diff --git a/gulpfile.js b/gulpfile.js
index f7f1eb54..7738a6c2 100644
--- a/gulpfile.js
+++ b/gulpfile.js
@@ -73,10 +73,10 @@ gulp.task('test-rhino', function(cb) {
     exec(cmd, execCb.bind(null, cb));
 });
 
-gulp.task('test-rhino-esprima', function(cb) {
-    var cmd = util.format('"%s" -T -q "parser=esprima"', options.rhinoBin);
+gulp.task('test-rhino-jsparser', function(cb) {
+    var cmd = util.format('"%s" -T -q "parser=js"', options.rhinoBin);
     exec(cmd, execCb.bind(null, cb));
 });
 
-gulp.task('test', ['test-node', 'test-rhino', 'test-rhino-esprima']);
+gulp.task('test', ['test-node', 'test-rhino', 'test-rhino-jsparser']);
 gulp.task('default', ['lint', 'test']);
diff --git a/lib/jsdoc/src/parser.js b/lib/jsdoc/src/parser.js
index 5891e7b2..bcea2cb8 100644
--- a/lib/jsdoc/src/parser.js
+++ b/lib/jsdoc/src/parser.js
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ var Syntax = jsdoc.src.syntax.Syntax;
 
 // TODO: docs
 var PARSERS = exports.PARSERS = {
-    esprima: 'jsdoc/src/parser',
+    js: 'jsdoc/src/parser',
     rhino: 'rhino/jsdoc/src/parser'
 };
 /*eslint-disable no-script-url */
@@ -40,22 +40,19 @@ exports.createParser = function(type) {
     var modulePath;
 
     if (!type) {
-        type = jsdoc.util.runtime.isRhino() ? 'rhino' : 'esprima';
+        /* istanbul ignore next */
+        type = jsdoc.util.runtime.isRhino() ? 'rhino' : 'js';
     }
 
-    if (PARSERS[type]) {
+    if (hasOwnProp.call(PARSERS, type)) {
         modulePath = PARSERS[type];
     }
     else {
-        modulePath = path.join( path.getResourcePath(path.dirname(type)), path.basename(type) );
+        logger.fatal('The parser type "%s" is not recognized.', type);
+        return null;
     }
 
-    try {
-        return new ( require(modulePath) ).Parser();
-    }
-    catch (e) {
-        logger.fatal('Unable to create the parser type "' + type + '": ' + e);
-    }
+    return new ( require(modulePath) ).Parser();
 };
 
 // TODO: docs
diff --git a/test/jasmine-jsdoc.js b/test/jasmine-jsdoc.js
index ebab00a8..33f46a75 100644
--- a/test/jasmine-jsdoc.js
+++ b/test/jasmine-jsdoc.js
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ jasmine.getParseResults = function() {
     return parseResults;
 };
 
-// use the requested parser, or default to Esprima (on Node.js) or Rhino (on Rhino)
+// use the requested parser, or default to the pure JS parser (on Node.js) or Rhino (on Rhino)
 jasmine.jsParser = (function() {
-    var parser = jsdoc.util.runtime.isRhino() ? 'rhino' : 'esprima';
+    var parser = jsdoc.util.runtime.isRhino() ? 'rhino' : 'js';
 
     if (jsdoc.env.opts.query && jsdoc.env.opts.query.parser) {
         parser = jsdoc.env.opts.query.parser;
diff --git a/test/specs/jsdoc/src/parser.js b/test/specs/jsdoc/src/parser.js
index 42c13ac4..913312c6 100644
--- a/test/specs/jsdoc/src/parser.js
+++ b/test/specs/jsdoc/src/parser.js
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ describe('jsdoc/src/parser', function() {
         src: {
             handlers: require('jsdoc/src/handlers'),
             parser: require('jsdoc/src/parser')
+        },
+        util: {
+            logger: require('jsdoc/util/logger'),
+            runtime: require('jsdoc/util/runtime')
         }
     };
     var path = require('jsdoc/path');
@@ -17,11 +21,45 @@ describe('jsdoc/src/parser', function() {
         expect(typeof jsdoc.src.parser).toBe('object');
     });
 
+    it('should export a "createParser" method', function() {
+        expect(typeof jsdoc.src.parser.createParser).toBe('function');
+    });
+
     it('should export a "Parser" constructor', function() {
-        expect(jsdoc.src.parser.Parser).toBeDefined();
         expect(typeof jsdoc.src.parser.Parser).toBe('function');
     });
 
+    describe('createParser', function() {
+        it('should return a Parser when called without arguments', function() {
+            // we don't check instanceof because we get different objects on Node.js and Rhino
+            expect(typeof jsdoc.src.parser.createParser()).toBe('object');
+        });
+
+        it('should create a jsdoc/src/parser.Parser instance with the argument "js"', function() {
+            var parser = jsdoc.src.parser.createParser('js');
+
+            expect(parser instanceof jsdoc.src.parser.Parser).toBe(true);
+        });
+
+        if (jsdoc.util.runtime.isRhino()) {
+            it('should create a Rhino parser with the argument "rhino"', function() {
+                var RhinoParser = require('rhino/jsdoc/src/parser').Parser;
+                var parser = jsdoc.src.parser.createParser('rhino');
+
+                expect(parser instanceof RhinoParser).toBe(true);
+            });
+        }
+
+        it('should log a fatal error on bad input', function() {
+            var parser;
+
+            spyOn(jsdoc.util.logger, 'fatal');
+            parser = jsdoc.src.parser.createParser('not-a-real-parser-ever');
+
+            expect(jsdoc.util.logger.fatal).toHaveBeenCalled();
+        });
+    });
+
     describe('Parser', function() {
         var parser;