THE Biosecurity Authority of Fiji has confirmed the sighting of scorpions in Fiji.
And it is trying to ascertain whether they are exotic or endemic.
The confirmation comes after queries were sent to the authority by this newspaper after claims by a woman from Raviravi in Ba that she had found a scorpion in her home.
Serina Taslim said last week was not the first time she had found the scorpion at her home.
“The last time I found a species was several months ago and it was bigger than the one I found on June 4,” she claimed.
“The last time I had killed it as a knee-jerk reaction.
“This time around I thought it would be best to put it in a container and give it the BAF office here. The officials here told me it was common to find scorpions in Fiji, which I thought was strange because we don’t know much about it.”
BAF head of communications Riten Gosai confirmed receiving the sample last week.
“BAF entomology team confirms that the specimen is indeed a scorpion,” he said.
“We agree that not a lot is known about scorpions in Fiji, however, this finding is not uncommon.
“BAF entomology team has received specimens from the same area in the past years. In fact, similar specimens have been obtained from Labasa as well.
“It is difficult to ascertain whether the scorpion is exotic (or even endemic) at this stage.”
Mr Gosai said the specimen would be sent to a New Zealand laboratory for confirmation of the species level.
“BAF will continue to meticulously protect Fijian agriculture, environment and biodiversity,” Mr Gosai said.
