Family Buthidae

Classification · Pronunciation · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Remarks · Works Cited

Centruroides exilicauda - Centruroides sculpturatus - female

? Bark scorpion - Centruroides sculpturatus ? - Centruroides sculpturatus

Carin's scorplings - Centruroides sculpturatus - female

Arizona Bark Scorpion? - Centruroides sculpturatus

scorpion with caddisfly - Centruroides vittatus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)

Class Arachnida (Arachnids)

Order Scorpiones (Scorpions)

Family Buthidae

Pronunciation

BYOO-thih-dee; BYOO-thid (buthid) scorpions

Explanation of Names

Buthidae C.L. Koch 1837

Numbers

a single genus in our area; ~940 spp. in 56 genera total(1) (the largest scorpion family)

Identification

The family Buthidae is easily recognized by the almost triangular sternum. The sternum is located on the underside just before the pectines (combs).

Range

in warm climates on all continents except Antarctica

Remarks

Of the known 25 (or so) species of dangerous scorpions, only one (Hemiscorpius lepturus, Hemiscorpiidae) is NOT in this family. Dangerous buthids are in the genera Centruroides (North America and Mexico), Tityus (South America), and Androctonus; in the Old World, Parabuthus, Leiurus, Mesobuthus, and Hottentotta. Oddly, with all the venomous animals in Australia, none of the buthids there is known to be dangerous.

Works Cited

1.	Order Scorpiones C.L. Koch, 1850. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification... Prendini L. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 115–117.

Contributed by Devin Carroll on 7 May, 2005 - 11:16pm
Additional contributions by Kari McWest, v belov
Last updated 28 December, 2014 - 2:37pm

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