Chactidae
Guides
Anuroctonus pococki
California Swollenstinger Scorpion, California swollen-stinger scorpion
Anuroctonus pococki is a large scorpion species reaching 65 mm in length, distinguished by a swollen region on the telson just before the stinger—most prominent in mature males—and large black-tipped pedipalps. Native to the Coast Ranges of Southern California and Baja California, it is the only member of its genus found in Baja California. First described in 2004, this nocturnal ambush predator constructs burrows and exhibits mildly venomous stings that are typically painful but non-serious.