Bug FAQItalian scorpion
Euscorpius italicus · Order: Scorpiones · Family: Euscorpiidae
Source: Wikipedia
The Italian scorpion is the largest in its genus, reaching up to 5 cm long, and shows dark reddish-brown to bluish-black colours. It lives in warm human-made places like ruins, buildings and under furniture, as well as under rocks in natural habitats, and hunts a variety of arthropods. Females with young are seen only in August-September, and the species can live 4 to 8 years in the wild.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults can grow up to 50 mm long, making it the biggest in the genus. Swiss specimens measured between about 29 mm and 49 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It is most often found near humans or in places heavily altered by humans. In terrariums it prefers daytime temperatures of 20 to 25 °C and night temperatures of 18 to 20 °C with 50 to 70 % humidity.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
It rarely uses its stinger and is considered harmless. If a sting occurs, cleaning and disinfecting the wound is sufficient.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in warm man-made sites such as ruins, buildings, under furniture and wall crevices. In nature it hides under rocks and can be found in mountain forests of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It preys on a range of arthropods such as isopods, centipedes, earwigs, crickets, moths and spiders.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females with scorplings are only seen outdoors in August and September, which is also the mating period. In the wild it lives about 4 to 8 years, with some individuals reaching over 10 years in captivity.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Observations of females with young are limited to August and September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes many Mediterranean and European countries from Morocco to Russia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with Tetratrichobothrius flavicaudis.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Does the Italian scorpion bite or sting?
It has a stinger but rarely uses it; any sting is mild and only needs the wound cleaned.
Source: Wikipedia
How big can an Italian scorpion get?
Adults may reach up to 5 cm in length, though many are between 2.9 cm and 4.9 cm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where might I find an Italian scorpion in my home?
They often hide in warm places like ruins, buildings, under furniture or in wall crevices.
Source: Wikipedia
What does the Italian scorpion eat?
It hunts various arthropods, including isopods, centipedes, earwigs, crickets, moths and spiders.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Euscorpiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euscorpius_italicus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.