Southwestern USA, July 2008:Southern Arizona

Southwestern New Mexico

Kari J. McWestandHunter M. Burrell

Kari and his 13-year-old son, Hunter, traveled from Canyon, Texas to Rio Rico/Nogales, Arizona, to collect scorpions and other arachnids for REVSYS and GSIS on their way to attend the Tenth Annual Conference of the American Tarantula Society. They targeted undocumented localities that might harbor montane Vaejovis species—including Vaejovis vorhiesi—and to attempt collection of elusive species on the REVSYS list.

The first leg of our route took us from Canyon, Texas, to Socorro, New Mexico, to search for material in the San Mateo Mountains. Along the way, we unsuccessfully sampled in several locations. In the Tularosa Basin, however, we collected Vaejovis coahuilae (bottom right) and Paruroctonus gracilior with an unusual carapace pattern: the interocular triangle is usually dark with the posterior region of the carapace light. This specimen shows the opposite: A pale interocular crescent.

After a successful collection of an undescribed Vaejovis in the San Mateo Mountains near Socorro, we moved on to this area near the New Mexico/Arizona border. I had been here several times in the past at night, but had no idea the terrain was suitable for Vaejovis cf paysonensis because I simply couldn’t see the forest and outcroppings from the road. Previous visits to localities within a few miles in either direction of this spot yielded only Centruroides sculpturatus and large Vaejovis spinigerus.

Attempts to collect in the Galiuro Mountains were unsuccessful. The road was slow and difficult, while rain clouds loomed on the horizon, so we could only sample for a limited time to avoid getting trapped. Much of the road was in a stream bed, which we crossed many times. On the way out, however, night fell and we were able to sample the flats below the Galiuro and Pinaleño mountains.

Vaejovis crassimanus

Vaejovis confusus

Vaejovis spinigerus

Undescribed Aphonopelma sp.

Arizona elegans, glossy snake

Diplocentrus spitzeri is a common scorpion in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. This male was found by Mike “troll” Dame of the American

Tarantula Society behind our conference hotel, the Esplendor Resort.

Shasta East and David Sissom

Ichen Shen and Sara Black of Canyon, Texas, chasing a mutillid in Rio Rico.

Mule Mountains, Bisbee, Arizona.

Hunter’s cell phone, wedged in the granite!

Vaejovis cf vorhiesi

Centruroides sculpturatus

Very large Echinocereus

pectinatus, rainbow cactus

We visited Portal and the Southwestern Research Station

in the Chiricahua Mountains between collecting regions in Cochise County, Arizona and Hidalgo County, New Mexico.

It rained.

A Lot.

Barbara Roth’s footbridge over Cave Creek in Portal.

Cave Creek at SWRS.

Pituophus catenatus

Hypsiglena torquata(I was really hoping to

find one of these to show Hunter, it’s one

of my favorite snakes!)

Granite Gap and Peloncillo Mountains,New Mexico.

An undescribed species in the area remains elusive.

Echinocereus fendleri

Centruroides sculpturatus

Vaejovis spinigerus

Vaejovis coahuilae, near Animas

We attempted more daytime collecting in SW

New Mexico and in the Florida Mountains:

unsuccessful. Lordsburg Playa was full from the

recent heavy rains.

While in Deming, we noticed the mountains to our north, the

Cookes Range, elevation about 8,400 feet (2560 m). Let’s go

check them out.

Mammilaria heyderi

It took us about two hours of searching to find this unknown Vaejovis, with another two

hours spent afterwards: no such luck.

Vaejovis crassimanus from flats below Cookes Range

Phrynosoma hernandesi, greater short-horned lizard

Crotalus atrox

Echinocereus fendleri

Thanks to Lorenzo Prendini, David Sissom, Tom Anton, Mike Dame, Wade Harrell and all the ATS members, Esplendor Resort, Rio Rico, Arizona, and Deming, New Mexico, Chamber of Commerce.Special thanks to Keisha Hendricks. Funded by the American Tarantula Society and NSF-REVSYS.Photos by Kari McWest and Hunter Burrell.