Scorpions of North Carolina 51 



Distribution — The generalized range of the southcentral and 

 southwestern United States to northern Mexico can be stated more 

 specifically as from Louisiana to New Mexico east of the Rio Grande 

 and, latitudinally, from the Central Plains of the United States into 

 the adjoining northern states of Mexico (W. D. Sissom, personal 

 communication). North Carolina specimens were examined as follows 

 (Fig. 6): 



Wake Co., Raleigh, office building along Bland Rd., 1 spmn., 

 April 1991, J. Wigmore (NCSM) and along Wakefield St., 1 spmn., 

 24 October 1986, M. A. Brittain (NCSU); and Research Triangle Park, 

 1 spmn., August 1991, collector unknown (NCSM). Nash Co., Rocky 

 Mount, 1 spmn., 26 July 1991, collector unknown (NCSM). Dare Co., 

 Nags Head, in building behind self storage facility, 1 spmn., 10 May 

 1986, L. Griffin (NCSU). 



Remarks — Because winters in North Carolina's piedmont are 

 considerably milder than those in its native range in the midwest, C. 

 vittatus potentially could become established in the central part of 

 the State. An introduced population now exists in Murfreesboro, Rutherford 

 County, Tennessee (W. D. Sissom and G. A. Polis, Vanderbilt 

 University, personal communication). 



There is at least one widespread chain of restaurants that broil 

 steaks over mesquite, so introduced, reproducing populations of 

 C. vittatus may exist in major cities throughout the Southeast. Use of 

 mesquite chips for broiling, rather than whole logs or lumber, would 

 produce the same flavor and eliminate the possibility of importing 

 live scorpions, not to mention unknown numbers of insects that might 

 have an adverse economic impact on agriculture. 



Centruroides hentzi (Banks) 

 Habitat — In Florida, C. hentzi is usually encountered under litter, 

 logs, and stones; it can also be found under bark of dead trees up to 

 20 ft (6 m) high and commonly invades houses (Muma 1967). The 

 Durham County specimen was discovered in a rolled towel in a dormitory; 

 those from Carteret and Brunswick counties were found in residences 

 in condominium buildings, the 1992 scorpion was encountered in a 

 bathtub. At Emerald Isle, four specimens were found in hallways and 

 closets on both floors in a beachfront Carteret County condominium 

 complex during a two-month period in summer 1993, and two more 

 were encountered in May 1994. Six condominum units were involved, 

 comprising the northern half of one building; scorpions were not 

 discovered in the other buildings of the complex. One scorpion was 

 found dead in a man's shoe, and another stung a young child, who was 



