Scientists have discovered a one-of-its-kind venom-spraying scorpion species in the rainforests of Colombia, capable of launching toxins several times its own body length.
The new species Tityus achilles, described in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, was found to shoot its venom to a distance of over a foot (36cm) – enough to hit the eyes of an approaching animal.
Léo Laborieux, the sole author of the study, suspects venom projection likely developed in the scorpion as an adaptation to deter predators.
The study found that the scorpion uses two different modes of venom projection: one where it forcefully sprays venom similar to a spitting cobra, and the other where it flicks drops of the toxin using rapid movement of its tail.
MASSIVELY excited to see Tityus achilles, South America's first #venom spraying #scorpion, finally described in @ZoolJLinnSoc !
— Léo Laborieux (@leolaborieux) December 17, 2024
This new species from #Colombia can spray venom at potential predators, a striking case of convergent #evolution 🧵 (1/n) https://t.co/UI4husTyKA pic.twitter.com/wr8zxDTb3s
Until now, only two of the 2,500 known scorpion species have been documented to spray venom – one genus in North America and one in Africa.
Initially Laborieux, a master’s student at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, wasn’t planning on studying scorpions in the central Colombian rainforest.
After an initial attempt to trap and study moths failed, they shifted their focus to scorpions and found one that appeared to be spraying venom inside the cup in which it was trapped.
In the lab, video analysis of the scorpion revealed that it was indeed spraying drops of its venom.
But researchers suspect the venom is likely not aimed at the scorpion’s prey, which includes centipedes and spiders that have tough exoskeletons for the toxin to penetrate.
Instead, the sprayed venom-spraying behaviour in Tityus achilles could have evolved as an adaptation to deter predators like rodents, the researcher argues.
“Remarkably, this species is capable of venom spraying, a first for both the genus and the South American continent,” he says.
Deeply honored to see my work on #scorpions reach first place at @34thECA2024's poster session and second place in the macrophotography contest ! Huge thank you to @ESArachnology, Julien Pétillon and all organizers for this super cool event. Looking forward to next year's ECA !🦂 pic.twitter.com/xPRekz5nlG
— Léo Laborieux (@leolaborieux) September 2, 2024
The study also found that the scorpion uses its venom sparingly, first always resorting to an abundant reserve of prevenom-like secretion in its sprays.
“The new species uses an unusually large reserve of prevenom-like secretion for spraying, as opposed to the costly venom used by other spraying scorpions,” Laborieux writes.
Only in higher-stakes encounters with predators it appears to release its more opaque, toxic venom.
But future studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis, he says.
It also remains unclear what could be the extent of harm the scorpion’s venom could cause to humans.
The venom from one of the previously known spitting scorpions, the southern African Parabuthus transvaalicus, is known to cause temporary blindness in humans if the sprays hit the eyes.
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