within the last 3 days, I captured 2 Banded Geckos (Coleonyx variegatus). Thes were both tiny juveniles (around 1 1/2 inches total length) and probably hatchlings. Anyway, they were the tinyest and cutest geckos I've ever seen and shorter than half the width of my palm. I released them out in my yard where there's an abundant food supply (I live on a lake at the Springs in Chandler). My wife found one on the carpeted stairs leading upstairs and I found one next to an upstairs shower. She yelled for me to come when she saw the first one because it was in a dim area and she thought that it was a scorpion. Anyway, I was pleased to see that it was a gecko and since we've found 2, that is probably the total clutch that was laid here. As for the scorpion bit, I've found 2 in the last few days. One; very desiccated and; one very much alive. Since they were both Centuroides (exilicauda/scupturatus), you could see why I don't pick up any "critters" in my house until I'm dead sure what they are. I feel like a "dummy" for not taking pictures of the little geckos. They sure were cute!

[azatrox]

...not picking up domestic visitors until you know what they are...Centruoides exilicauda has a powerful sting for such a small creature...most likely not medically significant if you are an adult, but extremely painful nonetheless....on a venom potency scale of 1-5 ("1" being scorps like Pandius imperator (Emperor scorp) and "5" being scorps like the Leiurus quinquestriatus (Deathstalker)), Centruiodes exilicauda is commonly cited as a "3". Getting stung by one of these guys would make for a decidely unpleasant experience....

-Kris

[Taipan]

I agree completely! I don't really consider Centruroides very dangerous to healthy adults (in the absence of allegic reactions). However, a sting from one could be quite unpleasant. A long time ago, I was stung by a striped-tail scorpion (Vejovius) (moving debris looking for herps) and it was a lot like a bee sting.

Thanks for the info on the potency scale! A 3 on a scale of 1-5 is about what I would have suspected.