The European Scorpion Euscorpius flavicaudis (DeGeer, 1778)
(Scorpiones: Chactidae) in Essex
COLIN PLANT
14 West Road, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 3QP
Introduction
During April 2001, RSPCA Inspector J.F. Horrocks arrived at my office clutching a plastic margarine
tub in which he claimed to have a live scorpion, captured from behind the skirting board in a house
in Oaklea Avenue, Chelmsford (O.S. grid reference TL 7207). Having spent a number of years in the
museum service, during which time I dealt with several reports of "scorpions", the vast bulk of
which transpired to be Devil's Coach-horse beetles (Staphylinidae: Staphylinus olens) and none of
which ever really were scorpions, it was with a measured degree of scepticism that I invited him to
show me. To my considerable surprise, the plastic container did indeed contain a scorpion - a single
example of Euscorpius flavicaudis (DeGeer), known variously as the European Scorpion or European
Green Scorpion (see Fig. 1 and Plate 13).
Fig. 1. Euscorpius flavicaudis found in Chelmsford © P.R. Harvey
The species is not entirely unknown in Britain, and it is/was established, from accidental introductions
and/or escapes, at a number of localities, including one in Essex. However, there does not seem to be
any reference in the literature to the Essex population and the opportunity is taken therefore to
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 18 (2001)
163