About Parabuthus transvaalicus Purcell, 1899
Parabuthus transvaalicus, described by Purcell in 1899, reaches an adult length of 90–110 millimetres (3.5–4.3 inches). Its body is dark brown or black, which gives it the common name Black Thick-Tailed scorpion. It has thin pincers and a thickened tail, where the stinger-bearing segment is the same width as the rest of the tail. This scorpion is nocturnal, and spends the daytime resting in a shallow burrow dug under rocks. It looks similar to its closely related species P. villosus, which is less strictly nocturnal, hairier, and has a more westerly distribution. Parabuthus transvaalicus occurs in deserts, scrublands, and semi-arid regions across Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and portions of the Namib Desert.
