ART. 9 SCORPIONS OF WESTERN UNITED STATES ^EWING 1 1 



This species occurs in the southwestern part of the United States 

 and the northwestern part of Mexico. In the National Museum, 

 collection there are specimens from Utah, Nevada, California, New 

 Mexico, and Lower California. Essig (1926) reports it also :from 

 Arizona. 



VAEJOVIS YOSEMITENSIS. new species 

 YOSEMITE SCORPION 



As far as known only a single species of scorpion occurs in the 

 Yosemite Valley. This species (pi. 2, fig. 3) was taken during the 

 spring of 1927 under the rocks at the base of the Yosemite Falls. 

 Here, and only here, in a perpetual fog of spray from the falling 

 waters of one of the world's highest cataracts, could specimens be 

 obtained. Just why such a situation was so well suited to the species 

 is hard to understand. Usually scorpions prefer much hotter and 

 drier places. The technical description follows: 



General color reddish brown, with the finger of the pedipalps and 

 the abdomen proper darker than the rest. Hands stout and well 

 keeled, the inner dorsal keel continues almost to the tip of the fixed 

 finger, the outer dorsal keel ends with the hand, middle keel reduced, 

 obsolete, but darkened with pigment. Fingers strongly upcurved 

 and equal to the hand in length. Carapace with broad deep anterior 

 marginal notch, deep median groove and granular surface. Ab- 

 domen uniformly colored above. Pectinal comb reaching to the sides 

 of the abdomen, with 14 teeth and 10 to 12 pieces in middle area. 

 Postabdomen longer than abdomen proper, ventral keels strongly 

 tubercular and on all segments except the caudal vesicle. Sting 

 much less in length than the vesicle, almost straight at the base and 

 very broad. It is black at the tip but of the same color as the vesicle 

 at the base. 



Total length, 40 mm.; length of postabdomen, 23.5 mm.; greatest 

 width of carapace, 7.4 mm. (measurements made from fresh 

 alcoholics) . 



Type locality. — Yosemite Valley, Calif. 



Type.— Cdit No. 972, U.S.N.M. 



Description based on three specimens taken during April, 1927, by 

 Dr. Fred Ewing and the writer on the ground under rocks at the 

 base of Yosemite Falls. One of these was a young specimen. It was 

 taken on April 14th. The other two were adults and were taken on 

 the 15th. 



VAEJOVIS MINIMUS Kraepelin 



Kraepelin (1911) described a small species of Vaejovis from San 

 Pedro, Calif. In this species the upper side of the body is reddish 

 brown and the under side, as well as the legs, is yellowish. The post- 

 abdomen is very short, each of the first three segments being broader 



