|
it's a chinese water scorpion (mesobuthus martensii) not sure on the species of stag beetle, but m. martensii has a low to middle range toxicity to it's venom, not enough to cause much dammage to anything large. it could probably take down a beetle, but even with a successful sting, it would take some time for the venom to take over. i highly doubt a shot from the tail of a scorpion this size would even carry enough force to penetrate through the elytra of the beetle though. stag beetle species can carry several times their own body weight, and their jaws are extremely powerful. they can do quite a bit of damage, and you certainly wouldn't want to be bit by one yourself. my guess is death was brought on by crushing of scorpion's thorax, which isn't overly strong, and could easily be caved in by the force of the beetle's jaws...
|