Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife announced on Monday the discovery of a new type of scorpion that belongs to the Leiurus genus.
The scorpion was discovered in the Majami Al-Hadb Reserve in southern Riyadh.
The discovery, based on the shape and genetic analysis of the newly discovered scorpion, was published in international journals specialized in wildlife.
The discovery brings the number of known species to 22 globally, five of which are found in the Kingdom.
Renowned scientific journal Zookeys published the new discovery in its September 7 issue; the new species was added to the Zoobank and Genbank lists.
The National Centre for Wildlife is working to determine the prevalence of this species as part of its efforts to care for wildlife in order to maintain the Kingdom's environmental balance and biodiversity.
