Bug FAQBlack rock scorpion
Urodacus manicatus · Order: Scorpiones · Family: Scorpionidae
Source: Wikipedia
The black rock scorpion reaches about 5.5 cm (2.2 in) and is dark brown to black in colour. It lives on granite outcrops in open forest and is native to eastern Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It is dark brown or black in colour.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
A peptide in the venom activates pain-sensing receptors, producing acute pain without inflammation.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It hunts insects such as cockroaches and beetles, plus other invertebrates like millipedes, centipedes, spiders and occasionally earthworms.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Wild populations may be declining because people collect them for the pet trade.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to eastern Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It was first described in 1876 as Ioctonus manicatus by Tamerlan Thorell. In 1888 Reginald Innes Pocock named a specimen U. abruptus, which later proved to be the same species.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How big does the black rock scorpion get?
It can reach about 5.5 cm (2.2 in) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is it found?
It lives on granite outcrops in open forest and is native to eastern Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it sting people?
Its sting causes local pain and swelling, and a peptide in the venom activates pain receptors without causing inflammation.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Scorpionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urodacus_manicatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.