New Scorpion Species Discovered in Ecuadorian Andes
Posted on June 5, 2013
A new species of scorpion has been discovered in the Ecuadorian Andes. Tityus (Atreus) crassicauda can reach 5 centimeters in length. It is distinguished by its reddish brown coloration, which is broken by a peculiar decoration of three longitudinal brown stripes, separated by yellow zones.
The newly discovered scorpion belongs to the genus Tityus, which is part of the scorpion family Buthidae. Scorpions in the Tityus genus are known to produce a powerful venom that can be deadly to humans.
Dr. Wilson R. Louren�o, Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, said in a statement, "Although scorpions can be considered as fascinating animals, the interest shown by people in general is only connected with their negative reputation as a 'killer of man'. Nonetheless, only a limited number of species probably are actually responsible of serious or lethal incidents. Initially, research on scorpions focused primarily on descriptive taxonomy and general anatomy, followed by some medical research on venom biochemistry. More recently, however, research on scorpions expanded greatly to encompass many aspects of evolutionary biology of these fascinating species."
The research paper was published here in Zookeys.