Eremobates corpink is a species of wind scorpion (solifuge) in the family Eremobatidae, order Solifugae. It was first described in 2004 by arachnologists Jack O. Brookhart and Paula E. Cushing as part of a systematic revision of the Eremobates scaber species group.
Etymology and naming. The specific epithet corpink is a noun in apposition derived from "Coral Pink," directly referencing the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Kane County, southern Utah, United States, where the holotype specimen was collected.
Taxonomy. E. corpink belongs to the Eremobates scaber species group, defined by synapomorphies such as specific cheliceral structures. A 2015 molecular phylogenetic study suggested that E. corpink might be synonymous with Eremobates actenidia Muma, 1989, but subsequent work in 2016 treated E. corpink as a distinct valid species. Current taxonomy (as of 2023) recognizes E. corpink as valid and separate from E. actenidia.
Description. Adults are small solifuges, with total body lengths of 20–21 mm in males and 19 mm in the described female. The fourth pair of legs measures up to 22 mm, contributing to a leg span of approximately 50 mm when fully extended. The body is pale straw yellow with brownish-violet blotches on the palpal tarsus, distal metatarsus, and propeltidium, providing camouflage against sandy substrates. The male chelicera features a thin, regularly curved fixed finger and two short, thin ctenidia near the base. The movable finger exhibits a specific dentition pattern including a large primary tooth, a smaller triangulate anterior tooth with a distinct cleft anterior to it, and a posterior interior tooth separate from the primary tooth.
Distribution and habitat. E. corpink is endemic to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Kane County, southern Utah, with additional paratype records from Escalante National Monument and near Mount Carmel Junction. It inhabits arid sand dune ecosystems characterized by loose, aeolian sand deposits at elevations of approximately 1,800 to 2,000 meters. The species is nocturnal, emerging onto open sand surfaces at night, and excavates shallow burrows in the soft substrate to avoid diurnal heat and desiccation.
Ecology. Like other solifuges, E. corpink is carnivorous and an opportunistic predator, primarily targeting small arthropods such as insects and spiders. It lacks venom glands and relies solely on mechanical force from its large, dentate chelicerae to crush and liquefy prey. Reproduction follows the typical eremobatid pattern of indirect sperm transfer without direct copulation. Adults have been recorded from June through August, suggesting a summer mating period.
Conservation status. E. corpink has not been formally assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Its extremely restricted geographic range—known from a single locality and only a handful of specimens since its description—makes it potentially vulnerable to habitat disturbances such as off-road vehicle traffic, climate change, and invasive plants. No species-specific recovery plans or targeted protections have been implemented.
