I.D. please

[Zach Valois]

Serradigitus g. gertschi.

[Kari McWest]

Yup, looks like S. gertschi.

Anuroctonus and Uroctonus both have large chelae (hands) and a deep notch along the anterior margin of the carapace. Anuroctonus are yellowish brown, with some populations of A. pococki, particularly in forests, having a darker back. Uroctonus mordax is dark overall, with the legs occasionally yellowish or creamy. They range as far north as the Washington/Oregon border NE of Portland. Anuroctonus is distributed from the San Diego area (from Baja) to NW of Fresno, then east to southwestern Idaho, all over Nevada and W Utah.

Uroctonus mordax is found north and west of LA primarily in the Coast Ranges. Anuroctonus, while also north of LA, also ranges down into Baja California and is common in the San Diego area.

Uroctonus mordax is in the family Vaejovidae, and Anuroctonus is in the family Iuridae. Recent publications put them into Chactidae, but the evidence is poorly presented, with evidence of them retaining Vaejovidae and Iuridae strong.

[SeanCasey]

Thank you for the clarification Kari. I defiantely learned a bit about what additional details to look for when attempting to ID something. So it begs the question: Just how closely (or not at all) are they related?

And as an additional question, what is a good resource that outlines the basic traits that determines which family a scorpion should belong in? One of these days it is my dream to have all of this information in one spot, and be fully indexed and searchable.

[Kari McWest]

Hi Sean,
One of the best online scorpion resources is Jan Ove Rein's Scorpion Files:
http://www.ub.ntnu.no/scorpion-files/

I am also quite fond of my own:
http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/scorpiones

DNA anlaysis will help determine the relationships among the related families Chactidae, Iuridae, Vaejovidae, Superstitioniidae, and Euscorpiidae. Information on this can be found at
http://vaejovidae.com

and
http://scorpion.amnh.org
Visit this one to view powerpoints of fieldwork by Zach and me!

[SeanCasey]

Thanks Kari, I already knew of Scorpion Files and the Vaejovidae site, but the other two are newto me and are freshly added to my bookmarks.

[Zach Valois]

There are still several powerpoints that need to be added. Everyone please be mindful of the even brief localities listed therein.

[barkscorpions]

Zach,

Personally, until I see some conclusive data published, I only recognize Anuroctonus phaiodactylus and A. pococki. I'm not a big fan of subspeciation in scorpions and tend to ignore the category completely - either elevate it to specific status or synonymize it!

Cheers,
Luc

[Zach Valois]

Originally Posted by barkscorpions

Zach,

Personally, until I see some conclusive data published, I only recognize Anuroctonus phaiodactylus and A. pococki. I'm not a big fan of subspeciation in scorpions and tend to ignore the category completely - either elevate it to specific status or synonymize it!

Cheers,
Luc

Hey, you must be reading my notes! Glad to see we are one the same page. I cannot WAIT to see all the compiled molecular data from Prendini et al.

[SeanCasey]

Luc,

This may just be my failing of English comprehension, but you mention recognizing A. phaiodactylus and A. pocoki. I was under the impression that A. phaiodactylus was a junior synonym of A. pococki. Are they actually seperate species, or are you just stating that they are both "technically correct" name for the species? Or something else entirely?

Thanks!

[barkscorpions]

Hi Sean,

Both Anuroctonus phaiodactylus and A. pococki are separate, distinct species. However, until further substantial evidence is published, I do not recognize the subspecies A. pococki bajae, which may be nothing more than a variant of A. pococki? My personal belief is that subspeciation has become a convenient and easy method for publication and serves little real purpose in scorpion classification aside from providing researchers with more work to do during a familial or generic revision (elevation to species or synonymization). Of course, this is my own personal bias and each person is free to choose their own taxonomic paths to walk.

If you email me at

lucian.ross@yahoo.com

I'll send you the paper with keys to the members of genus Anuroctonus.

Cheers,
Luc