Schizomid
Guides
Hubbardia belkini
Belkin's Short-tailed Whipscorpion
Hubbardia belkini is a species of short-tailed whipscorpion in the family Hubbardiidae. It is one of several species in the genus Hubbardia, which is endemic to the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species was described in 1957 and is known from limited collection records. Short-tailed whipscorpions are small, cryptic arachnids that inhabit moist microhabitats in arid and semi-arid regions.
Stenochrus
short-tailed whipscorpions
Stenochrus is a genus of hubbardiid short-tailed whipscorpions (order Schizomida) first described by Ralph Vary Chamberlin in 1922. The genus was historically considered a 'junkyard' taxon containing morphologically disparate species, but integrative systematics using molecular and morphological data has redefined its boundaries. As currently circumscribed, Stenochrus comprises approximately ten species distributed primarily in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The most widespread species, Stenochrus portoricensis, exhibits exceptional geographic range due to parthenogenetic reproduction and ecological tolerance, with introduced populations established in South America and Europe.
Stenochrus portoricensis
short-tailed whipscorpion, microwhipscorpion
Stenochrus portoricensis is a widely distributed short-tailed whipscorpion (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) native to the Neotropics and Nearctic regions. The species exhibits exceptional dispersal capability facilitated by parthenogenetic reproduction, enabling establishment in diverse habitats across multiple continents. Molecular studies indicate the species is paraphyletic, with a Mesoamerican origin and multiple independent introductions to Europe and the Caribbean from the Yucatán Peninsula. Sexual populations persist in natural habitats across Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico, while parthenogenetic lineages dominate introduced ranges.