​Figure 13: Leiurus quinquestriatus.

Leiurus quinquestriatus (Ehrenberg, 1828)       

Diagnosis: Yellow in colour. Prosoma granulated. Mesosoma: the first two tergites have 5 keels. Metasoma: segments 1-4 yellow in colour, segment 5 black. Pectines 31-36 in males and 26-32 in females.

Measurements: Adult specimens may reach 9cm. in length (average 6cm.), prosoma 3.8-9.6mm., mesosoma 16.8-19.8mm., metasoma 19.3-42.4mm.

Habitat and distribution: This is the most common species in Jordan. Wahbeh (1976) reported that L. quinquestriatus constituted 85% of the scorpions collected from 13 different localities. Warburg et al. (1980) noted that L. quinquestriatus is quite common in the Northern Jordan Valley. It was collected from Mafraq (Levy et al., 1970), Wadi Dabaa' (Levy and Amitai, 1980), and from Wadi Musa, Wadi Al-Mujib, Aqaba, Wadi Ram and Jabal Nebo (Kinzelbach, 1984), and Azraq and Wadi Sheib (El-Hennawy 1988), Dair Alla, Bireen, Dana Reserve, Wadi Musa, Shemakh (Shoubak), Tafilah, Karak, Mashreh Dam, El-Karameh, Dair El-Warak (Mafraq), Wadi El-Yotom (Aqaba), Okader, Irbid (Amr and El-Oran, 1994). Other localities include southern part of the Dead Sea, Manshiyya, ΑΙ Mazar al JanιIbi, Dana Nature Reserve, Wadi Zarqa (Dead Sea), Ν Shuna, Wadi Zarqa (Ν of Sihan), Perra, Thagrat al Jubb, SE of Um Quays, Zai National Park, King Talal Dam, Wadi Rum (Stathi and Mylonas, 2001) and Wadi Rum, Petra (Kovařík and Whitman, 2004).

Leiurus quinquestriatus has rather scattered populations. It was collected from Dana area (between Shoubak and Petra), where it was the only scorpion species with dense populations. Similar observations were seen near El-Hemma in the North, Wadi Al-Walah, Madaba area and Karak. We have few collections from southern Jordan (Amr and El-Oran, 1994). High number of individuals was also collected from Wadi Al Mujib Nature Reserve. It is usually found under stones or rocks with no definite burrows. Stone walls are preferred hiding places for this species. Several specimens were brought from houses in Irbid and surrounding villages. This is the most poisonous species in the area (Amr et al., 1994). Warburg (1997) stated that this scorpion penetrated deeper into the Mediterranean biotope in Palestine.

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