Mayurbhanj, Nov. 8 -- A proud moment for Odisha's biodiversity, researchers have discovered a rare new species of scorpion in the famous Similipal National Park and Tiger Reserve. The species has been named Liocheles similipalensis after the forest where it was found.

This marks the first discovery of a scorpion belonging to the uncommon Liocheles group in the state. With this finding, the total number of known species in the Liocheles group has risen to seven.

The important discovery was made through a joint effort by the Similipal Tiger Project team and researchers from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation (TWF), based in Maharashtra. The study was led by researchers Saurabh Kininge, Tejas Thackeray and Akshay Khandekar, along with Simil...