''Paruroctonus boreus'', commonly known as the ''northern scorpion'', is a species of

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...

in the family

Vaejovidae Vaejovidae is a family of scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic for ...

. Ranging from Arizona to Canada.

Distribution

Can be as far north as 52° N. Several anecdotal reports show them found near

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are with ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

during dry years. It is the only scorpion found in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, with specimens collected in the

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is par ...

valley of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and more widely in Alberta.

Description

The adult female is consistently bigger than the male Averaging around 38.9 mm while the males average around 35.5 mm.

Behavior

Boreus is almost exclusively nocturnal with most movements and hunts taking place during the night. Emergence from their burrows occurs between 21:30 and 23:00, will not leave their burrow if the temperatures are below 10 °C. Shows increased activity in the 3-5 days following a rainfall. There is a dramatic discrepancy between how much the males and the females move around daily, males will routinely roam up to six times as far as their female counterparts. Boreus will engage in territorial fights with the larger scorpion usually winning the fight and then cannibalize the loser. Uses

rayleigh waves Rayleigh waves are a type of surface acoustic wave that travel along the surface of solids. They can be produced in materials in many ways, such as by a localized impact or by piezo-electric transduction, and are frequently used in non-destructi ...

to aid in prey detection. Younger scorpions tend to be more willing to use their stingers for both defense and offense as opposed to older scorpions. Feeds on the head of its prey first and will leave the hard exoskeleton as waste.

Reproduction

During the birthing process the females assume a stilting position on their rear walking legs. The young, of which there may be ten to forty, pass through the birth opening covered in a translucent membrane. The young offspring were observed to free themselves from the membrane in ten to twenty minutes. After freeing themselves from the birth membrane the offspring will ascend the mother’s walking legs and assume a grouped up position on her dorsum. The young offspring will have their first molt about 12 days and will then a week later begin to roam around the mothers carapace more freely. The young feed on their own castings and their first exuvium until they make their first hunt around 13-14 days.

References

External links

SYSTEMATICS OF THE SCORPION FAMILY VAEJOVIDAE
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3367042 Vaejovidae Arthropods of Canada Animals described in 1854