The city's latest son-of-the-soil is a smallsized scorpion, which now bears the name Lychas Aareyensis, after Aarey Colony. The find by Zeeshan Mirza and Rajesh Sanap, who recently discovered a rare species of gecko, was published in the latest issue of the scientific magazine, Journal of Threatened Taxa, a peer-reviewed journal on wildlife, conservation, taxonomy, etc.Â
This discovery brings the total number of scorpion species from the genus Lychas known to be found in India to 14. “The species is similar to another species of scorpion called Lychas nigristernis. But it can be differentiated by a combination of morphological characters. The average size of the ground-dwelling Lychas Aareyensis is 27 to 31 mm and it feeds mainly on termites, grasshoppers and crickets," said Mirza who is a student at Bhavan's College.Â
The duo first chanced upon the little scorpion way back in March 2007. In the subsequent field surveys, Mirza along with Sanap discovered more specimens of this species mostly under rocks. During the nights, with the help of ultraviolet light, the two were able to study these scorpions in greater detail, and realised they were looking at a new species. “UV light makes them glow in the night," said Mirza, adding that India is home to 120-odd recorded species of scorpions. The findings are the result of three years of extensive study in the 3,160 acres of Aarey Colony.Â
“Scorpions may not be as charismatic as the big mammals, but it is important to study them because arachnids in the country are poorly documented. It's possible that many unknown species have already become extinct," said Sanap, a student of Patkar College, Goregaon.
Loss of habitat is one of the main reasons for this. “Aarey Colony is home to several smaller species that are not found outside the region. However, forests here continue to be threatened and large areas are being destroyed by the plantation of exotic tree species and forest fires. Even seemingly small disturbances in their habitat could wipe out several species of arachnids," Sanap added. Scorpions and other arachnids have an ecologically important role to play in pest control.
Aarey Colony is a biodiversity-rich area that is not welldocumented, say the students. In a recent survey, it was found that the area is home to at least 76 species of birds, 86 species of butterflies, 46 species of reptiles, 13 species of amphibians, 34 species of wild flowers, 16 species of mammals, five species of scorpions and several speciesof spiders.
Lychas Aareyensis
Most species of the genus Lychas are arboreal, that means they dwell on trees. However, the newly discovered scorpion species is found mostly under boulders and on roads. It has been concluded that the species can give birth to 13 to 20 juveniles at a time.
The scorpion has a distinct way of killing its prey. It was observed killing beetle larvae by holding its prey away from the body and stinging it repeatedly Though all the scorpion species in India are venomous, the sting of the Lychas Aareyensis is not potent.
Smita Bhagat
