The assessment of biodiversity of scorpion fauna at district Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan

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