Many people in the Phoenix area assume that every scorpion they encounter is an Arizona bark scorpion. That is not necessarily the case.
Arizona is home to dozens of species of scorpions. While all scorpions have venom that they could use to capture prey, not all scorpions have venom that is harmful to humans. Arizona doesn’t have the largest scorpions in the world or the deadliest scorpions in the world, but it does have a scorpion with a pretty potent venom – the Arizona bark scorpion. At best, a scorpion sting can be quite annoying or, at worst, the scorpion sting can be extremely painful with longer lasting effects. Deaths from scorpion stings are very rare. People who are prone to allergic reactions to stings, and those with undeveloped or compromised immune systems (very young and very old), can have strong or severe reactions. Small pets can also have adverse reactions.
The Sonoran Desert covers an area of approximately 100,000 miles and includes southeastern California, most of Baja California and Baja California Sur, parts of northwestern Mexico, including the cities of Guaymas, Hermosillo, and Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), and much of the southern half of Arizona, including the cities of Tucson, Yuma, and Phoenix.
Here are some tips on how to identify the four most common types of scorpions that you are likely to encounter in the Sonoran Desert.
The information that follows was provided primarily by Kari J. McWest of Canyon, Texas.
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Bark scorpion
Centruroides sculptur atus is the well-known Arizona bark scorpion. It is easily distinguished from all other scorpions in the area by having long, slender hands and fingers, along with a long, slender tail or metasoma. In the desert, it is generally tan yellow to uniform orange; at higher elevations, it can be scratched. When at rest, the metasoma is held to one side and curls up where the bite is directed at the base of the fourth segment. Occasionally in men, it is rolled horizontally over the body. The metasomal segments are uneven in length, long and thin in males. The Arizona bark scorpion is very common in the rocky areas of the desert and is found throughout Arizona.
Things to know about Arizona bark scorpions
- Family: Buthidae
- Usually 2 to 3 inches long
- Night
- Give birth to your young live, about 25-35 at a time
- Eat crickets, cockroaches, and other insects.
- If you find one, there are probably more
- Just because you see them in the pool, don’t assume they drowned
- They can scale rough surfaces
- Arizona bark scorpions are said to be the most common scorpions found inside homes in the Phoenix area
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Giant Hairy Scorpion
Hadrurus arizonensis is the popular Arizona giant hairy scorpion, the largest scorpion in the United States. Hairy scorpions are just that: hairy. The metasoma and pedipalps are densely covered with setae (hairs). No other American scorpion has such a dense mushroom covering on the appendages. The pedipalps and metasoma are also of relative size; Not sturdy, not slim. Dorsal surface dark; yellowish appendages, appearing greenish due to slight fluorescence. Interocular area of the carapace not pigmented in the crescent from the median to the lateral eyes. The Arizona Giant Hairy Scorpion digs deep burrows or lives under surface objects. In Arizona, it is found in the saguaro forests.
Things to know about the Arizona giant hairy scorpion
- Family: Iuridae
- May be over 4 inches long
- Also called the giant desert hairy scorpion
- Eat lizards, other scorpions, spiders, centipedes, and other insects.
- Burrow to find water
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Stingray tailed scorpion
Vaejovis spinigerus is commonly called the Arizona stingray-tailed scorpion. It is easily distinguished from all other Arizona scorpions by having a fairly robust and shiny metasoma with keels that have underlying pigment, hence the name, stingray tail scorpion. The dorsal keels in the metasoma end in a distinctly spinoid granule, which gives it the name “spinigerus” or “columnar support.” The body is generally shiny, the hands are smooth and shiny, occasionally with the palm inflated. The color ranges from light yellow-brown to dark stripes along the back, extending over the carapace to the median eyes and the lateral eyes, with the stripes forming a somewhat horned appearance. Females are known to reach 70mm, but are generally less than 60mm or 3 inches.
Things to know about the Arizona Stripetail scorpion
- Family: Vaejovidae
- Usually less than 3 inches long, and females are generally larger than males
- It may also be called the Arizona Striped-tailed Scorpion.
- The most common scorpion species in Arizona, generally found under rocks.
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Yellow ground scorpion
Vaejovis confusus is commonly called the yellow ground scorpion. It is yellowish and granular. It has slender hands and fingers, similar to the Arizona bark scorpion, but the first two metasomal segments are wider than they are long or as wide as they are long. It is found throughout the Sonoran desert, where it digs or digs scrapes under rocks or other objects.
Things to know about the yellow ground scorpion
- Family: Vaejovidae
- Night
- Found from southeastern Arizona to Idaho and southeastern Washington in the Sonoran and Great Basin deserts
