Bug FAQDune Scorpion
Smeringurus mesaensis · Order: Scorpiones · Family: Vaejovidae
Also called: giant sand scorpion
The dune scorpion measures about 72 mm long and weighs roughly 2 g. It is a species called Smeringurus mesaensis, also known as the giant sand scorpion, in the Vaejovidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Smeringurus mesaensis, the dune scorpion, belongs to the family Vaejovidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is about 72 mm long and weighs around 2 g.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The scorpion is nocturnal, active from about 9 p.m. to 3 a.m..
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes desert regions of the southwestern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Vaejovidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_scorpion
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.