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2009: 2008: 2007: 2006: 2005: 2004: 2002: | Mexico (Pacific coast) 2006 21 May–2 June, 2006: Partially funded by the NSF REVSYS grant. Oscar F. Francke, Jesus Ballesteros, Hector Montaño, and Alejandro Valdez traveled south from Mexico City to the state of Guerrero, where they collected in diverse habitats from deciduous tropical scrub near sea level to pine forests at 2,200 m. Conditions where very dry and collecting was not a good as hoped. Centruroides (Buthidae) and a few Vaejovis (Vaejovidae) were collected nonetheless. This part of the trip specifically targeted a small coastal vaejovid, Vaejovis acapulco (and its junior synonym Vaejovis zihuatanejensis) but unfortunately failed to find them, necessitating a future visit after it has rained in the region. From Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, the team traveled northwest along the coast into Michoacan and Colima, which were equally dry and unproductive. During the course of three days, they attended the meetings of the Mexican Entomological Society in Manzanillo, Colima, all presented papers at a Lacandonian Arachnids Symposium: Francke on the scorpions; Ballesteros on a new species of vinegaroon (Uropygi); Montaño on a new palpigrade; and Valdez on spiders. The original plan was to continue north along the coast to Jalisco and Nayarit after the meetings but, given the prevailing drought, the team decided instead to travel inland into Michoacan, Jalisco, Guanajuato and Queretaro. The rains had started in those states and collecting was more successful. Several rare taxa were obtained including Vaejovis dugesi and Vaejovis pococki, along with a possible new species of the Vaejovis mexicanus group from Jalisco.
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