A five-year study by Delhi University (DU) researchers to establish a baseline for scorpions in the Capital has revealed that the city is the habitat for four species of the arachnids.
The study, conducted from 2018 to 2023 and published by the Zoological Survey of India on March 21, states that Delhi has four scorpion species — the Indian black scorpion (Chersonesometrus fulvipes), the lesser brown scorpion (Isometrus maculatus), the forest thicktail scorpion (Lychas biharensis), and the Compsobuthus rugosulus, which has no specific common name.
“The research started in 2018, while I was studying the snakes of Delhi as part of my PhD thesis. As I would survey Delhi’s Ridge areas and jungles at night-time, I began to discover scorpions too and thus, I began a separate study on the arachnids,” said lead researcher Gaurav Barhadiya, an assistant professor at the department of environmental studies at Ramanujan college.
ZSI scientist Pratyush P Mohapatra, who was part of the study, said this is the first documentation of the scorpion diversity in Delhi.
The study, published in the Records of Zoological Survey of India journal, also includes researchers from the University School of Environment at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, and the Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE) at DU.
Researchers said two of these species — the Indian black scorpion and the Compsobuthus rugosulus — are fairly common in the semi-arid region that stretches from Gujarat to Punjab. However, they said, the lesser brown scorpion and the forest thicktail scorpion are comparatively rare sightings, especially in a highly urbanised environment like Delhi.
“While none of these species pose a threat to humans, studying their adaptations to coexist within a highly developed urban environment could provide valuable insights,” Mohapatra said.
All four scorpions found in Delhi were recorded in the city’s green zones. The Indian black scorpion and Compsobuthus rugosulus were both found at the Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Vasant Kunj — the former in a plantation pit and the latter underneath boulders. The forest thicktail scorpion was observed on a wall of a staff office at Jahanpanah city forest, while the lesser brown scorpion was discovered at the floor of an office building glasshouse at Lodhi Garden.
The study points to a lack of data in the past with regards to scorpions.
“In India, the scorpion diversity is represented by 153 species, of which only one species has been reported from the Union Territory of Delhi (Mohapatra, 2024). However, it is evident from the review of literature that our knowledge on diversity and distribution of scorpions in India is insufficient in comparison to other groups of higher animals, especially from the urban regions. Present study was chosen to develop a baseline data on scorpion faunal diversity from the state as an addition to the Urban biodiversity. Hence, this is the first scientific publication on the checklist of scorpion fauna of the state,” said the study.
Barhadiya said four was thus a good number for Delhi, with this likely being the first record of the forest thicktail scorpion in the Gujrat to Punjab semi-arid region. “Both the forest thicktail scorpion and the lesser brown scorpion are fairly rare. For the other two species, we found multiple individuals. This also shows Delhi still has plenty of green spaces, including the Ridge areas, all teeming with wildlife,” he said.
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