Burrows and burrowing in Scorpio maurus - and how to capture them

Burrowing in Scorpio maurus and how to capture this scorpion is presented in a recent issue of the journal Euscorius.

Mehmet Colak and Aysegül Karatas have recently published an article on burrrowing and burrows in Scorpio maurus Linnaeus, 1758 (Scorpionidae) in Turkey. The authors also present a method on how to capture burrowing scorpions.

Abstract:
Shapes of burrows built by Scorpio maurus in southern and south-eastern Turkey were investigated. S. maurus were observed to build burrows with average 20 cm depth and 30 cm length. The burrows were concentrated in agricultural fields, farms, near gardens, and in areas with 5–10% slope. 116 specimens were captured, 77.5% from underground burrows, and 22.5% from their burrows under stones. A new method was tried in order to drive Scorpio maurus, an obligate digger type of scorpions, out of their burrows. Water was poured into a burrow, and the scorpion, which came out near the entrance of the burrow, was captured by placing a shovelful of soil 10 cm behind the entrance. Habitats of Scorpio maurus were observed, and shapes of underground burrows and burrows built under stones were documented.

Reference:
Colak M, Karatas A. Shape of Burrows Built by Scorpio maurus L., 1758 (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae) from Turkey, with Description of Capture Methods. Euscorpius. 2013 (171):1-7. [Free full text]