Vaejovidae Thorell, 1876

Soleglad, Michael E. & Fet, Victor, 2003, High-level systematics and phylogeny of the extant scorpions (Scorpiones: Orthosterni), Euscorpius 2003 (11), pp. 1-175 : 109

Family Vaejovidae Thorell, 1876

Type Genus. Vaejovis C.L. Koch, 1836 .

Synonyms.

Syntropinae Kraepelin, 1905.

Composition. The family includes nine genera, which are outlined in detail by Sissom (2000c). No subfamilies or tribes are currently recognized. The content of Vaejovidae is changed here as the genus Uroctonus (North America) is moved to Chactidae (under the reestablished subfamily Uroctoninae ).

Distribution. North America ( Mexico, USA).

Taxonomic history. The taxonomic history of Vaejovidae is traced in detail by Sissom (2000c). For a long time, subfamilies Iurinae and Scorpiopinae (= Scorpiopsinae ) were included here ( Stahnke, 1974). Later, both Iurinae (including what is now Caraboctonidae ) and Scorpiopinae were elevated to the family rank (Francke & Soleglad, 1981; Sissom, 1990; Stockwell, 1992). The subfamily Scorpiopinae later was placed as a subfamily in Euscorpiidae (Soleglad & Sissom, 2001) . Stockwell (1989) introduced two subfamilies, four tribes, and three new genera, but all these changes remain unpublished.

Biogeographic history. Vaejovidae are a predominantly arid group found in the desert regions of Mexico and the USA, exhibiting a number of xeric adaptations. It is reasonable to assume that at least recent (late Tertiary) radiation of this family is connected to aridization on the North American continent (Morafka et al., 1994). Santiago-Blay et al. (2001) reported a presumably vaejovid Oligocene fossil from Mexico (Puebla). Lourenço & Sissom (2000) considered vaejovids a group of Laurasian origin, based on their modern distribution.

Diagnosis. Synapomorphies. Patella trichobothrium v 3 situated on external surface; single ventral distal spinule (VDS) pair found on leg tarsus; laminar “hook” present on hemispermatophore lamina base; dorsal lateral carinae of metasomal segment IV terminates in conspicuous flared projection; overall shape of pedipalp chela rounded; patellar carina DPSc present; pectinal tooth numbers relatively large. Important Symplesiomorphies. Dorsal edge of cheliceral movable finger with two subdistal denticles; ventral surface of leg tarsus configured with moderately developed setal pairs and median spinule row; hemispermatophore capsule present, weak to significant; genital papillae of male visible at posterior edge of genital operculum.

Discussion. Further taxonomic division of this family is contingent on a revision of the large (ca. 70 species) genus Vaejovis , which is not monophyletic ( Stockwell, 1989, 1992; Sissom, 2000c). Stockwell (1989) separated Vaejovis into three genera but this decision was never published. Ponce & Beutelspacher (2001: 88) presented unpublished diagnoses and names for Stockwell’s genera “ Sissomius ” and “ Lissovaejovis ”; these names, however, cannot be considered published by Ponce & Beutelspacher according to ICZN (1999) since these diagnoses neither list type species nor fix type specimens.