Researchers camping in Thailand discover a new scorpion species with 8 eyes and legs. See pics
This new species belongs to the subgenus Euscopiops and has been named Euscorpiops Krachan after the national park in Thailand, where it was found.
During a wildlife expedition in the Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand, a team of researchers made a remarkable discovery- a previously unknown species of scorpion. This significant finding, detailed in a study published in ZooKeys, was made when the researchers were camping near the Tenasserim Mountain Range and stumbled upon a new type of scorpion species hidden under a rock.
After discovering it, they studied three adult males and one adult female. This new species belongs to the subgenus Euscopiops and has been named Euscorpiops Krachan after the national park in Thailand, where it was discovered. (Also Read: Scientists, researchers discover new gecko species endemic to Mizoram)
As per the study, the new species presents most features exhibited by scorpions of the subgenus Euscorpiops. They are 'very small in comparison to most other species of the subgenus'. They are brownish in colour; however, females are darker than males. They also have eight eyes and eight legs. Other scorpions of the Scorpiops genus hunt through 'ambush or sit-and-wait type of foraging,' the study said. It is believed that the new species employs similar strategies while hunting. The study also found 'that scorpions in this genus have limited distribution ranges with a high degree of endemism'.
"Until now, all Scorpios species reported in Thailand were believed to be endemic to their habitats. They can be found mainly in mountain areas, particularly in places with numerous rock crevices. Despite several studies on Scorpiops in Thailand, additional areas of the country are still unexplored and need investigation," the study added. (Also Read: Water you doing here?: Take a tour of new species uncovered in the deep seas)
Earlier, a new species of marine slug molluscs that live primarily in marine habitats was discovered on wet and sandy beaches of Odisha and Bengal by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). This new species has been named after President Droupadi Murmu and is called Melanochlamys Droupadi.
Scientists led by Prasad Chandra Tudu of ZSI discovered the marine slug over a three-kilometre length from the low intertidal zones of the Digha in West Bengal and Udaypur on the Odisha coast. An extensive analysis of morphological, anatomical, and molecular traits led to the confirmation of the species.
