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Dune scorpion
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Scorpiones
Family:	Vaejovidae
Genus:	Smeringurus
Species:	S. mesaensis
Binomial name
Smeringurus mesaensis (Stahnke, 1957)

Smeringurus mesaensis, also known as the dune scorpion or giant sand scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Vaejovidae. It is common in the deserts of the southwestern United States.

Description

The dune scorpion is approximately 72 mm in length and 2.0 g in mass.

Behaviour and ecology

Smeringurus mesaensis is fossorial and solitary, though young will aggregate shortly after dispersing from their mother. Females of this species are typically larger than males, with males traveling to find females during mating season. They are nocturnal creatures, active between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., accounting for their daytime invisibility.

References

1. Gardiner, Mary (2015). Good Garden Bugs: Everything You Need to Know about Beneficial Predatory Insects. Quarry Books. pp. 157–. ISBN 9781592539093. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
2. Web, Animal Diversity. "BioKIDS - Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species,". www.biokids.umich.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
3. "ADW: : INFORMATION". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
4. Polis, Gary (1990). The Biology of Scorpions. Stanford University Press. pp. 161–223.
5. "ADW: : INFORMATION". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
6. Stockmann, Roland (2015), Gopalakrishnakone, P.; Possani, Lourival D.; F. Schwartz, Elisabeth; Rodríguez de la Vega, Ricardo C. (eds.), "Introduction to Scorpion Biology and Ecology", Scorpion Venoms, Toxinology, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 25–59, doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6404-0_14, ISBN 978-94-007-6404-0, retrieved 2021-10-28

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