Poisonous Dwellers of the Desert Giant desert centipede ( Scolopendra heros ) Black widow spider ( Lactrodectus mactans ) Brown recluse spider and its venomous relatives Conenose bug (Kissing bug, Bellows bug, Walpai tiger, Cross bug, others) ( Triatoma sp.) Puss Caterpillar ( Megalopyge opercularis ) Arizona coral snake ( Micruroides euryxanthus ) Rattlesnakes (Genus Crotalus , spp.) Gila monster ( Heloderma suspectum ) Harmless Creatures Mistakenly Believed Poisonous Banded gecko ( Coleonyx variegatus ) Jerusalem cricket ( Stenopelmatus sp.) PUBLICATIONS YOU MAY WISH TO READ Popular Series No. 3 Deserts of the Southwest are not desolate expanses of sand as many persons believe. This photograph, showing vegetation in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, is a typical illustration of the variety and density of plant growth in the Sonoran desert area of northwestern Mexico and southwestern Arizona. POISONOUS |