Lauren Esposito | |
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| Alma mater | University of Texas at El Paso CUNY Graduate Center |
| Known for | Scorpion research |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley California Academy of Sciences |
Lauren Esposito is the assistant curator and Schlinger chair of Arachnology at the California Academy of Sciences. She is the co-founder of the network 500 Queer Scientists.
Esposito was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. [1] She kept a collection of insects in egg cartons, and her first grade science project looked at the Mendelian genetics of pigeon colours. [1] Esposito earned her bachelor's degree in biology at the University of Texas at El Paso in 2003. [2] She became interested in scorpions during a National Science Foundation placement at the American Museum of Natural History. [1] She moved to New York for her graduate studies. [2] She completed her PhD at the CUNY Graduate Center and the American Museum of Natural History (Scorpion Systematics Research Lab) in 2011. [3] Her dissertation, "Systematics and Biogeography of the New World Scorpion Genus Centruroides Marx, 1890", considered Buthidae scorpions. [4]
In 2011 she joined University of California, Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher working on Caribbean scorpions. [1] [5] She studied the biogeography of arachnids. [6] She joined the California Academy of Sciences in 2015, and is one of the world's only women scorpion experts. [7] [8] [9] She continued to study Buthidae scorpions at the California Academy of Sciences. [10] [11] She digitises and collects genetic information from the collected scorpion species. [7] She is also working on arthropods in salt flats in western America. [12] Her current research considers the evolution of scorpion venom and distribution of scorpions in the Caribbean. [8] She has also studied the uses of scorpion venom in the context of cancer research and medication. [13] In 2017 she discovered three new species and two new genera of club-tailed scorpions, [14] [15] [16] [17] detecting the scorpions using ultraviolet lights that excite a fluorescent dye in the scorpion armour. [3] [18] The new species were of the genus Rhopalurus. [16] Whilst surveying the Penang Hill rainforest in Malaysia, Esposito identified a new ghost scorpion. [19] [20] In 2018 she identified that Centruroidinae scorpions hiss by rubbing themselves with comb like structures. [21] [22] She told Slate magazine that her favourite fact about scorpions was that they behave like mammals and bear live young. [23] [24]
In 2014, Esposito co-founded of Islands & Seas, a non-profit that supports scientific research and education at its field station in Baja California Sur, Mexico. [10] [25] [26] [27] She leads educational programs in Baja California and at Columbia University. [28] She is the creator of 500 Queer Scientists, a network of LGBTQ+ scientists worldwide. [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] She created 500 Queer Scientists after a survey of American STEM workers identified that over 40% of LGBTQ+ scientists were not 'out' to their colleagues. [34] [35] She has appeared on Science Friday and Public Radio International. [36] [37] In February 2019 she was awarded the Walt Westman Award by the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) as recognition for the 500 Queer Scientists initiative. [38] It is the highest national honor that NOGLSTP can award to a member, recognizing that individual's commitment to their mission. [39]
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always ending with a stinger. The evolutionary history of scorpions goes back 435 million years. They mainly live in deserts but have adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions, and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. There are over 2,500 described species, with 22 extant (living) families recognized to date. Their taxonomy is being revised to account for 21st-century genomic studies.
Amblypygi is an order of arachnids also known as whip spiders or tailless whip scorpions, not to be confused with whip scorpions or vinegaroons that belong to the related order Thelyphonida. The name "amblypygid" means "blunt tail", a reference to a lack of the flagellum that is otherwise seen in whip scorpions. Amblypygids possess no silk glands or venom. They rarely bite if threatened but can grab fingers with their pedipalps, resulting in thorn-like puncture injuries.
Paravaejovis spinigerus, commonly known as the stripe-tailed scorpion or devil scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Vaejovidae. It is found in the south-western United States and north-western Mexico.
Gigantometrus swammerdami, commonly called the giant forest scorpion, is a scorpion belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It is native to India and is the world's largest scorpion species at 23 cm in length, and weighs 56 g (2.0 oz).
The Buthidae are the largest family of scorpions, containing about 100 genera and 1339 species as of 2022. A few very large genera are known, but a high number of species-poor or monotypic ones also exist. New taxa are being described at a rate of several new species per year. They have a cosmopolitan distribution throughout tropical and subtropical environments worldwide. Together with four other families, the Buthidae make up the superfamily Buthoidea. The family was established by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1837.
Centruroides is a genus of scorpions of the family Buthidae. Several North American species are known by the common vernacular name bark scorpion. Numerous species are extensively found throughout the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Antilles and northern South America. Some are known for their interesting patterning or large size ; most if not all fluoresce strongly under ultraviolet illumination, except after moulting. They contain several highly venomous species, and fatalities are known to occur. The venom of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides limpidus limpidus contains the neurotoxins Cll1 and Cll2.
Tityus is a large genus of thick-tailed scorpions, the namesake of its subfamily Tityinae. As of 2021, Tityus contains more than 220 described species distributed in Central America and South America, from Costa Rica to Argentina. Species in the genus Tityus have been studied for hundreds of years, long before the taxonomic classification was put in place. Tityus tend to be of medium size for scorpions, roughly 50 to 70 millimeters long. They are dark brown or red in color, and can exhibit sexual dimorphism. They can live in a variety of environments, ranging from urban to arid mountains to the Amazon Rainforest. Tityus scorpions are best known for their venom and potent sting. The genus contains several dangerously venomous scorpions, the best known of which is the Brazilian yellow scorpion, T. serrulatus. Its venom can cause severe illness, and in the young, old and infirm even death. Some experts have argued that the genus as a whole may be paraphyletic, which could explain the knowledge gaps related to Tityus.
Heterometrus, whose members are also known by the collective vernacular name Asian Forest Scorpion, is a genus of scorpions belonging to the family Scorpionidae. It is distributed widely across tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia, including Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and China (Hainan). It is notable for containing some of the largest living species of scorpions.
Tityus serrulatus, the Brazilian yellow scorpion, is a species of scorpion of the family Buthidae. It is native to Brazil, and its venom is extremely toxic. It is the most dangerous scorpion in South America and is responsible for the most fatal cases.
Mesobuthus eupeus is a polymorphic scorpion species belonging to the well-known family Buthidae. Commonly known as the lesser Asian scorpion or the mottled scorpion. It is thought to be the most widely dispersed species of the genus Mesobuthus, perhaps even of the family Buthidae.
Androctonus bicolor, the black fat-tailed scorpion, is a scorpion species of the family Buthidae. It is black in color and can grow up to 8 cm. Black fat-tailed scorpions come from the family Buthidae, which is the largest of the scorpion family. They can be identified by their hefty physique. They tend to move very fast, and are of an aggressive nature. Black fat–tailed scorpions can live for up to 5 years. Adults can reach up to 40-60 millimeters, 80 millimeters being the maximum. These scorpions typically possess black and brown coloration. These scorpions enjoy making scrapes with wood and rocks, and are nocturnal, thus they hide in crevices or certain objects during the day. They stay in shade to retain moisture in their bodies, as they are susceptible to losing moisture due to their environmental preference.
Uroplectes is a genus of scorpions in the family Buthidae. They are known commonly as the lesser thick-tailed scorpions. There are about 40 species distributed in the Afrotropical realm. They are most diverse in South Africa.
Parabuthus, commonly known as the thick-tailed scorpion, is a genus of large and highly venomous Afrotropical scorpions, that show a preference for areas of low rainfall. Their stings are medically important and human fatalities have been recorded.
Parabuthus brevimanus is a species of scorpion from southern Africa, that ranges from southern Angola to Namibia and western South Africa, where its range extends south of the Orange River.
Leiurus abdullahbayrami is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae. Its venom is highly toxic to humans, but can be used in medical development.
500 Queer Scientists is a visibility campaign for LGBTQ+ people working in the sciences. Queer scientists submit short descriptions of their lives to the organization; these are manually checked and proof-read before being posted to the group's website. In collating submissions, the organization intends to show queer people currently working in science that there are others like them, to provide role models for future generations of researchers, and to create a database that can be used when planning events to ensure representation.
Afrolychas braueri, commonly known as the Seychelles forest scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae. It is currently thought to survive only on Silhouette Island, Seychelles, although the species was historically found on two additional Seychellois islands. This scorpion lives in leaf litter in forests that are largely unaffected by invasive plant species. It is a small yellowish-brown scorpion with three prominent keels on the dorsal surface of its mesosoma, which distinguishes it from other scorpions. While not much is known about the Seychelles forest scorpion's ecology due to the paucity of sightings, it is known to rely solely on its venom to capture its prey and defend its young. Its venom is not dangerous to humans.
Uroplectes otjimbinguensis is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae, endemic to Angola and Namibia.
Pseudolychas is a genus of scorpion in the family Buthidae. Species of the genus are known as the pygmy-thicktail scorpions and are found in South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique. Their venom is mild and not medically important.
Paruroctonus tulare is a species of scorpion in the genus Paruroctonus. It lives in the deserts of Northern and Southern California where it is found in several areas of the San Joaquin Valley. The species epithet tulare is in reference to the historically diverted Tulare Lake and associated basin around which the scorpion is now found.
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