Vaejovis brysoni

Last updated

Vaejovis brysoni
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Vaejovidae
Genus: Vaejovis
Species:
V. brysoni
Binomial name
Vaejovis brysoni
Ayrey & Webber, 2013

Vaejovis brysoni is a species of scorpions belonging to the family Vaejovidae discovered in 2013 in the Santa Catalina Mountains of southern Arizona. [1] It was reportedly discovered in an area that overlooks the city of Tucson by Robert W. Bryson Jr., after whom the species is named. At the date of its discovery it became the tenth species of mountain scorpion known to occur in Arizona, and the second in the vorhiesi group to inhabit the specific mountain range. [1]

Contents

Description and near relatives

The female of the species has a body measurement of about 27.5 millimetres (1.08 in). [2] As to its behaviour, like other scorpions the female will carry its offspring on its back – up to 24 at one time. It is related to other creatures in the same genus and/or family such as the Vaejovis janssi , Hoffmannius spinigerus and H. coahuilae .

Sympatric range

Scorpions of the same evolutionary family inhabit the same region of the South West, particularly the southern regions of Arizona, some areas of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico – the Sonoran region being their typical habitat. This species in particular was discovered in the Santa Catalina Mountains of Arizona near Tucson. Another scorpion of the same genus, Vaejovis deboerae , inhabits this mountain range creating the peculiar situation where two members of the vorhiesi species have been found inhabiting the same area, and this due to the isolation each mountain, even within the same range, provides. [3] [4]

Species diversity

Arizona has many isolated mountain habitats in the desert known as sky islands and it is in these ranges where new species are being discovered: up to ten so far which is up from only four known species fifty years ago – all of whom belong to the same family. "This latest new scorpion is a prime example of the amazing diversity of life still to be discovered, right here in 21st century America," adds Richard F. Ayrey, one of the co-authors of the original paper published in the science journal ZooKeys . [3]

Related Research Articles

Tucson, Arizona City in Arizona, United States

Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, and is home to the University of Arizona. It is the second largest city in Arizona, with a population of 542,629 in the 2020 United States Census, while the population of the entire Tucson metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is 1,043,433. The Tucson MSA forms part of the larger Tucson-Nogales combined statistical area (CSA). Tucson is the second most-populated city in Arizona behind Phoenix, both of which anchor the Arizona Sun Corridor. The city is 108 miles (174 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 mi (97 km) north of the U.S.–Mexico border. Tucson is the 33rd largest city and the 58th largest metropolitan area in the United States (2014).

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles (3.2 km) of walking paths traversing 21 acres of desert landscape. It is one of the most visited attractions in Southern Arizona.

Catalina Sky Survey is an astronomical survey to discover comets and asteroids. It is conducted at the Steward Observatory's Catalina Station, located near Tucson, Arizona, in the United States.

Santa Rita Mountains

The Santa Rita Mountains, located about 65 km (40 mi) southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km (26 mi) from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by southeast. The highest point in the range, and the highest point in the Tucson area, is Mount Wrightson, with an elevation of 9,453 feet, The range contains Madera Canyon, one of the world's premier birding areas. The Smithsonian Institution's Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is located on Mount Hopkins. The range is one of the Madrean sky islands.

The lesser stripetail scorpion, Hoffmannius or Vaejovis coahuilae, is a small (35-55mm) species of scorpion found in the southwestern United States.

Santa Catalina Mountains Mountain range in Pima and Pinal counties, Arizona, United States

The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, with the highest average elevation. The highest point in the Catalinas is Mount Lemmon at an elevation of 9,157 feet (2,791 m) above sea level and receives 18 inches (46 cm) of precipitation annually.

Mount Lemmon Observatory Astronomical observatory in Arizona

Mount Lemmon Observatory (MLO), also known as the Mount Lemmon Infrared Observatory, is an astronomical observatory located on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains approximately 28 kilometers (17 mi) northeast of Tucson, Arizona (US). The site in the Coronado National Forest is used with special permission from the U.S. Forest Service by the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory, and contains a number of independently managed telescopes.

Mount Lemmon Survey (MLS) is a part of the Catalina Sky Survey with observatory code G96. MLS uses a 1.52 m (60 in) cassegrain reflector telescope operated by the Steward Observatory at Mount Lemmon Observatory, which is located at 2,791 meters (9,157 ft) in the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona.

Tohono Chul Park Arboretum in Tuscon, Arizona

Tohono Chul is a botanical garden, nature preserve and cultural museum located in Casas Adobes, a suburb of Tucson, Arizona. The words "tohono chul" translate as "desert corner" and are borrowed from the language of the Tohono O’odham, the indigenous people of southern Arizona. The mission of Tohono Chul is to connect people with the wonders of nature, art and culture in the Sonoran Desert region and inspiring wise stewardship of the natural world.

Hoffmannius spinigerus Species of scorpion

Paravaejovis spinigerus, commonly known as the stripe-tailed scorpion or the "devil" scorpion, is very common and widely distributed in Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. This species is one of larger members of the genus Paravaejovis, which also includes Paravaejovis confusus.

Saguaro National Park National park in Arizona, United States

Saguaro National Park is an American national park in Pima County, southeastern Arizona. The 92,000-acre (37,000 ha) park consists of two separate areas—the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) about 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Tucson and the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) about 10 miles (16 km) east of the city—that preserve Sonoran Desert landscapes, fauna, and flora, including the giant saguaro cactus.

Serradigitus miscionei, commonly known as the Walnut Gulch scorpion, is a rare scorpion found only in southern Arizona. This species is one of three Serradigitus species found in Arizona.

<i>Abutilon parishii</i> Species of flowering plant

Abutilon parishii is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Parish's Indian mallow and Pima Indian mallow. It is native to Arizona in the United States and Sonora in Mexico.

<i>Vaejovis</i> Genus of scorpions

Vaejovis is a genus of scorpions.

<i>Aphonopelma marxi</i> Species of spider

Aphonopelma marxi is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), found in United States. Aphonopelma behlei and A. vogelae, at one time considered separate species, are now considered to be synonyms.

<i>Heterelmis stephani</i> Extinct species of beetle found in Arizona, U.S.

Heterelmis stephani was a rare species of aquatic beetle known by the common name Stephan's riffle beetle. It was endemic to Arizona in the United States, where it occurred in the Santa Rita Mountains before being declared presumed extinct. It was brown in color with small black dots on its wings.

North American jaguar Jaguar population in North America

The North American jaguar is a jaguar population in North America, ranging from the southwestern United States to Central America. This population has declined over decades and almost eliminated by 1960.

<i>Paruroctonus silvestrii</i> Species of scorpion

Paruroctonus silvestrii, the California common scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Vaejovidae.

<i>Paruroctonus</i> Genus of scorpions

Paruroctonus is a genus of scorpions in the family Vaejovidae. There are about 8 described species in Paruroctonus.

<i>Vaejovis carolinianus</i> Species of scorpion

Vaejovis carolinianus, the southern unstriped scorpion, also known as the Southern Devil Scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Vaejovidae.

References

  1. 1 2 Suciu, Peter (19 February 2013). "New Scorpion Species Accidentally Discovered Near Tucson". Science. redOrbit.com. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  2. Ames, John (19 February 2013). "Catalinas home to newly discovered scorpion". CBS 5. Tucson News Now. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  3. 1 2 "New scorpion discovery near metropolitan Tucson, Arizona". Science Daily. Pensoft Publishers. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  4. Ayrey, Richard; Webber Michael (2013). "A new Vaejovis C.L. Koch, 1836, the second known vorhiesi group species from the Santa Catalina Mountains of Arizona (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae)". ZooKeys (270): 21–35. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.270.4500 . PMC   3668420 . PMID   23730187.