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Scorpions of The USA "Life List"

Here is a simplified version of the checklists on my web pages. In the future I will develop a printable (maybe even interactive!?) form for you to print and stick on your wall, or whatever you might want to do with it....

The list is presented purely in alphabetical order, by Family, Genus, and Species.

Taxonomy Lesson # 327: Author's Names and Parentheses
Some of you not used to the way taxonomists name or deal with species names may notice that the terms in italics (that is, Genus species) are followed by one or two surnames (as in Soleglad or Gertsch & Soleglad). These are the people who wrote the descriptions (or described) the species.
Occasionally, such as with Pseudouroctonus reddelli (Gertsch & Soleglad) the authors' names (or name) will be in parentheses.
The explanation is complex, but the reason is simple: The species in our example was first described in 1972 by Dr. Willis J. Gertsch (dec.) and Michael Soleglad (Borrego Springs, California) to bear the name Vejovis reddelli (which, by the way, is named in honor of esteemed cave biologist James Reddell of The University of Texas). Later, in 1974, Dr. Herbert L. Stahnke (dec.) decided that this species had characters or features that were inconsistent with other species in the genus Vejovis (which is now Vaejovis : long story in that one!) and therefore, erected a new genus name in which to place this species and any others that might be found to be closely related: Pseudouroctonus.
To alert subsequent researchers, students, curious people and their cousins' dogs, etc., that the species Vejovis reddelli has been transferred out of that genus into Pseudouroctonus the names of the authors are placed in parentheses. Therefore, when a species name precedes a name in parentheses, then the species has been transferred into the current genus. If the author's name is not in parentheses, then the species was described in the genus associated with it.
Got it? I sure hope so, because I think I just confused myself!

"LifeList" of American Scorpions