22-05-2025
Fluorescent creature — found lurking near power plants — is new species in Andes
In the Maule Valley of the southern Andes Mountains, a river cuts through the landscape and ebbs and flows around the peaks.
The water provides life for the region, not only for the local creatures, but for agriculture and hydropower.
Now, researchers searching along the shores of the Cipreses River of Chile in the heart of the valley have discovered a fluorescent animal — and a new species.
Using ultraviolet lights, researchers scanned the ground at night looking for animals glowing back at them, according to a study published May 21 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
On the ground were scorpions, light in color, but armed with a stinger, according to the study.
They were different from other scorpions seen before and are now described as a species new to science.
Brachistosternus pehuenche, or the Pehuenche scorpion, is about 2 inches long and honors the indigenous Pehuenche people and the Pehuenche International Pass between Argentina and Chile where the species was found, researchers said.
The scorpions have a 'yellowish' base color with darker brown pigmentation on portions of the body, according to the study.
The pedipalps, or pincer-like appendages, have 'elongated' fingers with slightly darkened ends, photos show.
The scorpion's telson, or stinger, sits on the end of the tail-like structure, sharpened to a point.
The Pehuenche scorpion has only been found in a very small region of the upper Maule Valley, researchers said, while other related species have been found in neighboring areas.
The landscape has a high elevation with shrubs and woodlands, and the scorpions were active in the spring and summer months, according to the study.
The scorpions are considered a common predator for 'epigean arthropods,' or land-dwelling animals like insects, spiders and crustaceans, researchers said.
'This region harbors a unique combination of habitats that sustain a wealth of endemic species yet faces escalating anthropogenic pressures,' researchers said. 'Key threats include agricultural expansion, hydropower development and the construction of international transit routes, all of which contribute to the fragmentation and degradation of its fragile ecosystems.'
The Maule Valley is in central Chile.
The research team includes Andrés A. Ojanguren-Affilastro, Fermín M. Alfaro, Hernán A. Iuri, Bernardino Camousseigt-Montolivo and Jaime Pizarro-Araya.
