The environmental habits of Centruroides sculpturatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

     The Arizona bark scorpion, Centruroides sculpturatus Ewing, is the only scorpion species of medical significance that occurs in the United States. This non-burrowing scorpion frequently cohabitates with humans in areas of regular human traffic. Yet little is known about the roaming habits or environmental tendencies of this scorpion in relation to human development or frequently disturbed areas. To acquire this information, mark-release-recapture was used to scout frequented refuges and to determine the extent of relocation from refuge to refuge. Companion lab trials assessed average distance traveled of individual scorpions in order to estimate potential roaming distances in the field. Refugia preference was also tested with varying heights of horizontally oriented cover. Each refuge was tested both with and without the presence of a conspecific already in the refuge to clarify whether gregarious behavior is more attractive than refuge size.