New Scorpion Species Discovered in Saudi Arabia

Saudi wildlife officials have uncovered a previously undocumented species of scorpion in the kingdom. Found within the Majami Al-Hadb Reserve just south of Riyadh, the arachnid belongs to the Leiurus genus. Both morphological and genetic analyses justified its classification in a peer-reviewed journal.

Dubbed Leiurus hadb to reflect local roots, it differs distinctly from other known Saudi scorpions. The discovery increases the global Leiurus count to 22 and the regional tally to five.

As part of ongoing monitoring, the National Wildlife Center is documenting the country's biodiversity and habitat distribution of native species. Professionals have noted more study is needed on venom levels across Saudi Arabia's 34 recorded scorpion types, 11 of which originated within the kingdom.