‘Ferocious and agitated’ creature found under rock in Tibet. It’s a new species

High up in the mountains of Tibet, a “relatively ferocious” creature tucked itself under a rock. Perhaps it was waiting for an easy meal to walk past.

Instead, a passing scientist found the stinging animal — and discovered a new species.

Kaichen Ouyang visited several sites in southern Tibet in 2023 as part of an ongoing project to survey scorpions, according to a study published Aug. 21 in the peer-reviewed journal Euscorpius.

During a stop in Shigatse City, Ouyang flipped over some rocks and found four scorpions hiding below, the study said. He captured the animals and sent them to a laboratory for further analysis.

Scientists took a closer look at the reddish scorpions and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Scorpiops matthewi, or Matthew’s resemblant scorpion.

Matthew’s resemblant scorpions can reach just over 2 inches in length, the study said. They have pinchers, a stinger and a bumpy texture.

A photo shows the reddish-brown coloring of the new species.

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Researchers described Matthew’s resemblant scorpions as “relatively ferocious and agitated” yet prone to “avoiding threats by fleeing.” When exposed to light, it typically fled. When touched, the scorpions did not immediately begin pinching but still “displayed a defensive posture by opening these appendages.”

“The habitat of Scorpiops matthewi was more barren, and the scorpions were found by simply flipping the rocks,” co-author Victoria Tang told McClatchy News via email.

Researchers named the new species after Matthew Graham, an American scorpion scientist, because of his research contributions and willingness to help the study’s co-authors.

So far, the new species has only been found in Shigatse City, the study said. This city, also known as Xigazê or Rikaze, is in southern Tibet, an autonomous region controlled by China, and near the border with Bhutan, India and Nepal.

The new species was identified by its body shape, appendages and other subtle physical features, the study said. Researchers also analyzed the DNA of the new species, but the results were unclear.

The research team included Victoria Tang, Kaichen Ouyang, Zhenbang Liu and František Šťáhlavský. The team also discovered two more new species of scorpion: Deshpande’s resemblant scorpion and Kovařík’s resemblant scorpion.

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