jannic_justen · Sagarejo Georgia field photo
Risk to humans
Moderate riskMedically significant
Venomous, with a lower typical profile than the highest-risk vipers — a bite still needs medical care.
112 · if bittenKey facts in one look
- Group
- Scorpion; Arachnida, Scorpiones
- Family
- Buthidae
- Status in Georgia
- Confirmed in several regions
- Habitat
- Dry open / rocky places
- Venom
- Present
- Risk to people
- Moderate
The mottled scorpion (Mesobuthus eupeus) is venomous. In Georgia it is found in Tbilisi, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti. It prefers dry, warm places and often hides under stones, in crevices or in other sheltered spots. It also uses its stinger and venom to overpower prey. A scorpion sting can be painful and sometimes causes other symptoms as well. So do not pick up a scorpion or touch one carelessly. This species belongs to the Buthidae family. In 2022 it was re-examined, and its range was limited to the Caucasus region. The original specimen has been lost, so a female collected in Tbilisi was chosen in its place to define the species.
Identification
Mottled scorpion: how to identify it
The mottled scorpion is yellowish brown, and adults reach about 4–6 cm in total length. It has two pincers, and its tail, made up of several sections, ends in a venomous stinger. You cannot always identify the species reliably from a photo alone, so an expert's assessment is often needed.
A scorpion has two pincers, and its tail is made up of several parts, curves upward and ends in a stinger. A pseudoscorpion also has pincers, but it has no tail or stinger. So one of the main differences between them is the tail and stinger: look at the tail, not the pincers.
The body of Mesobuthus eupeus is often yellowish or brownish yellow. It may also have dark spots or stripes on its back. Still, you cannot identify this species with certainty by color alone.
Many scorpions in the Buthidae family have relatively slender pincers and a well-developed tail. These features alone, however, will not tell you the exact species. A clear close-up photo or an expert’s assessment is more reliable for that.
An adult Caucasian scorpion (Olivierus caucasicus) has a dark brownish back and relatively slender pincers, just like Mesobuthus eupeus. So in a photo taken from above, you may mix up the two species. Color and the overall shape of the pincers alone are not enough to tell them apart reliably. For that, a specialist also checks other features, including how many teeth are on their comb-like organs.
In older sources, the names Buthus eupeus and Mesobuthus eupeus may have been used more broadly. The division into species was revised in 2022, and today the name Mesobuthus eupeus is used in a narrower sense. So an old record under one of these names does not by itself mean it refers to the species now called Mesobuthus eupeus.
Often confused with
In the Caucasus and neighbouring areas, Mesobuthus eupeus is mostly found in warm, dry places, both stony ground and open grassy areas. During the day it often hides in a shelter. Yet even in the regions where it is confirmed, it is not found equally in every kind of environment.
The mottled scorpion map combines Reptiles.ge editorial photo records with public iNaturalist observations. Source-confirmed regions and individual field records are separate layers, and record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Source-confirmed region
The mottled scorpion is a predator, like other scorpions. It mainly hunts insects and other small animals that have no backbone and have jointed legs. Scorpions catch their prey with their pincers and do not always use their stinger and venom.
Scorpions spend most of their time in shelter. During the day, they often hide under stones, in crevices or in other sheltered places, and they become more active in the evening and at night. Do not catch or move a scorpion with your hands. If you need to move one safely in your home or yard, use a suitable container and a stiff card without touching it, or ask a specialist for help.
Armen Seropian · Dmitry Ivanov · jannic_justen · Ioane Rostiashvili · Nika Melikishvili · Denis Hlaváč · Kirill Kotov · Barnabás Bancsik · Lasha Gogodze · Giorgi Iankoshvili
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes, Mesobuthus eupeus occurs in Georgia. Its presence has been confirmed in Tbilisi, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti.
The mottled scorpion is an arachnid (Arachnida). Spiders belong to this group too, but a scorpion is not a spider. Nor is it an insect: insects belong to an entirely different group.
A scorpion sting can be painful. Sometimes symptoms also appear beyond the site of the sting. So do not touch a scorpion or pick it up with your hands. If the pain is severe or a child has been stung, seek medical care promptly. Call 112 if the person has trouble breathing, loses consciousness or shows other serious symptoms. Read the guide for what to do first.
The mottled scorpion is confirmed in Tbilisi, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti. There is also an isolated record from the wild in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, but the species is not confirmed there.
The name Buthus eupeus is an older scientific name for this species. Today it is called Mesobuthus eupeus. When the species was reviewed in 2022, this name was given a narrower meaning than it had before.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
