The assessment of biodiversity of scorpion fauna at district Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Scorpions are venomous arthropods belonging to the order Scorpions and class Arachnida. Scorpions have evolved to live in a wide range of environments, such as caves, savanna, tropical forests, rain forests, grasslands, temperate forests, and even snow-capped mountains. The purpose of this study was to create an identification key for the species and investigate the diversity of scorpion fauna in District Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan.Study was conducted between September 2023 and September 2024 and a total number of 40 specimens were collected randomly from Sabirabad, Methakhel, Hamidan, and Karak city. Androctonus finitimus, Hottentotta tamulus, and A. balochicus were identified as 37.5%, 35% and 27.5%, respectively. Results of the current study revealed that all of them belonged to family Buthidae. Morphometric and pectinal teeth variations were observed, suggesting the possibility of subspecies diversity or the existence of unrecorded species. The findings reveal a relatively low diversity of scorpion species in Karak compared to other regions and underscore the need for further ecological and taxonomic investigations. This research provides a foundational understanding of the scorpion biodiversity in southern KP, establishing a critical framework for future biodiversity assessments and conservation strategies
Authors: Muhammad Goher Zaman, Shakir Ullah Khan, Fahim Ullah Khan, Muhammad Tanveer Khattak, Abdul Musawair, Muhammad Kashif, Sahibzada Muhammad Jawad
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4411431733