The Buthidae are the largest family of scorpions, containing about 96 genera and over 1230 species as of 2021. Its members are known as, for example, fat-tailed scorpions and bark scorpions. A few very large genera (Ananteris, Centruroides, Compsobuthus, or Tityus) are known, but a high number of species-poor or monotypic ones also exist. New taxa are being described at a rate of several new species per year. They occur in the warmer parts of every major landmass on Earth, except Antarctica and New Zealand. Together with four other families, the Buthidae make up the superfamily Buthoidea. The family was established by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1837.