Prakash Kamat in Panaji
July 10-Researchers discover a new species of scorpion from Western Ghats of India.
A team of researchers have discovered a new scorpion species that lives on the plateaus of Amboli in Maharashtra and in Chorla Ghats of Goa and Karnataka.
The new species has been named ‘Hottentotta vinchu’ in which the word “vinchu” refers to the word scorpion in Marathi. The research paper of the new discovery was published in the journal Arachnida.
The team used morphology and molecular techniques to identify this new species and field work was carried out in evergreen forests of Amboli in Maharashtra and high altitude plateaus of Chorla Ghats in Goa and Maharashtra. These “Sada” plateaus are unique high altitude unique ecosystems that need conservation as well as scientific attention.
The species was first seen by Zeeshan Mirza of the National Centre for Biological sciences, Bangalore when he first visited Amboli. The species showed close resemblance to Hottentotta rugiscutis, a common Indian scorpion.
Further research with the help of Nirmal Kulkarni, Herpetologist and conservation researcher from Mhadei Research Centre,Goa revealed that Chorla Ghats region led to discovery of the same species in Goa too. Mayuresh and Zeeshan compared DNA sequences of the new species with related members and concluded that indeed it was a new species.
The team consisted of Zeeshan A. Mirza of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore, Mayuresh Ambekar of the Department of Natural Sciences, Middlesex University, London UK and Nirmal U. Kulkarni from the Mhadei Research Centre. (eom)
Hottentotta Vinchu (scorpion)
July 10-Researchers discover a new species of scorpion from Western Ghats of India.
A team of researchers have discovered a new scorpion species that lives on the plateaus of Amboli in Maharashtra and in Chorla Ghats of Goa and Karnataka.
The new species has been named ‘Hottentotta vinchu’ in which the word “vinchu” refers to the word scorpion in Marathi. The research paper of the new discovery was published in the journal Arachnida.
The team used morphology and molecular techniques to identify this new species and field work was carried out in evergreen forests of Amboli in Maharashtra and high altitude plateaus of Chorla Ghats in Goa and Maharashtra. These “Sada” plateaus are unique high altitude unique ecosystems that need conservation as well as scientific attention.
The species was first seen by Zeeshan Mirza of the National Centre for Biological sciences, Bangalore when he first visited Amboli. The species showed close resemblance to Hottentotta rugiscutis, a common Indian scorpion.
Further research with the help of Nirmal Kulkarni, Herpetologist and conservation researcher from Mhadei Research Centre,Goa revealed that Chorla Ghats region led to discovery of the same species in Goa too. Mayuresh and Zeeshan compared DNA sequences of the new species with related members and concluded that indeed it was a new species.
The team consisted of Zeeshan A. Mirza of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore, Mayuresh Ambekar of the Department of Natural Sciences, Middlesex University, London UK and Nirmal U. Kulkarni from the Mhadei Research Centre. (eom)
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