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By Dr Euan M Scrimgeour

SCORPIONS are a very ancient and successful species. In the ancient world, they were regarded with considerable esteem and of symbolic importance, and they were represented in the constellation Scorpio in the night sky, and in the Zodiac. These arachnids have eight legs (insects have six legs), and feed on insects and other small creatures including other scorpions. They abound in desert and rocky countryside all over Oman, but since they are nocturnal, are rarely seen unless people disturb rocks or lift up objects like logs, under which they hide.

When you pitch your tent in a pleasant wadi in a summer's evening, you are unlikely to see a single scorpion, but if you go out after dark with an ultraviolet light, you will be astounded to see the number of scorpions moving over the rocks, looking for prey. (Such a sight is enough to put some people off from camping in the desert, for life!). There are many species of scorpions in Oman, some living in sandy deserts, others preferring the mountains. They may be black, pale, or various shades and colours, with slim or squat pincers.

Scorpions make devoted mothers, and carry their infants, on their backs until they are big enough to fend for themselves.

Truly an admirable arachnid! Regional species have impressive names —Androctonus crassicauda, Leirus qunquestriatus, and Nebo hieri-chonticus displaying Greek and Latin words in inappropriate juxtaposition.

Scorpion Stings

It is a common misnomer that patients are reported to have had a 'scorpion bite.' A patient would have to be the size of a fly to be at risk of being bitten, but even a tiny scorpion can cause a painful sting. Although in many parts of the Middle East, for example Saudi Arabia, scorpion stings have resulted in serious complications and even death, particularly in small children.

In Oman, they are relatively innocuous. The vast majority of stings, even if intensely painful, result in no significant envenomation or complications. The patient has a single puncture wound (unless stung twice) with minimal swelling, and although the patient might be distressed, there are no systemic effects. Reassurance, infiltrating the stung area with local anaesthesia, and a period of observation for an hour or two, are all that is necessary.

Rarely, serious envenomation may occur, resulting in marked tissue swelling, vomiting, diarrhoea, hypertension, salivation, and even a seizure. For these patients, an imported polyvalent scorpion antivenom (made by Pasteur) is available, and it is given with the same precautions as snake antivenom. This antivenom has not been evaluated fully in Oman, but anecdotally, in the occasional case when it has been used, it appeared to have been beneficial.

Venomous Spiders in Oman

Like scorpions, spiders are arachnids, and have eight legs. All spiders are venomous, but few pose a threat to man. There are a number of potentially-dangerous species in Oman, but serious incidents are rare. The commonest of these spiders is the red-back spider, or Latrodectus, present all over Oman, and specimens can always be found around the campus at night — if one knows where to look!

These beautiful spiders build an amateurish-looking, untidy web under boxes or in dark corners of out-houses.

The female is a beautiful, glistening-black creature with a brilliant orange or red spot on her abdomen. She can cause an intensely painful bite, followed by nausea, vomiting, and generalised muscle cramps for an hour or two. Thereafter, all signs resolve spontaneously, without treatment. Only one case of Latrodectus bite has been recorded in Oman, in a patient in Salalah.

In Australia, Latrodectus is commonplace in most urban and rural areas, and serious envenomation (with occasional death) has occurred. Accordingly, in Australia, general practitioners and hospitals every where, keep a vial of Latrodectus antivenom in their refrigerators. The second spider, the recluse or violin spider (in reference to its habit of hiding away, and the distinctive violin-shaped mark on its carapace), is relatively large (body 0.9cm, leg span 5cm), and lives in caves, sheds, and sometimes dark cupboards where it hunts insects and small creatures. It does not build a web.

The recluse spider although present in Oman, and common in the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, is rarely seen. Its bite is not painful, but is followed by the development of a skin ulcer, which tends to spread deeper and wider despite all attempts to heal it, producing extensive skin destruction. In Jeddah, one of my patients eventually required amputation after gangrene developed in a bitten leg. Luckily, until now, no bites have been recorded in the Sultanate.

In Oman, we share our environment with a host of fellow-creatures, all part of the amazingly diverse ecosystern, and all beneficial in one way or the other. Most creatures, including venomous snakes, scorpions, and spiders, wish to live in peace, undisturbed, and only cause problems when we invade their privacy. The old proverb sums it up well, 'He who avoids interference, is everywhere in security.'

Oman Observer 25th August 2002