Venomous creature found glowing at night in desert of Saudi Arabia. It’s a new species

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Aspen Pflughoeft
Fri, September 8, 2023

A venomous creature tried to go about its night in the desert of Saudi Arabia. Nearby, scientists scanned the landscape with a searchlight. Caught in the searchlight, the stinging animal glowed.

Scientists captured the animal and soon realized they’d discovered a new species.

Researchers ventured into the Majami al-Hadb protected area in search of scorpions, according to a study published Sept. 7 in the journal ZooKeys. They set out at night, equipped with ultraviolet lights.

Their approach followed a “common technique” for finding scorpions, co-author Ahmed Badry told McClatchy News. The animals glow under ultraviolet light “due to certain chemicals in their exoskeleton” reacting to the light, he said. “The color of the glow can vary depending on the species of scorpion, but it is usually a blue-green color.”

Scanning the desert ravines, known as wadis, the researchers found 11 glowing scorpions and captured them, the study said. Analyzing the scorpions, scientists realized they’d discovered a new species: Leiurus hadb, or the Majami al-Hadb scorpion.

Majami al-Hadb scorpions are “medium to large” scorpions, ranging from about 2.5 inches to about 4.5 inches in size, the study said. They have a “yellow or yellow-orange” coloring with darker brown coloring on their backs and tail.

Photos show a Majami al-Hadb scorpion. It has eight legs and two large claws, or pincers, near its head. Its tail is curled upward in a half-heart shape. The stinging bulb on the tip of its tail has a bright yellow color and a piercing point

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A Leiurus hadb, or Majami al-Hadb scorpion, standing on the rocky ground.

“The new scorpion species is indeed venomous,” Badry said. “However, we are still conducting further research to determine the potential harm it may cause to humans.”

Researchers named the new species after the area where it was discovered, the Majami al-Hadb protected area. The area is “dominated by dark volcanic mountains, sandy desert plains, and faded granite domes,” the study said.

The new species of scorpion “may be restricted to this particular (protected) area,” researchers said.

The Majami al-Hadb protected area is in Wadi ad-Dawasir and about 380 miles southwest of Riyadh, the capital city.

The new species was identified based on its body shape, smoother texture and coloring, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had between 6% and 12% genetic divergence from other scorpion species.

“We are thrilled about this discovery and believe that it will contribute significantly to our understanding of scorpion biodiversity,” Badry said.

The research team included Abdulmani Al-Qahtni, Abdullah Al-Salem, Fahad Mesfer, Manal Al Balawi, Wasayf Allahyani, Abdulaziz Alqahtani and Badry.