Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

venomous insect ID?

A year ago (I was living in AZ) I sat on a thing that looked like a cross between a tarantula and a scorpion. I have looked at pic's. on the net and haven't seen anything like it. It was about 3 in. long by 2 in. wide (really square stocky thing). It first jumped on me from a bush. It had black hair on its body, like a tarantula would. It had a stinger on the back, but it wasn't the long thin one you usu. see. it was short and stocky like the rest of the body. It had big eyes that I could clearly see and pincher legs in the front. It's sting numbed my entire body and made me have convulsions. My b/f rushed me to emergency, they said "bark scorpion" from the symptoms. but it didn't look anything like that. Any ideas?

Or maybe one of these...
Based on the size you described, I doubt it would be a pseudoscorpion.

These have a similar body plan and are much larger, and are found in AZ:
Whipscorpion:
Tailless whipscorpion:

Neither of these are venomous, but both can give you a substantial pinch. The whipscorpion can also spray a vinegar-like mist that is supposed to be pretty repellant. I wonder if you could have had a reaction to that?

 
Centruroides
While your description of the arthropod might not match a bark scorpion perfectly, your description of the symptoms do. I’m not sure that there is another species in the US that is capable of envenomating a human with these large, specificly neurotoxic effects. If so, it will probably be a close relative. The “exilicauda” of this species’ scientific name (Centruroides exilicauda) means slender tail as opposed to “short and stocky”. Could you have injured it in the chaos? I don’t know what variation there might be within this species, or whether a closely related species with similar venom characteristics might be in that area- maybe someone else will know.

 
To clarify...
Dr. Carlson is talking about an actual scorpion, rather than a scorpion-like arachnid such as the ones in my previous comment. I suspect that he and the doctors who treated you are correct.

The guide lists 4 species in the genus Centruroides, none of which are C. exilicauda.

Chandra;
Please take a look through these images and let us know what you think...

http://bugguide.net/node/view/2892

-and-

Welcome to BugGuide!

 
Pic's.
It's body shape looked more like the one in the second picture because it had a rather square body. But, the pinchers looked a lot like the whip scorpion. It's tail did not look damaged. It was up in position to strike again and the whole tail was very wide, not at all thin or whip like. My friend and I took a pretty good look at it before I started getting dizzy and disoriented (happened pretty quickly, in about 5 min's. I started feeling symptoms). But, I think it was bigger than these and it did have a black fuzz all over it, which is what made me think of a tarantula. the other thing that struck me about it was how big its eyes were. Usually you can't see a bugs eyes that clearly, at least I never have. But they were there, on top of his head looking at me, very clearly. Thank you so much for all the help! I was hesitant to say I was in AZ in case an insect (or whatever) like this exists elsewhere. with all the produce, etc. flying around the globe nowadays, you never really know what gets loose where. Slim chance, I know, but it does happen.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.