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For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Photo#36956
Alien bug found in AZ, please help identify. - Paraphrynus carolynae

Alien bug found in AZ, please help identify. - Paraphrynus carolynae
Parker, La Paz County, Arizona, USA
November 9, 2005
Size: Half Dollar
This bug is fast, moves both forward and in a sideways "crab crawl". It looks like a cross between a spider and a scorpion. It seems to have 6 legs, 2 long antennae, and 2 "claws". It was found indoors in a dark area.

Whip Scorpion
Tailess Whip Scorpion. careful they are nasty. and often found in AZ, as already stated. beautiful creature you got there!

 
Thank you.
Thanks everyone for your help with this one. This bug has been a real "wow" for everyone who has seen it here where I live. April, you said they are nasty, why nasty? Aside from being fairly scary looking... We're trying to feed him a crickett, so far no interest but maybe he will get the munchies.

 
Nasty?
According to the "what's that bug" site this is harmless,
but I would say this is a bit "nasty" looking. Nice find

Looks like
a tailless whipscorpion or whipspider. See comparison shots here.

 
Looks right to me...
It looks just like those pictures. Now I wonder what it is doing here in Arizona, it's definitely hot here but hardly tropical.

 
They are found in AZ
see this site What's that Bug?.

 
Lynette
could you please fix this for me? I was moving some lynx pictures and accidentally moved this one. I tagged it back to the genus, but could not get the species. Thanks, Jeff.

 
In case you
haven't found out already, the species is Paraphrynus mexicanus.