Your guide to AZ bugs (Tucson, Green Valley: shoppers, eat, horse)

[Happy at Last]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Ive seen enough posts on here to drive a man crazy, with people wanting to know about the "critters" in AZ. Having spent many hours of my life (wont get into detail) perusing the Sonoran Desert floor, I am quite familiar with the venomous critters of AZ. I also keep and study scorpions/snakes/tarantulas/true spiders/mantids/etc, so Im well versed in the invertebrate world so to speak. At one point I had over 50 scorpions, 15 giant centipedes, 12 tarantulas, a few mantids, and two snakes as pets.

I have compiled this beginner list of critters from AZ that most people are curious about. I cant begin to scratch the surface of course, but this guide should be a good basic intro to what are often misunderstood creatures. These are my pictures (Im a amateur nature photographer) that I will share with you, so you can get a visual on these creatures.

Lets start with true spiders. True spiders can move their fangs (chelicerae) up and down, and in a pinching motion, whereas tarantulas cannot. This is how they get their "true spider" designation. By design, they are far more advanced than tarantulas. Their lungs can handle long sprints and their mouthparts are more advanced.

Black widows are the most notorious of true spiders. Latrodectus hesperus (western black widow) is very common in AZ and several other western states. Its venom is neurotoxic, meaning it attacks your respiratory and central nervous system, effectively shutting down the muscles that control your breathing. Most deaths from black widow bites are the result of respiratory paralysis. These are not to be taken lightly, any bite should be treated as serious and should be taken to the hospital immediately. Most bites just result in horrible flu-like symptoms, with massive abdominal cramping. Their webs are really messy and jagged and easily spotted.

FACT: male black widows are tiny compared to the females and their bite is harmless. Its the females that have the potentially lethal bites.

Here is a Latrodectus mactans (southern black widow) I collected in Missouri. The tell-tale hourglass pattern is completely visible in this image.


The other true spider that is also world renowned is the brown recluse. These DO NOT RANGE INTO AZ! These are very reclusive (hence the name) and are not aggressive whatsoever. Bites occur when people forget to check their clothes or roll over on one while sleeping. Their venom is cytotoxic (attacks cells) and hemolytic (attacks the blood stream). Its venom causes nasty lesions, that if left untreated, can result in a necessary amputation of the bitten extremity.

FACT: A violin/fiddle shaped marking is on the cepalothorax (head), hence its nickname the "fiddler" or "violin" spider. Here is a Kansas specimen I photographed last summer. Can you see the fiddle?


A perfect specimen from Missouri:




Tarantulas: The ultimate horror for any arachnophobe, and for good reason! Theyre large, hairy, slow moving... making a good subject for a horror flick. A deep seeded fear of the tarantula is imbedded in our minds from childhood (no thanks to Hollywood), but sadly for unfair reasons. Tarantulas, for the most part, are very docile critters. No, they wont chase you. No, they cant jump on you. No, theyre not out to get you. There are MANY species in AZ, but only from one genus (Aphonopelma). These are dark colored with earthy tones. The legs are velvety black, the carapace (head) is usually gold/bronze/tan and the abdomen covered in rich rust colored setae (hairs). Aphonopelma are notorious for being very docile, taking to handling quite well. However, DO NOT TRY TO HANDLE THEM. Just playing it safe and covering my butt... LOL Seriously, leave handling tarantulas to the pros, we know what were doing. Full size Aphonopelma species average about 4-6" leg span. Males are the ones youll see on the roads, theyre just out in search of a mate. Once they reach their penultimate molt, they grow tibial spurs, which they store sperm in. Once this is done, they spend their last months roaming the desert for a female to mate with. Most times the spiders die out from exhaustion or old age before they mate. And alot of times the female percieves the male as a intruder and kills him. The mating dance is very unique to watch, but Ill get into that some other time.

Here is an Aphonopelma hentzi from Missouri. These look identical to the species from AZ.


DONT ATTEMPT TO HANDLE TARANTULAS! I consider myself a professional and I know how to work with them. Here is a juvie Aphonopelma tarantula I picked up in Missouri right out of its burrow. Hardly a monster, eh?


All the pictures I have are from my Photobucket page, so I dont have access to all my pictures. I can post more later if you want more. You can also visit www.atshq.org (American Tarantula Society) for loads more info and pictures, or simply Google "Aphonopelma tarantulas in Arizona".

Most tarantulas are downright gorgeous, with flat-out amazing colors. Here is my Avicularia versicolor, which didnt mind me being 1" from its face. Beautiful and as docile as a baby bird.


FACT: Noone has ever died from a tarantula bite, their venom is considered too weak. They can deliver bad bites if aggrevated, so use caution around them.

FACT: The largest tarantula is found in South America. Commonly known as the Goliath Birdeater (hardly eats birds, LOL), it can achieve a whopping 12" leg span, about the size of a dinner plate.

FACT: tarantulas have hollow bodies (spare the abdomen). They pump their hemolymph (blood) through their bodies to move them, kinda like hydraulics. Here is a macro shot of the inside of a molt, showing the chambers of the legs and fangs:


Here is a macro shot of one of the molts, showing in detail the thousands of tiny hairs that help them grip surfaces, enabling them to climb vertically and hang from ceilings. Amazing, isnt it? This is a molt from a tree spider from South America (Avicularia avicularia).





THIS IS JUST SOME BASIC INFO. Its now taken me over an hour to write this, I hope you find this interesting and helpful. Im NOT here to discourage you from moving to AZ (like some people think ), or else I wouldnt have taken the time to compile this and help explain these creatures. Any questions you have, let me know, Ill keep updating info and add more pics as time goes by.

Please make sure to leave them alone, theyre really neat creatures, harmless ones at that. Please resist the urge to kill them, most of them are simply males on the prowl for females. At this point theyre about 5-10 years old, and have battled through life just to find a mate, we dont need to kill them out of fear. Also, females can live 20-30 years!!!!


Scorpions: There are dozens upon dozens of scorpion species in AZ, but only one is considered potentially lethal. That is the Centruroides exilicauda, commonly known as the AZ bark scorpion. These are a small species (1-3") that are tan in color (xeric morph adaptation), and are arboreal (climbers). These possess a powerful neurotoxic venom that can kill an adult. Although noone has died in AZ since ASU started their anti-venin program, they still have to administer AV to a dozen or more patients a year. Children and elderly (or anyone with a weakened immune system) are the most at risk from death from a sting. Check clothes, bed sheets, bath towels, shoes, etc before wearing them, theyre a favorite temporary hiding place for a wandering scorpion. A healthy adult will experience severe pain, lasting from minutes, to days, depending on the individual. Anyone experiencing palor, drooling, roving and uncontrolled eye and tongue movements, uncontrolled muscular spasms should be rushed to the nearest ER. This is a sign of a potentially lethal envenomation.

A rule of thumb for determining a scorpion's venom toxicity level is to look at the size of the claws (chelae) and tail (metasoma). Now keep in mind, this rule doesnt pertain to every scorpion, but its a general guide to the novice. The smaller the claw, the more potent the venom. This is because scorpions have 2 tools in subduing prey: grabbing and holding it with their claws and then envenomating them with their stinger (aculeus). Scorpions with weak, small claws rely more on their fast acting venom to subdue prey. Scorpions with big claws (ie emperor scorpions--Pandinus imperator) usually have weaker venom and prefer to simply crush their prey instead.

Here is a HIGHLY toxic species from Morocco (kills 1,000s every year), the Androctonus mauritanicus. Note the slender claws and massively powerful and overdeveloped tail (metasoma).


The AZ bark scorpion is one exception. The claws are weak, the tails are slender. Here is a picture of one I caught in Scottsdale.

Hi maybe you can tell me what a child of the earth is! I had one on my neck, it was creepy, and i was terrified, Do they scream like a baby? thats what I was told, I live in McNeal Ariz, and see SO many bugs coming from Boston o bugs like that there, but i,ve been here 21 yrs, and still are amazed at all the bugs , every yr its another invading of some kind of bug.

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by Happy at Last

Hi maybe you can tell me what a child of the earth is! I had one on my neck, it was creepy, and i was terrified, Do they scream like a baby? thats what I was told, I live in McNeal Ariz, and see SO many bugs coming from Boston o bugs like that there, but i,ve been here 21 yrs, and still are amazed at all the bugs , every yr its another invading of some kind of bug.

Called Jerusalem Crickets;Can be up to 3 inches long; not venomous, but can bite (can be pretty painful); cannot fly. Look scary and ugly. Oh, and cannot cry like a baby!!

[Gandalara]

Originally Posted by Montana Griz

Called Jerusalem Crickets;

Never heard that name before - we always called them Potato Bugs. Haven't seen one for years!

[OnYourSide]

This was really informative. I have often wondered what some of the creatures that I often see are called and what they are capable of.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Gandalara

Never heard that name before - we always called them Potato Bugs. Haven't seen one for years!

You can call them either name, actually. The more popular name is Jerusalem Cricket, theyre known in the pet trade as that.

[Elyse Margardino]

Great little education thread steve-o! I really enjoyed reading it

[shiphead]

two questions about bugs.

ants. what the hell. im up to my wits end with them. We put the animal food high and low, never had this problem in the cold north.

meal worms? We've seen two. One curled up, look like it was dying. One extremely long,gray, black head, crawled like a long worm. looks like a long grub but skinny.

[dgsheff]

I have this very tiny (about the size of a speck of pepper) bugs that seem to be everywhere I look, wish I knew what they were

[R_Cowgirl]

dgsheff - this thread is five years old, but I'm really glad you brought it back to life with your question. It's one of those highly informative threads that should be a sticky - since it answers so many questions. Thanks again Steve-o for your informative posts and the great photos. I just recently needed this information and had forgotten about this thread.

So - mods, how about it? Can this be a sticky? What are the parameters?

[dacubz]

I have never seen this thread, but it is excellent!. I'd have to agree that a sticky for it would be great.