Kozhikode: There are over 2,000 species of scorpion in the world, but only 113 of them belong to India. A team of scientists including a few known names from Zoological Survey of India have discovered a new species of scorpion named Buthoscorpio Chinnarensis, taking the total Indian count of scorpion species to 114.
The new species was discovered in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary close to the Western Ghats in Idukki district. The finding has been published in the famous science journal Taprobanica of the University of Indonesia.
What do they look like?
The initial reports published by the group of scientists who discovered Buthoscorpio Chinnarensis unveil that this species is mostly found in and around Chunalippetty forest area. They are 3-4 centimeter long and black in color. To misguide others, they keep their tail folded to look like a breed of beetle.
The new species bears a resemblance to Buthoscorpio politus, another Indian scorpion breed. In total, it’s the fifth species in the Buthoscorpio genus.
The group of scientists involved in this study was led by Mr. K. Aswathi from ZSI- Kozhikode, Dr. Wilson R Lourenco from Paris and P M Sureshan from ZSI-K.
It’s not the first time when this species of scorpion has been located, earlier scientists claimed to see them in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
According to Sureshan, scorpions are one of the highly misunderstood creatures in the world as people often think that their sting can lead to death. The reality is far from this misconception.
Sureshan added that none of the 113 species found in India before Buthoscorpio Chinnarensis were lethal. They’re poisonous, but not enough to kill humans like the ones that are found in Mexico, Africa, and Egypt and can kill anyone in a flash.
It is one of the very important scorpion discoveries ever performed by Indian scientists and will help them unfold many untold truths in the future.
