A new species in the genus Tityus from Colombia is also South America's first venom spraying scorpion

 

A very interesting article was recently published by Leo Laborieux. In this article he describes a new species of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Buthidae) from Colombia, which is the first venom spraying scorpion reported from South America.

Tityus achilles Laborieux, 2024

Venom spraying has been well documented for several scorpion species as a defense behavior and especially in the African genus Parabuthus (e.g. Parabuthus transvaalicus Purcell, 1899). Interestingly, the new species from Colombia seems to have to types of venom spraying that have different venom use: Flick and Spray. The article discusses the different behaviors and the use of prevenom (cheap) and venom (costly) in T. achilles and compares this to the existing research on venom spraying in Parabuthus. This article brings in new insight into the composition of scorpion venom(s) and the use of it.

Abstract:
Venom is a metabolically expensive secretion used sparingly in a variety of ecological contexts, most notably predation and defence. Accordingly, few animals employ their toxins from a distance, and venom-squirting behaviour is only known from select taxa. In scorpions, species belonging to two genera are known to spray venom when threatened, and previous work in Parabuthus transvaalicus shows that venom delivery depends on perceived levels of threat. Here, I describe Tityus (Tityus) achilles sp. nov., a new species of buthid scorpion from Cundinamarca, Colombia. Remarkably, this species is capable of venom spraying, a first for both the genus and the South American continent. Using frame-by-frame video analysis and ballistic equations, I show that T. (Tityus) achilles sp. nov. employs not one, but two types of airborne defences with dramatic differences in reach and venom expenditure. Further, 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. In light of these key specializations, I propose that toxungen spraying convergently evolved in response to different selection pressures, laying the groundwork for future investigation.

Reference:
Laborieux L. Biomechanics of venom delivery in South America’s first toxungen-spraying scorpion. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 2024;202(4):zlae161. [Full text supplied by author]

Thanks to Leo and Gerard for sending me this interesting article!

Family Buthidae