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Family Vaejovidae
Genus Paravaejovis
Genus Paruroctonus
Genus Pseudouroctonus
Genus Serradigitus
Genus Smeringurus
Genus Syntropis
Genus Uroctonites
Genus Uroctonus
Genus Vaejovis
Genus Vejovoidus
Diversity
Endemism
Taxonomy
Phylogeny
Biogeography
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Genus Uroctonus
Thorell 1876
Synonymy
Uroctonus
Thorell, 1876a: 11; type species by monotypy Uroctonus mordax
Thorell, 1876.
REFERENCES:
Uroctonus:
Thorell, 1876b: 196; Karsch, 1879b: 103; Pocock, 1893: 328; Thorell, 1893: 374;
Kraepelin, 1894: 182, 193; Kraepelin, 1899: 182; Pocock, 1902: 14; Comstock,
1912: 30; Ewing, 1928: 12; Hoffmann, 1931: 402; Werner, 1934: 283-284; Mello-Leitão,
1934a: 81; Kästner, 1941: 273; Mello-Leitão, 1945: 128; Gertsch & Allred, 1965:
4; Bücherl, 1971: 329; Gertsch & Soleglad, 1972: 553-568 (part); Hjelle, 1972: 9
(part); Soleglad, 1973b: 351-360 (part); Vachon, 1974: 914, 916; Williams, 1974:
15 (part); Stahnke, 1974a: 119, 129-130, 132, fig. 7A, 8A, 8B, tab. 3, 4; Sissom,
1990a: 111, 114 (part); Williams & Savary, 1991: 272, 274, 284; Stockwell, 1992:
409, 416, 419, fig. 47, 49, 51, 52, 53; Kovarík, 1998: 145; Sissom,
2000:527-528; Soleglad & Fet, 2004: 83-90; Soleglad & Fet, 2003a: 40-43, 57, 58,
84-86, 102-104, 141, figs. 39, 116, 117, Tabs. 3, 4, 9.
Description. -
The genus Uroctonus includes
medium-sized species with robust, carinated pedipalps. The epigean forms, U.
mordax and U. franckei, are dark reddish brown to dark brown in
color; the troglophilic U. grahami is pale yellow brown in color.
Prosoma.
– Anterior carapacial margin more or less bilobed, with deep rounded anterior
median indentation.
Mesosoma.
– Pectinal tooth counts 11-15 in males, 8-12 in females. All
female pectinal teeth similar in size and shape, and with sensorial areas.
Metasoma.
– Dorsal carinae of segments I-IV with even granulation, lacking an enlarged,
subspinoid distal denticle. Ventral submedian carinae of segments I-IV paired;
on segments I-II obsolete to smooth, on III-IV granular to crenulate. Segment V
with bifurcated ventromedian carina. [Note: all metasomal carinae moderately to
strongly reduced in U. grahami].
Chelicerae.
– Ventral margin of the cheliceral movable finger with 4-7 distinct denticles;
fixed finger lacking ventral denticles. Serrula well developed
distoventrally on movable finger.
Pedipalps.
– Patella: Inner face with three well developed basal tubercles;
lacking inner longitudinal carina. Chelal carinae: Ventromedian carina
absent, producing flattened ventral chelal face. Dorsomarginal carina
granular. Digital and ventroexternal carinae well
developed, smooth. [Note: Pedipalpal carinae of U. grahami are
considerably reduced]. Chela dentition: Terminal denticles not
prominent, conically shaped. Chela fixed finger with primary denticle row
divided into six subrows of denticles, these are flanked by seven or eight inner
accessory denticles. Chela movable finger with primary denticle row divided
into seven subrows of denticles, these flanked by eight or nine inner accessory
denticles. Denticles of denticle row subconical, more or less rounded.
Trichobothrial Pattern.
Patella with three ventral trichobothria along
ventroexternal carina. Four V trichobothria on chela manus. Chelal
trichobothrium ib positioned on the distal end of the chela palm, rather
than on the fixed finger. Chela trichobothrium est much closer to
et
than to esb.
Legs.
– Basitarsi and telotarsi without setal combs. Telotarsi ventrally with a
median row of small spinules that are flanked distally by a pair of slightly
larger spinules. Ventromedian spinule row flanked laterally by setae.
Hemispermatophore.
– Mating plug absent. Lamellar hook blunt to rounded, positioned at base of
ectal edge of distal lamina.
Included species.
– U. mordax Thorell, 1876 with two
subspecies U. m. mordax Thorell, 1876 and
U. m. pluridens Hjelle, 1972;
U. franckei Williams, 1986.
Similar taxa.
See Pseudouroctonus Stahnke,
Uroctonites Williams & Savary, Vaejovis C. L. Koch (mexicanus
group).
Remarks.
- Once containing most species now in Pseudouroctonus and Uroctonites,
this genus has been extensively redefined by various workers and currently
includes only 3 species and 1 subspecies (Stahnke 1974; Williams 1980; Williams
& Savary 1991; Soleglad & Fet 2004). Soleglad & Fet (2004) provide a key to the
species and subspecies. Uroctonus mordax may be encountered under rocks,
logs and in burrows along the California coast and into montane forests (the
Cascades and Sierras) at elevations ranging from 24-1900 m (Hjelle 1972; Gertsch
& Soleglad 1972). Uroctonus franckei is known only from yellow pine
forests above 2133 m in the Sierra Nevada. The third species, U. grahami,
is troglophilous. We consider Uroctonus to be a vaejovid, and not a
chactid, as maintained by Soleglad & Fet (2003, 2004), for reasons provided in
the remarks [hyperlink] to family Vaejovidae.
Literature Cited
Gertsch, W.J. & Soleglad,
M.E. 1972. Studies of North American scorpions of the genera Uroctonus
and Vejovis. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 148: 549–608.
Hjelle, J.T. 1972. Scorpions
of the northern California coast ranges. Occasional Papers of the California
Academy of Sciences 92: 1–59.
Soleglad, M.E. & Fet, V.
2003. High-level systematics and phylogeny of the extant scorpions (Scorpiones:
Orthosterni). Euscorpius 11: 1–175.
Soleglad, M.E. & Fet, V.
2004. The systematics of the scorpion subfamily Uroctoninae (Scorpiones:
Chactidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología 10: 81–128.
Stahnke, H.L. 1974. Revision
and keys to the higher categories of Vejovidae. Journal of Arachnology 1: 107–141.
Williams, S.C. & Savary, W.E.
1991. Uroctonites, a new genus of scorpion from Western North America (Scorpiones:
Vaejovidae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 67: 272–287.
Williams, S.C. 1980.
Scorpions of Baja California, Mexico, and adjacent islands. Occasional Papers
of the Califorinia Academy of Sciences 135: 1–127.
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