Venomous creature — with regrown leg — found waiting for prey. It’s a new species
In a forest of Tibet, a venomous creature tucked itself into a rocky crevice and waited for its next meal. Instead, a passing scientist noticed the reddish-brown predator.
It turned out to be a new species.
Kaichen Ouyang visited several sites in southern Tibet in 2023 as part of an ongoing project to survey scorpions, according to a study published Aug. 21 in the peer-reviewed journal Euscorpius.
During a stop in a forested area, Ouyang found a trio of scorpions hiding in cracks, the study said. He captured the animals and sent them to a laboratory.
Scientists studied the unfamiliar-looking scorpions and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Scorpiops deshpandei, or Deshpande’s resemblant scorpion.
Deshpande’s resemblant scorpions can reach just over 2 inches in length, the study said. They have pincers, a stinger and a bumpy texture. A photo shows the dark “reddish brown” coloring of the new species.
One of the captured Deshpande’s resemblant scorpions had a regrown leg, the study said. The tip of its fourth right leg had been lost and regenerated with a slightly different texture than before.
Researchers said the new species “displayed notable activity and agility, exhibiting aggression towards perceived threats.”
One scorpion “stung me, perhaps during handling,” co-author Victoria Tang told McClatchy News via email. “I didn’t really care about it as I had been stung by various scorpions of various potency multiple times.”
The sting from a Deshpande’s resemblant scorpion “led to an immediate pricking sensation, followed by mild itching,” the study said. “However, the unpleasant sensation dissipated shortly after, giving way to moderate swelling.”
The new species was “found in the forest,” Tang said. “The scorpions hid in the rock crevices with their (pincers) extending outwards to wait for the prey passing by at night.”
Researchers said they named the new species after Shubhankar Deshpande, an Indian scorpion researcher, friend of the co-authors and “passionate, responsible scorpion enthusiast.”
So far, Deshpande’s resemblant scorpion has only been found in Mêdog County, a region of southern Tibet, an autonomous region controlled by China, and near a disputed border with India, the study said.
The new species was identified by its DNA, body shape, appendages and other subtle physical features, the study said.
The research team included Victoria Tang, Kaichen Ouyang, Zhenbang Liu and František Šťáhlavský. The team also discovered two more new species of scorpion: Matthew’s resemblant scorpion and Kovařík’s resemblant scorpion.
This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 8:04 AM with the headline "Venomous creature — with regrown leg — found waiting for prey. It’s a new species."
