''Isometrus kovariki'' is a species of

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

in the family ''

Buthidae The Buthidae are the largest family of scorpions, containing about 100 genera and 1339 species as of 2022. A few very large genera (''Ananteris'', ''Centruroides'', '' Compsobuthus'', or '' Tityus'') are known, but a high number of species-poor o ...

''. It was identified in and currently found only in a small region of Southern

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, in an '' Acacia auriculiformis'' plantation, and it is closely related to '' Isometrus thurstoni'', a species of scorpion endemic to the Western Ghats region of India.

Description

''Isometrus kovariki'' is light yellowish-brown with variegated with blackish brown stripes, and a

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek language, Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. Th ...

portion that is uniformly yellow with a few dark spots. The

telson The telson () is the posterior-most division of the body of an arthropod. Depending on the definition, the telson is either considered to be the final segment of the arthropod body, or an additional division that is not a true segment on accou ...

is uniformly brown in colour. There is some sexual dimorphism; along with a few differences in the genital operculum, males are on average 51.3 ± 6.1mm in length and females are on average 42.3 ± 1.9mm in length, both longer than their close relative '' Isometrus thurstoni''.

Habitat and behavior

This species has currently been identified only in a plantation in the outskirts of

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. Their true distribution is currently unknown. In the area they were found in, ''Isometrus kovariki'' feed on prey such as

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as ...

es and

crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 8 ...

, using the bark and litter of trees to ambush their prey. They are most active during summer (February–June), show slightly diminished activity during the Indian

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

seasons (June–October) and are inactive during winter (December–January).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q104522253 Isometrus Fauna of Karnataka Animals described in 2020