This photograph shows T. achilles (left) and another Colombian species, T. (Atreus) icarus (right), exposed to ultraviolet light. (Image credit: Léo Laborie/Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024)
A scientist has identified the first South American scorpion species capable of spraying venom. Previously, this behavior had only been observed in two genera of scorpions, which live in North America and Africa.
Scorpions are known for their stings – they are arachnids with more than 2,500 known species that use their venom to both subdue prey and defend themselves against enemies. Their tails end in a structure called a telson, which contains a bulb full of venom. The telson has a pointed aculeus – a stinger – which usually injects venom.
The researcher published his findings on December 17, 2024, in a paper in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. The new species, named Tityus achilles, was found in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia, in the mountainous Magdelena rainforest region. Only two other genera, native to Africa and North America, had previously been observed spraying their venom.
“Most scorpions are likely capable of spraying venom. They just don't do it. This extreme behavior is only known to be regularly observed in these two genera,” study author Leo Laborieu, who was a graduate student at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich at the time of the study, told Live Science.
“Spraying venom is an inherently costly strategy,” he added. “There are probably strong selective pressures that make it more profitable than unprofitable. There must be something going on with the predators in the environment.”
This method of toxin delivery is also seen in other organisms—spitting cobras, for example, can spray venom onto their enemies. Toxins delivered in this way are called toxangenes. Many animals, from arthropods to mollusks to mammals, use toxangenes for defense and sometimes for hunting. These compounds can be sprayed, smeared, or passively transmitted.
The scorpion can inject venom through its sting, as well as through a secretion that prevents poisoning (white on the scorpion's body).
However, unlike many other creatures that use toxigens, T. achilles is both toxigenic and venomous. Venomous animals transmit their toxins through external contact or ingestion, while poisonous animals inject them through their teeth or other specialized organs.
T. achilles can be used as injections
Sourse: www.livescience.com
