With this discovery, there are now 10 species of giant Vinegaroon that inhabit the Mexican territory.
An article published in the Journal of Arachnology describes the unique characteristics of three new species of giant vinagrillos of the genus Mastigoproctus, discovered in Mexico.
An exhaustive review by entomologists of numerous populations of vinagrillos in Mexico and the United States led to the discovery of clear differences between subspecies of M. giganteus, resulting in M. franckei, M. xetame and M. yalchanchak being recognized as valid species.
The discovery of new morphological characters helped to achieve a better understanding of the diversity of this genus of insects, which are characterized by the release of acid as a defense.
It should be remembered that vinagrillos are not venomous animals, despite their intimidating appearance.
These three insects are reddish brown and only a few centimeters long. For example, the specimen of M. franckei ranges in size from approximately 5.3 centimeters to 6.3 cm. In turn, M. yalchanchak measures between approximately 5.6 cm and approximately 5.8 cm. While M. xetame ranges from approximately 4.8 cm to 5.5 cm.
The now ten species of vinagrillos live throughout Mexico and the three recently discovered are no exception:
– M. franckei was detected in the rainforests of Xilitla and Aquismón, San Luis Potosí.
– M. xetame lives in pine and oak forests in Jalisco, Mexico.
– M. yalchanchak inhabits Chiapas, however, entomologists were unable to see it directly, so they used existing museum specimens collected several decades ago in Chiapas for the study.
Vinegaroons are arachnids belonging to the order Thelyphonida, sometimes also called whip scorpions.
These arachnids are known for their peculiar appearance, with a long tail and front pincers, but unlike true scorpions, vinegaroons lack a venomous sting and are not dangerous to humans. They are harmless and feed mainly on insects and other small invertebrates. Vinegaroons are found in different regions of the world, including North America, South America, Africa and Asia.
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