New scorpion species found near city of Tucson in USA

A female Vaejovis brysoni carrying juveniles. Credit: Richard F. Ayrey

These mountains overlook the city of Tucson, Arizona. Amazingly, in the 21st century, there are still new species to be discovered right here in the United States. What is even more surprising is that the new species was found within sight of a large metropolitan area.

Recently Dr. Rob Bryson Jr. discovered this new species while looking for a completely different animal. Many important discoveries are made this way by scientists who start out working on something completely different. He sent specimens to the authors, who determined that they were indeed a new scorpion species. At that point, the team was assembled and the rest is history.

6 new species found in Arizona since 2006
For more than 50 years only four species of mountain scorpions were known from the state of Arizona. That number has more than doubled over the past six years, with a total of 10 species now known, all belonging to the same group. Arizona is known for isolated mountain habitats in the desert known as Sky Islands. These Sky Islands are where the new species are being discovered.

"This latest new scorpion is a prime example of the amazing diversity of life still to be discovered, right here in 21st century America" adds Richard F. Ayrey, one of the co-author of the original article.

The study was published in the open access, peer-reviewed journal Zookeys.