BARIPADA: Researchers have discovered a new species of scorpion in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), documenting the first occurrence of the genus Liocheles in Odisha. Measuring between 44 mm and 53 mm in length, it is distinguished by its glossy, bluish-black appearance.
Named Liocheles similipalensis, the newly-identified species was recorded in rocky habitats within tropical moist deciduous forests at an elevation of approximately 1,000 metre above sea level.
The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation (TWF), in association with officials of the STR. The research team comprised Saurabh Kininge, Tejas Thackeray, Akshay Khandekar and STR field director Prakash Chand Gogineni.
The specimens were initially collected by forest personnel in the reserve and subsequently forwarded to Akshay Khandekar, a scientist at TWF, for detailed taxonomic examination. Researchers established its classification under the genus Liocheles by identifying minute hair-like structures beneath the second segment of the tarsus of its legs.
Gogineni said the species has been named after Similipal, the protected forest landscape where it was first discovered. At present, STR remains its only confirmed habitat, making further exploration essential to establish its wider distribution.
A comparative examination also revealed distinct morphological characteristics that set the species apart from the six previously documented members of the genus. These differences include variations in the arrangement of ridges and surface textures across body segments, along with differences in the relative proportions of its median eyes.
With this discovery, the number of recognised species under the genus Liocheles has risen to seven. The finding also represents the first confirmed record of the genus in Odisha.
Researchers have stressed extensive field surveys and further taxonomic investigations to document the distribution of Liocheles across India. Detailed morphological assessments would be crucial to understanding the evolutionary relationships among its species.
