ID please...

Hello there... have pest control service which just came and sprayed my foundation today, and found this outside my front door. Is this a bark (sculptured) scorpion? Location: Victorville, California




Thanks in advance.


Scott G.

Yep, I think it's a bark scorpion. Probably Centruroides exilicauda.
These guys pack a punch in their stings so watch out for that.

Edit: read further, I am pretty sure it's not Centruroides exilicauda anymore!

Yes, thank you for the confirmation. I had done a little research before I asked, and it was the only species I could come up with. And when I asked a so called "expert" pest control person, they said that the bark scorpion is not known to inhabit this area.

I do have another question. Are there any other precautions I can take to prevent these from coming around? Do they have any repellants, bought or home made, that are known? Aside from pest control services (ie. trying to control their food source). I have two small girls, and would hate for them to experience a sting.

These scorps definitely inhabit southern CA, so the guy is wrong haha

Hmm, I've read of people sealing up any cracks or crevices around their house so the scorpions can't enter. What you can also do is catch them yourself and either get rid of them or ship them out to scorpion enthusiasts
There's another person I know who does this and the results have been good because it's sort of a win-win situation. The scorpion population around her house has decreased dramatically and she's also giving them to others. As a safety precaution, I would routinely check in areas where they can hide around the house- boards or boxes for example. They are considered the most venomous scorpions in CA, I believe and I'm sure young children would not take well to an envenomation.

To search and destroy (or ship) them yourself, simply look for a UV black light. These will make the scorpions luminesce which can be more clearly seen during the night time. They'll pretty much pop out for you to get. Do a google search for scorpion blacklights or UV led blacklights and you should see some results. Make sure to carry a regular flash light also to do the catching or killing. You want to do your scorpion hunting during late hours because scorpions are nocturnal, so you'll catch them out late.

Thanks for all your help and information. I really do appreciate it. I was quite surprised when I found this to be honest. I've lived here for 5 years, and the worst I've seen are black widows. Though it is rumored that we have the mojave green rattlesnake, I've never seen one of those... I had not even heard mention of scorpions, and never considered the possibility of finding one.

I have seen videos of the black light trick, and might consider attempting this. At least to see if there are any out and about, and if there are, in what numbers.

Again, thank you for all the support, it is nice to know that communities such as this exist so concerned or curious people can find some answers to questions that nobody else seem to be able to answer.

No problem at all

That sounds like a good idea and it's fun too--you never know what you might find glowing in the dark haha

You're welcome, forums are pretty awesome

looks like a vaejovidae sp to me guys

look at the aculeus (stinger) and telson vesicle whatever you like to call it haha
also the tail segments are not shaped right for C.exil. or C.scul. ext.

if you look at it and compare it looks to be a harmless vaejovidae

just my personal view on this but check it out and you will see what i mean

all hail the Centruroides King... it is a very plausible argument... since at least through my limited knowledge of Centruroides, a prominent feature typifying that genus would be a long aculeus protruding from a bulbous and an apparent subauclear prong or barb much similiar to Lychas, Isometrus and Tityus... but not Androctonus, Hottentotta....

could be spinigurus... I'm not from the U.S. so I'm just throwing out a guess to learn more...

TELOW wrote:

looks like a vaejovidae sp to me guys

look at the aculeus (stinger) and telson vesicle whatever you like to call it haha
also the tail segments are not shaped right for C.exil. or C.scul. ext.

if you look at it and compare it looks to be a harmless vaejovidae

just my personal view on this but check it out and you will see what i mean

ah, you may be right and I can see what you mean. I just took a guess, but this is definitely worth looking in to. I looked at the tail segments and I am doubting C. exilicauda now.
I'd keep a distance anyways, just until you can verify what it is. If you can take pics of a live
one the next time you run into one that'd be great for identification.

definitely not centuroides anything...

Paravaejovis pumilis??
maybe...
i used this site as a reference...
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vaejovidae.com/Paravaejovis-pumilis.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vaejovidae.com/&usg=__TuvLEoA5eEwZGOKV3XVHM6yzvKM=&h=400&w=600&sz=22&hl=en&start=0&tbnid=QNPsWGI_Yc-ueM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=156&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvaejovidae%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D548%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=117&vpy=78&dur=1671&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=173&ty=112&ei=vDheTKemLYKB8gbchJW3DQ&oei=vDheTKemLYKB8gbchJW3DQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0


i also thought Vejovoidus longiunguis
but i cant see the telson in im reference pic all too well...
i was going by the pinchers
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vaejovidae.com/Vejovoidus-longiunguis.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vaejovidae.com/Genus%2520Vejovoidus.htm&usg=__HngPTkbfDxxGSlbgdTiLTNKemHk=&h=360&w=504&sz=23&hl=en&start=0&tbnid=mqkszuIRvQDodM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=170&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvaejovidae%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D548%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C181&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=579&vpy=183&dur=2466&hovh=190&hovw=266&tx=122&ty=125&ei=vDheTKemLYKB8gbchJW3DQ&oei=vDheTKemLYKB8gbchJW3DQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1024&bih=548


do you happen to know if the the body lost any color after exposure to pesticides??...

I don't think it's Paravaejovis pumilis or Vejovoidus longiunguis as the distribution of both species are off since they are located in Mexico (Baja California Sur). That doesn't rule them out completely, but it leaves more questions to answer. I wonder if they've distributed themselves farther north.

I am also cutting out Centruroides exilicauda now as the tail segments and the telson are visibly off from what I can see.

im thinking something like Vaejovis confusus or it may be Vaejovis waeringi