AnimalTracks.wiki

What the sources say

Striped Bark ScorpionCentruroides vittatus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Striped Bark Scorpion profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 48 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Centruroides vittatus. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysNot Evaluated
The source saysIUCN Red List No special statusNote: GBIF's copy of the Red List returns NOT_EVALUATED for Centruroides vittatus (species key 7455866, checked 2026-09-26), and Crossref has no 10.2305 assessment DOI for the name. ADW's own page (quoted here) also lists no special status under the IUCN Red List, the US Federal List, and CITES.
The page saysTexas and eleven other US states, north to Colorado and Nebraska and east to Tennessee, plus five states of northern Mexico
The source saysThe striped scorpions' range radiates outward from Texas, where it is most heavily concentrated, into Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It is also found in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Chihahua, and Durango
The page sayshiding under rocks, boards, fallen logs, and dead vegetation, and inside homes
The source saysThey hide in damp, cool areas under rocks, boards, fallen logs, dead vegetation, and inside human dwellings
The page saysMostly spiders, centipedes, crickets, flies, beetles, and other small insects, grabbed and crushed with the pincers, then stung
The source saysconsuming mostly spiders, centipedes, crickets, flies, beetles, and other small insects ... catch their food by grabbing and crushing them with their powerful pinchers. They then bring their tail over their body and sting the victims
The page saysIts cuticle, the waxy outer layer that helps keep it from drying out, fluoresces under ultraviolet light, which helps people collect or watch these scorpions at night
The source sayswaxy cuticle that helps prevent dessication. The scorpion cuticle flouresces under ultraviolet light, which helps when collecting or observing them at night
The page saysseldom more than 3 inches
The source saysThe striped scorpion seldom attains lengths greater than 3 inches
The page saysThe body is yellowish to tan, with two broad blackish stripes along the top of the abdomen
The source saysBody color varies from yellowish to tan for adults ... two broad blackish stripes on the upper surface of the abdomen
The page saysIts range spreads outward from Texas into eleven other US states, from Colorado and Nebraska east to Tennessee, and into five states of northern Mexico
The source saysThe striped scorpions' range radiates outward from Texas, where it is most heavily concentrated, into Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It is also found in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Chihahua, and Durango
The page saysIt hides in damp, cool spots under rocks, boards, fallen logs, and dead vegetation, and inside homes
The source saysThey hide in damp, cool areas under rocks, boards, fallen logs, dead vegetation, and inside human dwellings
The page saysIt stalks its prey mostly at night, by touch and smell
The source saysThe scorpion stalks its prey mostly at night and depends on its senses of touch and smell
The page saysComb-like chemical sensors on its underside touch the ground as it walks, which helps it track prey
The source saysComblike chemical receptor organs on their undersides contact the ground as they walk, which helps them track prey
The page saysOnce its pincers grab hold, it curls its tail over its body and stings the prey, which jerks compulsively and is paralyzed by the venom; the scorpion then chews it into a semi-liquid state it can suck up
The source sayscatch their food by grabbing and crushing them with their powerful pinchers. They then bring their tail over their body and sting the victims. The prey jerk compulsively and are paralyzed by the venom. They die in the scorpions' rigid grasp. The scorpions then chew the prey into a semi-liquid state, that they can suck up
The page saysHunting by Touch and Smell
The source saysThe scorpion stalks its prey mostly at night and depends on its senses of touch and smell
The page saystags: adaptable
The source saysCentruroides vittatus can be found indoors or outdoors in an array of habitats.Note: task #807; ADW also: 'Human presence has given them new places to find shelter.'

Source
02

Colorado State University Extension

Scorpions of Colorado. Colorado State University Extension.

The page saysOne of America's Most Common Scorpions
The source saysThis species is one of the most common scorpion that occurs in the US
The page saysOne of the most common scorpions in the United States
The source saysThis species is one of the most common scorpion that occurs in the US
The page saysAdults average about 2.5 inches fully stretched out
The source saysAdults of the common striped bark scorpion (Figure 1) average about 2.5 inches when fully extended
The page saysa V-shaped dark patch on the head around the eyes
The source saysa V-shaped dark area on the head surrounds the eyes
The page saysin Colorado, about Interstate 70 marks its northern edge
The source saysThe common striped bark scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) is widespread in southeastern Colorado, with 1-70 about its most northern rangeNote: '1-70' in the cached PDF text is Interstate 70.
The page saysIt takes 3 to 4 years to mature and can live another 2 to 3 years as an adult
The source saysthe common striped bark scorpion requires 3-4 years. These scorpions can live another 2-3 years as an adult
The page saysColorado State University Extension says a sting from Colorado's scorpions, this one included, is a sharp, often burning pain that usually fades within a few minutes to an hour and is no more painful than a bee or wasp sting, and that none of the state's species has venom linked to dangerous complications
The source saysAmong the Colorado species this can be felt as a sharp, often burning pain. However, usually this rapidly dissipates within a few minutes to an hour and is no more painful than a bee or wasp sting. No species that occur in the state have venom associated with dangerous complicationsNote: C. vittatus is one of the three species the Extension confirms in Colorado. This replaces the ADW sting sentence (15 to 20 minutes; deaths from anaphylaxis), a student account citing 1982 to 1996 sources, which is not enough on its own for a medical outcome.
The page saysCourtship starts when the female makes abrupt advances toward a potential mate and retreats
The source saysIn the common striped bark scorpion the female initiates the mating, making abrupt advances and retreats to a potential mate that it encounters
The page saysA receptive male answers with a back-and-forth rocking called "juddering," and the two clasp claws for a "cheliceral massage," which the Extension calls a scorpion version of a kiss
The source saysA receptive male then responds with a back and forth rocking moving known as “juddering”. The scorpions then clasp each other with their pedipalp claws and draw near enough to engage in a “cheliceral massage” - a scorpion version of a kiss
The page saysYoung are born live and ride on their mother's back through their first molt
The source saysYoung scorpions are born live by the mother and then carried on her back through the first molt
The page saysLitter size varies, and 13 to 47 young have been reported for this species
The source saysLitter size varies, in part due to the nutrition of the mother. A range of 34-52 young is reported for the northern scorpion; 13-47 for the common striped bark scorpion
The page saysThe young leave their mother after about a week and forage on their own
The source saysleave the mother after about one week and then forage on their own
The page saysdangerLevel: Medium
The source saysAmong the Colorado species this can be felt as a sharp, often burning pain. However, usually this rapidly dissipates within a few minutes to an hour and is no more painful than a bee or wasp sting. No species that occur in the state have venom associated with dangerous complications.Note: task #807; ADW adds that the sting 'is very rarely fatal, and even then, death is due to anaphylactic shock, not the direct toxic effects of the venom', the bee-sting case, so Medium ('Can injure, but rarely seriously') rather than Deadly
The page saysA receptive male striped bark scorpion courts the same way, answering a female's advances with a back-and-forth rocking called juddering
The source saysA receptive male then responds with a back and forth rocking moving known as “juddering”Note: vibe.reason, task #807

Source
03

Carlson, McGinley & Rowe 2014

Carlson, McGinley & Rowe (2014). Meek Males and Fighting Females: Sexually-Dimorphic Antipredator Behavior and Locomotor Performance Is Explained by Morphology in Bark Scorpions (Centruroides vittatus). PLoS ONE.

The page saysIn lab tests, its females stung at a faster rate than its males
The source saysFemale scorpions stung at a significantly faster rate overall (8.0±0.97 stings per 2 s, mean ± one standard error) than males (6.5±0.62 stings; p = 0.034; Table 1 ).Note: Tested in the lab on scorpions collected in the Organ Mountains, New Mexico. The paper did not check the females' reproductive status ('We did not evaluate the reproductive status of females but note that most appeared to be at some stage of gestation'), so the page says 'females', not 'gravid females'.
The page saysplus a defense split by sex: in lab tests males sprinted faster and females stung faster
The source saysFemale scorpions stung at a significantly faster rate overall (8.0±0.97 stings per 2 s, mean ± one standard error) than males (6.5±0.62 stings; p = 0.034; Table 1 ). ... Overall, males sprinted faster (22.4±0.67 cm/s) than females (17.6±0.98 cm/s; p = 0.0002; Table 1 )
The page saysThe researchers who measured it propose that body weight is the key
The source saysWe propose that reproductive roles have driven sexually dimorphic body mass in this species which produces sex differences in locomotor performance
The page saysHeavier scorpions stung at a faster rate, and once body mass was counted, sex itself had no separate effect on sting rate
The source saysBody mass was positively associated with sting rate (p = 0.003), but no other morphological variables (or sex itself) had significant independent effects on sting rate
The page saysA female's weight is likely strongly affected by the embryos she carries
The source saysvariation in relative body mass in females is likely substantially affected by the presence and size of the developing brood
The page saysFemales of this species sprint faster once their young have been born and dispersed
The source saysfemale C. vittatus sprint faster after the birth and dispersal of their offspring
The page saysweigh 300 to 700 milligrams
The source saysCentruroides vittatus are medium-sized (300v700 mg) lithophilic buthid scorpionsNote: 'v' is the PDF's rendering of an en dash; the paper's figure is 300-700 mg.
The page saysBark scorpions roam rather than burrow, and rely more on fleeing than on fighting back
The source saysBark scorpions ( Centruroides spp.) are errant, non-burrowing scorpions ... actively moving about on the surface rather than remaining in or near burrows. They therefore rely more heavily on fleeing threats than active defense
The page saysWhen researchers tested scorpions collected in New Mexico, the sexes defended themselves differently
The source saysScorpions in this study were collected in the Organ Mountains, New Mexico, USA, in July 2011
The page saysMales sprinted faster, at 22.4 compared with 17.6 centimeters a second, while females stung faster, averaging 8.0 stings in two seconds against the males' 6.5
The source saysFemale scorpions stung at a significantly faster rate overall (8.0±0.97 stings per 2 s, mean ± one standard error) than males (6.5±0.62 stings; p = 0.034; Table 1 ). ... Overall, males sprinted faster (22.4±0.67 cm/s) than females (17.6±0.98 cm/s; p = 0.0002; Table 1 )
The page saysFemales of this species are gravid (carrying embryos) eight months of the year, and the researchers suggest that burden likely slows their sprint and may push them toward stinging instead, while male scorpions, known to be more mobile and to range farther, may rely on speed as their main defense
The source saysThe reduced sprinting speed of females is likely caused by the burden of carrying developing embryos while gravid ... Gravid eight months of the year [29] , female C. vittatus may be poor at sprinting from predators and might rely more on aggressive defense as a form of behavioral compensation ... hence the faster stinging. Male scorpions, on the other hand, are known to be more mobile and range farther than females ... and may be the primary antipredator defense
The page saysA Sting Split by Sex
The source saysFemale scorpions stung at a significantly faster rate overall (8.0±0.97 stings per 2 s, mean ± one standard error) than males (6.5±0.62 stings; p = 0.034; Table 1 )

Source
04

Rowe et al. 2011

Rowe et al. (2011). Isolation and Characterization of CvIV4: A Pain Inducing α-Scorpion Toxin. PLoS ONE.

The page saysA venom peptide, CvIV4, that slows the closing of Nav1.7, a sodium channel in pain-sensing nerves
The source saysCvIV4 slowed the fast inactivation of Na v 1.7, a Na + channel expressed in peripheral pain-pathway neurons (nociceptors)
The page saysIn mice, one venom peptide on its own, CvIV4, caused as much paw licking as the scorpion's whole venom
The source saysCvIV4 produced paw licking in Mus equivalent to the effects of whole venom
The page saysIn lab tests on cells, it kept a channel called Nav1.7 from shutting as quickly as normal, and Nav1.7 is found in the nerve cells that sense pain
The source saysCvIV4 slowed the fast inactivation of Na v 1.7, a Na + channel expressed in peripheral pain-pathway neurons (nociceptors)Note: Tested on human Nav1.7 expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells: 'We tested CvIV4 on hNa v 1.7 expressed in HEK cells and on dissociated rat DRG'.
The page saysOne of its venom peptides, CvIV4, slows the closing of Nav1.7, a sodium channel (a gate that lets sodium into a cell) carried by pain-sensing nerve cells, but it did not affect a second channel in those cells, Nav1.8
The source saysCvIV4 slowed the fast inactivation of Na v 1.7, a Na + channel expressed in peripheral pain-pathway neurons (nociceptors), but did not affect the Na v 1.8-based sodium currents of these neuronsNote: Nav1.8 was tested on dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons; the page says 'did not affect', not that it never touches Nav1.8 in every animal.
The page saysA Slow-Closing Gate
The source saysCvIV4 slowed the fast inactivation of Na v 1.7

Source
05

Farley 2004

Farley (2004). Developmental changes in the embryo, pronymph, and first molt of the scorpion Centruroides vittatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Journal of Morphology.

The page saysThat molt makes the metasoma, the tail-like rear section, relatively longer and turns the sting sharp and functional
The source saysIn the first molt the metasoma becomes relatively longer, and the sting (aculeus) becomes sharp and functional
The page saysArmed After the First Molt
The source saysIn the first molt the metasoma becomes relatively longer, and the sting (aculeus) becomes sharp and functional

Source
06

McElroy et al. 2017

McElroy et al. (2017). Differential toxicity and venom gland gene expression in Centruroides vittatus. PLOS ONE.

The page saysin a test on crickets, venom from adults and near-adults was about 2.7 times as potent as venom from young scorpions
The source saysVenom toxicity was evaluated by probit analysis and returned ED 50 values of 50.1 μg/g for class IV compared to 134.2 μg/g for class I-II 24 hours post injection, suggesting size class IV was 2.7 fold more potentNote: Size class IV is 'adults/penultimate instars', class I-II 'immature'; 'The biological activity of collected venom was measured in crickets.'

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.