{"id":10844,"date":"2026-10-30T01:01:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T01:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/?p=10844"},"modified":"2026-10-30T19:38:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T19:38:42","slug":"scorpions-of-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/scorpions-of-the-united-states\/","title":{"rendered":"Think you know scorpions? NAU researchers reveal a surprising world of 109 species"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>A <a href=\"https:\/\/nau.edu\/school-forestry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">School of Forestry<\/a> research team maps out 109 scorpion species across the United States, explores how to distinguish potentially dangerous species, and highlights the important ecological roles of these often-overlooked arachnids.<\/em><br><br>Scorpions have been around for more than 430 million years, longer than dinosaurs, trees and flowers. In the American Southwest they are part of everyday life, turning up under rocks, in woodpiles and sometimes in a shoe by the door. Yet until now, no one had pulled together what we actually know about the scorpions living across the United States.<br><br>A team from the <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/school-forestry\/about\/research\/insect-ecology-and-management-lab\/\">Forest Entomology Lab in NAU&#8217;s School of Forestry<\/a> has changed that. Their new paper, <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jipm\/article\/17\/1\/pmag044\/8996856?login=true\">&#8220;Scorpions of the United States: species, distribution, ecology, and management,&#8221;<\/a> was published this fall in the <em>Journal of Integrated Pest Management<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A first for U.S. scorpions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The paper is the first comprehensive, nationwide review of scorpions in the United States. Before it, information on U.S. species was scattered across taxonomic revisions, regional field guides and medical literature that rarely referenced one another. The team searched museum and biodiversity databases, community-science platforms such as iNaturalist and BugGuide, and the published literature. They confirmed <strong>109 scorpion species in 22 genera and 6 families<\/strong> occur in the United States. Some highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>80 species live only in the United States.<\/strong> Many are rare endemics confined to single mountain ranges, sand dunes or caves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Only 5 species occur east of the Mississippi River.<\/strong> One, the northern scorpion, ranges as far north as Canada.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The devil scorpions (family Vaejovidae) are the most diverse and widespread<\/strong>. with 16 genera and 91 species.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Only 2 species are considered truly dangerous to people:<\/strong> the Arizona bark scorpion and the Florida bark scorpion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The review also covers scorpion biology, from live birth and mothers carrying their young on their backs to their glow under ultraviolet light. It includes a simple identification key, range maps and original illustrations for every U.S. family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A team effort from the Forest Entomology Lab<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The paper came out of the <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/school-forestry\/about\/research\/insect-ecology-and-management-lab\/\">Forest Entomology Lab<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/nau.edu\/school-forestry\/\">School of Forestry<\/a>. The project brought together NAU faculty, current graduate students and alumni who collaborated to research and write the manuscript: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Richard Hofstetter<\/strong>, professor in the School of Forestry and corresponding author, who conceived and led the project<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Derek Uhey<\/strong>, (M.S. Forestry \u201916, Ph.D. Forest Science \u201922), NAU alumnus and assistant teaching professor in the School of Forestry, who created dichotomous family keys and species lists<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Julia Totty<\/strong>, (B.S. Environmental Science \u201923), NAU alumna and current graduate student, who drew the paper&#8217;s original scorpion illustrations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Andrew Henning<\/strong>, (B.S. Forestry \u201923, M.S. Forestry \u201925), NAU alumnus, who brought together a wide range of scorpion literature<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cat Chapman<\/strong>, (B.S. Biology \u201915), NAU alumna now with iDigBio at the Florida Museum of Natural History, who contributed photos and arachnid expertise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A resource for scientists, pest professionals and the public<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The review was written to be useful well beyond the research community. <strong>For entomologists and natural resource professionals<\/strong>, it offers a single national reference on taxonomy, distributions and ecology. It also flags where knowledge is thin. Many species have sparse or outdated records, and several genera are still being sorted out. <strong>For pest management professionals<\/strong>, it lays out an integrated approach that starts with nonlethal steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>seal cracks and entry points<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>clear debris and woodpiles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reduce the moisture and insects that draw scorpions in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>use environmentally friendly repellants such as organic oils to deter scorpions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Synthetic pesticides are a last resort, and the paper summarizes what research shows about which products work and which can backfire by driving scorpions into homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For the general public<\/strong>, it offers reassurance and practical guidance. Most stings in the U.S. cause only local pain; 97.5% of more than 105,000 reported stings produced mild symptoms. Only bark scorpions (family Buthidae) pose any serious medical risks and a quick rule of thumb helps identify them: scorpions with slender claws deserve caution, while chunky-clawed species are generally harmless. The paper also includes first-aid steps and tells readers when to call poison control (1-800-222-1222).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scorpions are also important predators of insects and spiders, and food for owls, foxes, lizards and grasshopper mice. Many species are highly endemic and likely threatened by human activities. Yet no U.S. scorpion species has federal protection, and almost nothing is known about population trends. The authors hope the review sparks more field surveys and community-science records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read the paper<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The article is open access and free to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hofstetter RW, Uhey DA, Totty J, Henning A, Chapman C. 2026. Scorpions of the United States: species, distribution, ecology, and management. <em>Journal of Integrated Pest Management<\/em> 17(1): pmag044. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jipm\/pmag044\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jipm\/pmag044<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"708\" height=\"873\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image.png 708w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image-243x300.png 243w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 708px) 100vw, 708px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figure 2 from Hofstetter et al. (2026) showing where the six species of the medically significant scorpion family Buthidae (bark scorpions) occur in the United States. Illustrations by Julia Totty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"612\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image-1.png 612w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image-1-300x261.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Photo of an Arizona bark scorpion by Derek Uhey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"340\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10848\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image-2.png 340w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/371\/image-2-290x300.png 290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 340px) 100vw, 340px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Photo of a black hairy scorpion by Derek Uhey<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This blog post was written by Dr. Derek Uhey, assistant teaching professor in NAU&#8217;s School of Forestry. To learn more about this research, please contact him at<\/em> <a href=\"mailto:derek.uhey@nau.edu\"><em>derek.uhey@nau.edu<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NAU School of Forestry researchers uncover the surprising diversity of 109 scorpion species across the United States, revealing their ecological importance and how to identify potentially dangerous species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3039,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,25,41],"tags":[50,52,51,49,48],"class_list":["post-10844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-cefns","category-for","tag-arizona-bark-scorpion","tag-bark-scorpions","tag-black-hairy-scorpion","tag-entomology","tag-scorpions"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3039"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10844"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10903,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10844\/revisions\/10903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-environment-forestry-natural-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}