Disclaimer: The following content should be used for informational purposes only. It should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for any medical condition. Always seek the advice of a medical professional.

Important Note: Bark scorpion bites can cause a serious, potentially deadly, medical situation for children, the elderly, and medically compromised. The right anti-venom can save a person's life. For this reason, seek medical attention or Call 911 and tell them you have a scorpion bite victim.

Venomous Spiders

Black Widow Spider aka: Latrodectus hesperus: The venom of the female black widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of the Prairie Rattlesnake. Only a very small amount of venom is injected in a single bite, so they are rarely fatal. The bite itself may not cause pain, so it may go unnoticed. Call the Arizona Poison Center at 520-626-6016 or seek immediate medical attention.

Symptoms:

First aid measures:

Brown Recluse Spider aka: Loxosceles arizonica: The Arizona recluse is known to have a necrotic bite. This means that the bite causes severe damage to the skin and surrounding tissue. The bite itself may not cause pain, so it may go unnoticed. Seek immediate medical attention. The lesion may enlarge over the next few days and produce extensive tissue death that may require surgery.

Symptoms (immediate):

Symptoms (later):

First Aid Treatment:

Venomous Scorpions

More than 30 scorpion species can be found in Arizona. There are three types of scorpions that are most commonly found in the Pima County area:

  1. Bark scorpion aka: centruroides exilicauda
  2. Giant desert hairy scorpion aka: Hadrurus arizonensis, desert hairy scorpion
  3. Striped tail scorpion aka: Vaejovis spinigerus, devil’s scorpion

Only the sting of the bark scorpion is considered to be truly life threatening. Its slender shape, and long, delicate pincers and tail help to make it distinguishable from other Arizona species, which have a fatter body. The bark scorpion prefers to climb, so it may be found many feet above the ground on trees and rock faces. Because bark scorpions orient themselves upside down, people are often stung by them as they pick up an object and press against a scorpion clinging to the underside. Defensive stinging is usually a series of quick jabs, after which the scorpion makes a hasty retreat.

If you cannot identify the scorpion species, a 'worst case scenario' assumption should be made. In the case of a child, you may not even be able to identify that a scorpion was the 'critter' that bit the child. You may observe the following signs and symptoms:

First-aid treatment during transport:
© Copyright Sharon Lane       Last Modified: January 23, 2008, 10:39 pm, by Administrator
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