Figure 4 in A powerful new light source for ultraviolet detection of scorpions in the field

Figure 4: Excitation spectrum of a blacklight tube and fluorescence spectrum of the scorpion cuticle. The data were recorded with a scanning spectrometer during blacklight illumination of Hadrurus obscurus (Iuridae). The broad peak below 400 nm and the discrete Hg lines correspond to the tube emission (F6T5/BLB, Sylvania), and the broad peak in the visible region (450-550 nm) corresponds to the blue-green fluorescence of the scorpion. This visible peak disappeared when the scorpion was removed and only light from the BLB tube was scanned. Identically shaped 450- 550 nm fluorescence spectra were obtained from Paruroctonus silvestrii and Paruroctonus becki (Vaejovidae), which suggests that the chemistry of fluorescence is conserved across different scorpion families. We therefore expect that UV detection results presented here will be applicable to a wide variety of scorpion taxa. We did not record the UV LED spectrum. Typical published spectra for these devices peak sharply at the rated wavelength of 395 nm, with 50% peak widths of only about 20 nm.