A team of entomologists has discovered a new scorpion species that lives in Muğla and Antalya provinces in southwestern Turkey.
Euscorpius lycius, a male in its natural habitat. Image credit: Yağmur EA et al.
The new species is named Euscorpius lycius, after the historical region of Ancient Lycia. Like the mystical history of the region, the scorpion is rather secretive and can be found mainly in pine at night hidden away in pine forests, crawling on rocks or sitting on stone garden walls.
Euscorpius lycius belongs to a group of scorpions commonly known as small wood-scorpions. The group is widespread in North Africa and across Europe.
Euscorpius scorpions are relatively harmless, with poison that has effects similar to a mosquito bite.
Euscorpius lycius is a relatively small representative of the genus, reaching a size ranging between 2 – 2.5 cm.
The color of the adult representatives is pale, between brown and reddish, with claws usually darker than the rest of the body.
All localities where Euscorpius lycius was found were humid and cool, with calcareous stones covered with moss.
“A total of 26 specimens belonging to the new species were collected from Antalya and Muğla Province, in the south-west of Turkey,” said Dr Ersen Aydın Yağmur from Celal Bayar University, Turkey, who is the lead author of the article published in the journal ZooKeys.
“Further studies are in progress to understand the quantity and distribution of the different species and populations of the genus Euscorpius in Turkey and their relationship with the Greek populations.”
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Bibliographic information: Yağmur EA et al. 2013. A new species of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones, Euscorpiidae) from south western Turkey. ZooKeys 348: 29-45; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.348.5943
