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For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
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Photo#11040
Desert scorpion - Paravaejovis waeringi

Desert scorpion - Paravaejovis waeringi
Indian Gorge, Anza Borrego Desert, San Diego County, California, USA
June 22, 2003
Size: about 40 mm
This type of scorpion seems pretty common in this area of the desert (desert scrub with Smoke Trees). They blend in well with the sand (better than this photo indicates).

Vaejovis waeringi (likely)
Family: Vaejovidae
Genus species: Vaejovis waeringi.
ID: Extremely difficult for its little group which includes Vaejovis confusus of Arizona. Locality and finger length are the key characters, so far. Otherwise, these two species are yellowish overall, slender fingers and hands, fairly thick tail, adults reach about 35-45 mm, just like this one! Other species in its region do not have these in combination. Serradigitus species look very similar, but the fingers end in a distinctly enlarged clawlike denticle and the rows of denticles on the fingers are not subdivided by larger denticles (hence the name, serra -- saw; digitus -- finger), and are usually much smaller, and prefer rocky hillsides, talus slopes and cliffs.
Sex: A male, note the narrow tergites (dorsal plates). This is how to tell gender in most species of this family. The tergites of females increase in width distally.
Distribution: This species is known from the Colorado Desert in Southern California into Baja California.

Kari J McWest, Canyon, Texas

ID
Looks like a Sripe Tail (Devil) Scorpion. Pretty common.