A new species of underground scorpion from Israel

[Wayne Harrison]

The Ayalon (or Ayyalon) Cave in Israel that was discovered about a year ago yielded a new species of scorpion. The description of the new scorpion by Gershom Levy* has been published in the last issue of the Zoology in the Middle East.

The new scorpion, Akrav israchanani, is blind and about 50 mm in body length. The genus Akrav and the family Akravidae it belongs to are also new.

In addition to the new scorpion species, the cave is also inhabited by crustaceans, collembolans and pseudoscorpions. No live scorpions have been found; only dry, brittle, hollow carcasses stuck to the rocks have been collected using UV lights that make their cuticles fluoresce in the dark. The other troglobites found in the cave are either aquatic or too small for the scorpions to prey on. The author Levy wonders if the scorpions went extinct after their unknown preys became extinct.

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